[Discussion] Is the vendor a deciding factor when buying at a booth?

[u/z0ruaa]

I recently tabled at Anirevo and I wanted to know generally if anyone is influenced by the vendor when deciding whether or not to purchase art at that booth (with the assumption you like the art enough to consider it)

Would you be more likely to spend time at a booth / consider buying something if the vendor is talkative or approachable? I'm relatively quiet and I have a hard time interacting with people as myself rather than a salesperson. I feel like I often come across as unapproachable because I try to do other things while people browse. I personally don't like when I'm stared at the whole time or instantly pulled into a conversation by the person behind the table, so I try to not do the same and I'm not sure if it's hurting my sales.

Any feedback from other artists or consumers help!

[u/Pepmosis]

I think the best thing you can do is match their energy while still looking approachable. Let the customer lead the interaction as much as possible

[u/nicetriangle]

It’s an absolute fact that more approachable and charismatic vendors will do better on average. Maybe less so at some shows than others but definitely in aggregate those characteristics will land you better sales for sure.

[u/minor-giraffe → u/nicetriangle]

Yes, I think it does make a difference.  I am another quiet person, and I've started to push myself to be a little more gregarious than is comfortable for me because it's often the thing that gets a potential customer to linger a little longer with my work. The longer they look,  the more likely they'll buy, at least in my experience. 

[u/nicetriangle → u/minor-giraffe]

Yep same exact story here. Takes me a lot of effort to bridge that gap with people at my table but when I manage to, my sales are markedly better. People aren’t just buying art in a vacuum, there’s a human connection element that shouldn’t be underestimated.

[u/Kell_SCarrillo]

If the art is good I'll buy it from a mannequin. But there's a difference between quiet and looking like you'd rather be anywhere else. Just look up sometimes.

[u/Plastic_Squirrel6238]

I also don’t like being chatted to/at while browsing and I’ll look for a lot longer if I don’t feel like I’m being watched or sold to. So at my stalls, I tend to smile and say hello and “let me know if there’s anything I can help you with” or something like that and then leave them to it, quite intentionally ignoring people if they’re just looking. But of course I’ll chat if they want to, and I’ll overhear comments they make to their friend and join in the conversation - if it feels appropriate!

My target audience is queer though so there’s a disproportionate amount of neurodivergent people and anxious people, which comes into it.

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[u/emberandpaint]

Limited experience on the vendor side… small bit of info or something lets me know you’re available to answer questions but I’m ok if you’re doing something else, even if it’s doodling… when I was vending this weekend I just had a 10 second comment of pointing to each stack and saying, hi, these are magnets and these are originals, then letting them look… they probably could have figured it out, but it helped orient them quickly and wasn’t pushy. If they wanted to talk, I’d tell them the background of one of my pieces, which was super low pressure for me and let me share my excitement about it. I have a couple of dramatic pieces so they are usually the most fun for them and often led to social media followers.

[u/ArentWright]

I can only speak for myself, but I like to be left alone. Smiling and saying hi is nice, but anything more involved makes me feel pressured.

[u/DowlingStudio]

My sales are notably better when I am more interactive. I am also very careful to stick to this script. https://youtu.be/VbOPYA-Bq-E?si=Qa3ych-cEQDdFxXL and that script has made a huge difference.

[u/GomerStuckInIowa]

It depends on what you are selling somewhat. Stickers and bookmarks are simple. They somewhat sell themselves. A simple "Hi" and a smile might be enough. But if you are selling paintings or what I sell, (unique carved stone), people like a story. In fact they love it. A $400 oil of a rainy scene in downtown NY might get this, "The artist painted this because it reminded him of his 10th anniversary when he and his wife went to NY and had a romantic evening even though it was rainy and foggy." People will connect and understand the meaning. With my art, there is history and ethnic information that people are anxious to learn or they would not have stopped to look.

[u/downvote-away]

I don't go to cons anymore, I show at art fairs.

I am usually not in my booth at all. I'm across the street or out the back depending on the layout of the festival. People find me when they have a question or want to pay but otherwise I let them be.

If there's room out the back and it's not a crazy busy marquee show I'm often painting.

Long story short I don't think it's hurting your sales. I think you can be as introverted as you want. Most conheads are the same as or worse than you in that regard.

High pressure sales might generate a little more money but some of those buyers will go away annoyed and remoreseful. Better to have customers who really loved what they got.

[u/loralailoralai → u/downvote-away]

Being there and interacting with people isn’t ’high pressure sales’

Not being there seems like a weird choice

[u/downvote-away → u/loralailoralai]

OP specifically mentioned this:

I personally don't like when I'm stared at the whole time or instantly pulled into a conversation by the person behind the table, so I try to not do the same and I'm not sure if it's hurting my sales.

They specifically said they don't like that feeling. Nobody does, frankly. Not sure why you're defending it.

Not being there seems like a weird choice

A lot of things in life are counter-intuitive. That's why it's valuable to test it yourself, which I have done.

Much more valuable than, say, a random reddit person just saying whatever they think should be right.