Show Advise. What do you look for?

Greenberg Woods

Greenberg Woods

Joined
Dec 27, 2013
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2,695
Hey Guys, so I am preparing for my first real show, but my situation is a little different. As a material seller, im not trying to attract the normal knife buyer, im trying to get you guys. The knife makers.

So tell me, what do you guys look for in a dealer? I think I have covered the basics

All blocks are labeled with the price and species

I can answer pretty much any question about any wood I have and many about woods I dont have

My prices are competitive, and I carry a range of values from bargain to presentation grade

I'll have some calipers out so people can double check dimensions

But is there anything else? Is there something you wish more sellers did, or that you would want to know about material before you bought it? Im open to any advise.

And on that topic, if anyone is in SoCal or the surrounding area in late june, you should come to the show! Lots of great makers, some dealers, and I'll be stocking over 50 species of woods!

Thanks a lot guys, and have a good one

Ben Greenberg
Greenberg Woods
 
Business Cards so I can look a maker or distributor up AFTER the show. I might have come for something specific and not planned on buying from somebody else, but if I can find them easily after, I might look them up and become a regular customer.

Maybe have some finished examples of certain lesser known pieces. People aren't always super imaginative. That's why house staging companies exist. ;) I might be more inclined to buy a block if I see it shaped, buffed, waxed or oiled on a presentation piece. Doesn't have to be physical knives, pens, guns, or whatever... just some pictures next to the blocks will do.
 
sounds like you have it covered. maybe offer a small discount if you buy 3 blocks? it might entice someone who is buying one or two into gettind three.
 
woodster said:
sounds like you have it covered. maybe offer a small discount if you buy 3 blocks? it might entice someone who is buying one or two into gettind three.
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Im often willing to haggle for decent orders. Ill also probably be doing a spend X amount of money you get a free bocote block, Y amount bubinga, Z amount Rosewood
 
Have the sticker on the block say where it was stabilized, also on the signs you have too etc.

If I know it was done by a legit stabilizer instead of somebodies homebrew, it makes a difference.



Cover the table with pretty wood.

Be ready to take a credit card.
 
Ill get some signs. All my stabilizing is done by K&G

What would you suggest for taking credit cards? I should also see if the venue has an ATM

And I plan on it. I got some great two tone buckeye burl along with a few treasures out of my secret stash for this show.
 
You may or may not have time to get set up for Square or Paypal card readers, but they're great- I'm really happy with Square, it deposits to your bank account automatically, and their readers work pretty flawlessly on almost every smart phone or tablet.
Well over half my business goes through those two systems- Paypal is perfect for online orders, Square for cards at shows. It makes a huge difference, just making it simple for your customers. There are some very strong reasons that people use mostly cards these days.
 
Greenberg Woods said:
Ill get some signs. All my stabilizing is done by K&G

What would you suggest for taking credit cards? I should also see if the venue has an ATM

.
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K n G is great

Square works with a cell phone and you can get a thingie that plugs into the phone
It's better to be able to take the money right then and there instead of sending them away to an ATM
They may not come back, then you are stuck holding blocks for them wondering if they come back


Have some bags.
You can get a box of generic white or clear plastic shopping bags try Uline, or local restaurant suppliers,
Even a box of small white gargage bags...


price stuff so it's rounded evenly

Have some change.
 
I thought the post that you did on all of the various woods was fantastic. How about putting that on an 8-1/2 by 11 handout for just the woods that you currently have on hand. On the other side of the handout you could include information about your company and website, ordering instructions, where the wood is stabilized, contact information, etc. I personally would be more prone to hang on to a handout like this since it has great information about various woods on it.
 
It helps to have good lights to illuminate the wood. The light at shows is often pretty bad and might not show the quality of the wood. If nothing else, the light will attract attention and draw people over.
 
Stand behind your table and smile. Nothing will run customers off faster than a scowling guy slouched behind a table in a folding chair.


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Definitly Square. Its easy and works well. We've had trouble in Santa Ynez but that was the phone service not Square. If you've got good service then Square really works. Where is your show?
 
You need to decide if you will take personal checks or not. Years ago at the Blade Show, I took a personal check for a knife and the buyer stopped payment on the check. He lived in SC, and I live in NM. I found out the hard way, that no one cares if you get cheated that way. The buyer would not respond to any of the attempts I made to contact him. My only recourse would have been to hire a lawyer.
 
Tom Lewis said:
You need to decide if you will take personal checks or not. Years ago at the Blade Show, I took a personal check for a knife and the buyer stopped payment on the check. He lived in SC, and I live in NM. I found out the hard way, that no one cares if you get cheated that way. The buyer would not respond to any of the attempts I made to contact him. My only recourse would have been to hire a lawyer.
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Ive had the dilemma before. Im 19, so I just act like I have no idea how checks work. Most people give up after I insist I have never heard of the concept.
 
"I've had the dilemma before. Im 19, so I just act like I have no idea how checks work. Most people give up after I insist I have never heard of the concept."


That sounds like good strategy. Good luck on your show.
 
I don't have anything to add except that if I was at a show and willing to buy blocks most of these ideas would 1) get me interested in looking at what you have, 2) make me think your products are high quality, 3) make me pull out a card and spend money, and 4) be a return customer.

From a non-professional neutral perspective the most "aha!" ideas that I've seen here are to have good lighting. Maybe a spray bottle to wet the wood a little for the more expensive pieces or for people looking at dropping a lot of money. The card reader. No checks. The little printed pamphlets with most of the wood info and your contact information. Lol, I guess that's actually most of them.

I take it back, I have something to offer. Maybe put up a sign stating some kind of limit on the amount of blocks people can handle at one time. If you're sitting on 100 blocks or whatever you won't know who has what and some people might see that as an opportunity to walk away with your stuff when you're not paying attention.

And maybe a stepped pyramid type of shelf display rather than having a bunch stacked blocks that people need to dig through. Especially for the higher end stuff. Easier to see as people walk by.

And maybe a binder with all the wood info including density and hardness. I hate asking a bunch of questions but I usually have a lot. I'd rather flip through a binder to find what I'm looking for than to bother you when you're helping other people, especially if they (the questions) might be considered stupid.
 
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