How to Sell Products at an Online Vendor Fair

Online parties have been a popular among consultants for direct sales companies for some time. In them, sellers communicate with potential customers through chat rooms, playing games, giving away prizes and discussing products. Vendor fairs are similar to online parties, except that there are numerous presenters. Each seller has a time slot in which to present products, usually either 30 minutes or an hour. If you can find a well-promoted event and do a solid presentation, vendor fairs can be a great source of sales.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Products to sell

1. Find a popular vendor fair to participate in. There are many work-at-home mom websites that have these types of events frequently, and they often have good turnouts. See the Resources section for some places to look.
2. Check out the requirements for signing up. You will usually have to pay a fee to reserve your time slot, and some fairs require you to give away a prize with a minimum value during your presentation. Many fairs also require you to help with promotion, which benefits you and the other presenters.
3. Reserve your time slot. Be sure to note the time zone that the fair is going by so that you don’t miss your slot.
4. Type out the key points that you plan to address in a text file. This way you can open it up and copy and paste the main ideas when the time comes. This will prevent guests having to wait for you to type things out. Just remember not to go too fast so that they have time to read it.
5. Make your presentation when the time comes. Even if there is no prize requirement, playing party games and giving out prizes will keep guests interested. If possible, offer an exclusive discount or free gift with purchase.

Tips & Warnings

• Some vendor fairs are held in voice or webcam chat rooms. This allows more flexibility in product presentation.
• Direct guests to your website if you have one. If not, you might consider uploading pictures of products to a photo hosting site for them to view. Be sure to check with your supplier to make sure this is permissible.
• You don’t have to be in direct sales to sell at a vendor fair. Crafters and small business owners can participate as well.