First, try as hard as you can to get a booth space near the main entrance/exit. That way you'll be able to wow people whether they're coming or going. It's also a way to engage attendees in conversation. For instance, if someone walks into the auditorium and he or she looks lost, you - stationed behind your booth - could say something like: "Are you looking for a particular type of craft?" If he or she responds, you might be able to compel him or her to take a look at the crafts available in your booth.

Next, figure out what it is about you and your crafts that makes you unique. Is there something about your crafts that make you stand out? If so, accentuate this aspect of your crafting. In addition, is there some way that you can talk about the care that you put into your crafts - types of materials, designs, hand stitching, etc. - that you can turn into a story? Stories sell, and even if what you do is very much like what everyone else does, nobody really takes the time to explain these techniques to potential customers. If you do, you'll have an extra edge.

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"How to Start Your Own Craft Business."

If you are artistic, come up with a logo for your business and incorporate this into the signage for your booth. If you are not artistic, find someone who is and have them come up with an attention-grabbing logo. Then, you can go to Kinko's and get some signs made with your logo that can help attract attention. These signs should match each other, and should match the labels you put on your crafts (you'll want some unique labels to increase the perceived value), your business cards, and any literature you develop to sell your crafts (think story again).

Another tactic to employ involves using a unique booth. If, for example, you can do whatever you want with your booth, feel free to customize it, make it look very much unlike the other booths in the auditorium. That way, attendees will naturally be drawn to your booth.

Have some inexpensive stands made for your booth. Find someone who has some woodworking talent and have them come up with something that is attractive, but portable (so you can put them in your car after the show). In addition, if you just have a tabletop, you can drape a cloth over the table, but use some milk cartons to create tiers. This will allow you to display more items, and make it visually attractive (you're breaking up the sight lines so it's not too boring).

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"How to Start Your Own Craft Business."

In terms of what you bring to the fair or show, bring your best craft products, and bring as much of them as you possibly can - running out of products before the craft fair ends can not only be bad business, but may get you banned from subsequent shows. To save on space, consider bringing a lot of smaller, lower-priced items. The more diverse your collection of craft products, the more interest you're likely to generate and the more sales you're likely to make.

Another surefire way to keep people flocking around your booth is to offer a raffle for a free prize. You need not give away one of your high-priced items. You can simply give away a smaller craft item. Everyone likes to receive free goodies, so you can be sure that people will stop by your booth and sign a ballot if they could win a prize.

And you absolutely must bring sales materials to hand out. People who attend craft fairs generally like crafts, so they are your target market. You need to have brochures and flyers to hand out to anyone who wants them. And be sure to include the contact details for your craft business.

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"How to Start Your Own Craft Business."

Also, make sure everyone who is supporting the booth is at their best behavior. Booth staffers should always be attentive and their body language must be inviting. Everyone in the booth should be ready to answer questions, and make sure that the booth visitors walk away with your business card and some literature. This could drive additional sales later.

If you can, make sure there are enough people so you can do shifts. Standing on the hard floors of a convention center or auditorium can be tough, so you want to make sure you have a chance to rest every couple of hours.

And finally, think about what you wear in the booth. Are you well dressed? Do you have helpers, and if so, are you wearing matching outfits (perhaps matching polo shirts or aprons with your logo embroidered on the chest).

Craft fairs offer an excellent opportunity to show your wares and make some sales. Think of your booth as a Broadway play, and you are the director. You want to make sure the stage is set and you're ready for the opening curtain.

Want to start your own full- or part-time craft business? Then check out...

"How to Start Your Own Craft Business."