The Little Character Quiz: Getting Older Kids Talking at My Market Booth

One of the things I really enjoy about doing craft markets is talking to the people who stop at my booth. Especially the kids. I love how excited they get when they see something they like. 

But not all kids are the same. 

Little kids usually don’t need much encouragement. If they see something they like, they’re often right there—looking, pointing, asking questions, and sometimes reaching for everything in sight.

Older kids, not so much. 

They may stand a little farther away from the booth. They’re looking, but they don’t necessarily want to walk right in and start talking to a stranger. They may be more conscious of the people around them, or just a little more reserved.

So I started wondering: How could I help them feel more comfortable around me and more willing to step inside?

The answer actually started with the adults. With a simple question. 

At one of my spring markets, I had several new character-inspired plushies on display, and I was curious whether people actually recognized them. So, I took an impromptu survey.

When people stopped at my booth, I pointed to one and asked:

Do you know who that is?”

Most of them did.  And they had fun identifying some of the others, too.

It turned one question into a fun little guessing game that we all enjoyed. It was a great icebreaker, and I got the answer to my original question: Yes, people were seeing what I was trying to make.

But it also got me thinking.

Could I do this with some of the older kids who were standing outside my booth? Those who were less confident and needed a little encouragement to talk?

It was worth a try.

The Little Character Quiz

So I started trying it.

If a child was looking at my character shelves, instead of saying something like, “Can I help you find something?” I would simply ask:

“Do you know who this is?” Or: “Do you know what this one is called?”

This worked especially well with my Pokémon-inspired plushies. Those kids knew a lot more about them than I did, and while I was learning, they were letting their guard down. 

It was fun for everyone.

Getting Out From Behind The Table

There was another benefit to using this little game. 

Whenever possible, I try to make visitors' shopping experience more personal by coming out from behind my table and talking to them as people instead of as a seller and a buyer. I never want my booth to feel like one of those stores where, as soon as you walk through the door, you're immediately greeted by a salesperson who asks, “Can I help you find something?” 

I know they’re doing their job. But personally, I find that kind of attention uncomfortable because I feel the pressure to buy. I don’t want my customers to feel that way.

But I also don’t want to stand behind my table all day and never interact with anyone.

The character quiz gives me a middle ground.

If I see someone looking at a character, I can step out from behind the table and stand beside them.

“Do you know who this is?”

Now we’re looking at the plushie together.

Maybe they know the character. Maybe they don’t. Maybe they recognize another one. Maybe they tell me about a character I don’t have.

We laugh. We talk for a minute. And then I can go back behind my table and let them browse.

There’s no sales pitch. No pressure. Just fun.

And I think it worked.

Once we’d had that little interaction, they seemed more comfortable coming inside and looking around. Sometimes they’d even start pointing things out to me.

“This one’s really cute.”

And I would say, “Oh, I love making that one!” And the conversation could continue naturally.

Sometimes a sale came out of it. Sometimes it didn’t.

Yes, I’m at a market because I have a business, and I hope people will buy my crochet creations, but I don’t think every interaction needs to feel like a sales interaction. But I do think every interaction should make people feel welcome.

Another thing I like about this little game is that it doesn’t require me to be an expert. Good thing, too. I’m never going to win a Pokémon trivia contest against a kid who has been playing the games and watching the shows for years! And sometimes they even start suggesting which characters I should make next. 

Dinosaurs are the same way. I’m amazed at how many little kids know the different dinosaurs. And they love teaching me. It gives them a chance to be the expert, and I get to learn something new. 

Win, win!

The real lesson I took away from my little character quiz?

I don't need to figure out what to say to a customer to help them feel more comfortable in my booth, I just need to notice what they’re already interested in—and start there.