Main > SCC Procedures > SCC 101 > SCC 101 First Time
I'm a first-time SCC, where do I start? Created: Nov 28, 2003, 17:29 Last Modified: January 30, 2007, 13:36
You need to pray and everything will be fine. Take your catalogs, materials, table dressings if not provided, book shelves and just go for it. You know all you need to do to get started. The trick is just jumping in and getting your feet wet!
--Kellie
Prayer is very important, and remembering that these folks are homeschoolers just like you. They are friendly, kind people who are longing to find what you have to offer.
On the practical side, make sure to take something to drink, wear comfortable clothes and shoes, bring whatever books you have and possibly a crate or bookends or something to keep the books from being flung all over the tables. Make sure you have a clip-board or spiral notebook to get names and addresses, that is how you mostly get your commission. Take your timeline, any used or new workbooks, etc. I think any of the used books and Instructors guides are especially helpful as I find that most parents love that I have homeschooling kids and am a "real, live" homeschooling mom, not a slick sales person.
The first year I was a EC was at a large, (5000 attendance) event. I talked like crazy, tried to help folks, but was nervous because my booth wasn't as slick and professional as some. One guy ( who has been a big customer for 2 years) said, "You sure are a great salesman!" I blurted out, "I'm just a regular mom, not a salesman." He replied, "That's what makes you so good." I guess the moral is, be yourself, pretend you are just talking with a church friend or neighbor. People don't want slick, they want real, and by having a servant's heart you will do fine, even with minimal "stuff." May God go with you as you endeavor to serve Him, by serving the parents He sends to you.
--Jill
Doing a convention is very exciting . . . imagine spending all day talking to people about something you love! 98% of the people you interact with will be so grateful for your time and interaction. The other 2% keep us humble and help us keep our eyes focused on the Lord!
Definitely spend some time sifting through the archives and take a look at the pictures of different booth set-ups that are available here on the forum. Most of us give short "reports" here on the forum after we return from our events and that's a great way to get ideas and tips for your own event.
--JudyW
For a small convention with one table, remember to keep it open, don't make it a barrier type. If you push your big table to the back, it will open your booth up. You may want to bring another table (I have one camping table and one oblong card-table) to put along one side to make a kind of "L" shape.
The best advice is to make sure you have comfortable shoes, lots of water to drink, breath mints and I HAVE to have chapstick or my lips about fall off by the end of the first day. I usually take some crackers and cheese or pb (already made up) in case I have a hard time leaving my booth.
It is a good idea to have your books or the area your books are in labeled in some way so folks don'thave to keep asking you "what level is this." This year, my fourth, I color-coded all my books with SL labels, and it was amazing how much time this saved me. I could just point and say, "The kindergarten books are right there, witht the pink stickers on the spine." I also found that stickers on the front of the books really were a timesaver. For instance, "Basic K--Read-Aloud." This way, while looking at a level, they could readily see what was a reader, advanced reader, and so on. Saved me a bunch of time that I could use to answer others' questions.
Make sure you have sign in sheets of some type, lots of pens (they disappear) and something to put your catalogs in. They are slippery when they are stacked. The rest is up to you--some of us use put together book shelves, some crates, I use wooden bookshelves we made for this purpose, some put hem on tables with bookends, whatever works best for you and you can afford. In a couple of years, as your sales grow, you can afford to "soup-up" your booth a bit, wo if you watch the tapes,don't think you have to have great shelves and everything all at once. Make it reflect your own personality. Be yourself, you'll do great.
--Jill
Here are a few inexpensive ideas. Plastic tablecloths in bright, primary colors do wonders to dress up a booth. You could put one color on the bottom then use a square on diagonal of another color -- less than $5 and really catches peoples eye!
If you have a modular shelving unit, you can usually put 2- 3 shelf unit on top of a table (this is assuming you have that many books to display). People come to see the books, so take as many as you have! Organize the books by basic level, and label your shelves accordingly. If you have time, label the spine of your books as well.
There are plans for pvc piping & a sheet to drape the back of your booth, I think, here on the website. It isn't too expensive, and will really dress up the booth. If it is not possible, I've used 2 - 1" x 1" sticks, 6 ft high, you put one end of the sticks in a coffee can full of gravel, then attach the poster/banner to the top of the sticks. The gravel keeps the cans from tipping over and holds the banner well.
If you have a Sonlight friend who could go with you to give you breaks, it would be helpful. Maybe you could pay her way in to the event in exchange for her covering for you here and there.
I'd put the table at the back of the space and stand in front of it, if possible. Maybe a chair or two over towards one side so people could sit and look at IG's, etc.
The only other costs I can think of right now -- a couple of clip boards with sign up sheets for your prospects... pens, post it notes or a notepad to make notes for people... can't think of anything else, it's late and I haven't gotten my head geared towards conventions yet! HTH!
--Rhonda
Your catalogs. You'll want to label them in some fashion to give clients your name and e-mail or phone number. Many of us use Avery labels that we print off the computer and then stick on all the catalogs. A couple of SCCs have had actual stamps made. Some of us attach a short introductory/explanatory letter inside the catalog. There are samples of those on the Intranet as well. You may also want to consider making yourself some business cards. Again, samples of these are on the Intranet.
We take two or three catalogs, tear them apart and put the pages into plastic page protectors and then load them into a 3-ring binder. Then we create tabs for each of the main sections of the catalog. These are labeled as "booth catalogs" and we use them for reference when we are counseling.
--JudyW
Handcarts Mine is a 4-wheel dolly that my husband bought me at Sam's. I have seen the same model at Office Depot. It has swivel wheels in the back so that it maneuvers well, and the back handle folds down over the bed of the dolly for compact storage. The bed is big enough to hold two catalog boxes and then I usually stack another layer of two boxes or crates on top of that. --Kelly L
I have this type too, got it at Harbor Freight for about $50, it is the larger model, I can stack all 6 of my book shelves (2 foot square) full of books on it and take them all in at once. One more trip to get up to about 6 boxes of catalogs and I am settled in my booth. --Jill
It's a *dual* dolly . . . can be used "upright" or it can be used flat as a cart. The handle changes positions to offer the two styles. I honestly don't remember how much it cost, we've had it for a couple of years. It's green!! Got it at Office Max. Staples has them too. --Judy W