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I would definitely recommend anyone trying to sell at a public show to have a demonstration piece in process that they can work on while the people stroll by your booth. If you sit in a chair waiting and watching for people to stop, they will just keep on walking 90% of the time. The minute I get up and start to work on my piece, I am soon surrounded by a large crowd of people. As soon as one person gathers the courage to speak or if I turn around and acknowledge their presence, a never-ending series of questions ensues.
I think people are more prone to take interest in your work if they don't feel that you are waiting to make a sales pitch to them. I don't feel I am snubbing them if I am working, especially since I rarely work over 5 minutes without having to stop and answer questions.
A work in progress is a great conversation starter. The children are especially intrigued and it's a great feeling to see the wheels turning in their little heads wanting to be able to make what I am making. Many of them ask for a small piece of clay before they leave and I know it is their first experience with this marvelous medium.
I have never had a customer say an unkind thing, but at my first show, I did stick my foot in my mouth and unintentionally insulted a customer. A quite unappealing looking man with a lovely woman came to my booth and the woman proclaimed "Look dear, that looks just like you" pointing to one of the busts on display. Trying to start a conversation I quickly replied with "Oh, I certainly hope not, that's my husband" meaning that her husband and my husband looked nothing alike, so I must have not captured a very good likeness.
I saw instantly by her expression that she took it to mean "I hope to goodness my husband doesn't resemble your husband, he is hideous". I learned it's just as easy to misinterpret what someone says to you as it is for someone else to misinterpret something you say to them.
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