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Responsibilities for a Successful Show: Part 2Dateline: 05/07/97
Pre-Show Advertising/PlanningIt's very important for show promoters to adequately advertise, as I brought up last week, but there are some things that we can do to draw customers to the show. I find it helpful to pull my customer list and send out a direct mailing to my preexisting customers. I'll let them know when the show is, my booth location, and advertise any new products I might have. A coupon inside can give an incentive to come to my booth. Some shows (with door admissions) will send you passes to let favorite customers into the show for free. I know that direct mailing can be a costly way to advertise; however, in five years I've never lost money by inviting good customers back.Another thing you can do is plan a "show special". A discount at a show will often get those customers who plan on "ordering later" to go ahead and buy now. Sales are lost all the time by well intentioned customers who are going to order and then just forget about it! It's better for most businesses to take a small price break instead of altogether losing a sale.
DisplayYour display is one of the most important parts of your presentation. An eye-catching, unique, fully-stocked display will almost always attract potential buyers into your booth. If you have a sheet over a card table with two or three pieces of merchandise scattered about, people will take more of a "yard sale" attitude towards your products.When setting up, make sure to stay in your space. Taking a few inches here and there is a sure-fire way to make your neighbors angry. After all, we've all paid our fees for our space, shouldn't we get it? Worse yet, if your display is pressed up against someone's high priced glassware and someone "bumps" your display causing an avalanche, who do you think the irate crafter is going to look to for compensation? Make sure to bring plenty of back-up stock with you. Most people will go ahead and buy that special piece from you if you have just what they want. Some will order if they want the product bad enough, but I've lost many a sale by not having enough products with me. Also, a full booth always looks much better than a few things scattered about. Remember, hopefully the people are there to buy, make sure you have things to sell them! It's a also good idea to have your prices clearly marked. The first thing most people (naturally) want to know is the cost of a product. In fact, a lot of people will leave before asking for pricing information. Also, it will save your time by not having to answer questions about prices throughout the entire show. It's better to spend your time answering questions about your product, or even better, making sales! At the same time make sure any show specials are displayed prominently. After all, having a "show special" to increase sales won't do much good if no one knows you have them! At the end of the day, as well as throughout the day, make sure you straighten up stock and display materials that often get put out of place by inquisitive shoppers. If you have carpet, make sure you have a vacuum to run at the beginning of the next day.
Booth AttendantsIt's important to have enough people in your booth to handle the traffic you are expecting. There's no need in losing sales because customers had to wait too long. I've found that for my business, two people per 10x20 space is usually adequate.If you feel that one person is enough to work your booth, then make sure you have someone to occasionally sit in for you if you need to leave. We all like to wander around to see other products or meet other exhibitors, however, an unattended booth usually isn't very productive. :) Now that your body is in the booth, make sure your mind is too. We've all seen (and been guilty of?) exhibitors that aren't always as attentive to customers as they should be. Sitting back and reading is OK if there is someone else there to greet shoppers as they come in. I'm not suggesting that you tackle people as soon as they walk up. You don't even have to talk to a lot of people. It's always surprising to me when a simple smile to acknowledge someone's presence in my booth leads into a conversation and then a sale. Even at a slow show, you can bring up sales by being more attentive. It's kind of ironic that at a lousy show, where it's even more important to do everything you can to increase sales, that's where you'll see the most folks reading or walking around leaving booths unattended.
LiteratureI've asked several buyers at a recent wholesale market what the biggest problem they have had with exhibitors was. The answer was: exhibitors would either run out of, or not even have, literature for their products. They said that some exhibitors told them that they could only have a flier if they ordered! I know that fliers, catalogs, and other literature is expensive, but many buyers DO order after a show. In fact, many buyers at wholesale markets prefer to gather the information from the vendors they are interested in and decide over lunch which products they want. Not much of a chance that you'll be getting one of those orders if you wouldn't even give them a flier! It's just as important to have a good amount of literature on hand at retail shows. While I would rather have "take home money" at a retail show (that's why I do them), a large part of my income is derived from mail-in orders from customers who have seen my full display at a show. At the very least, you should have plenty of business cards available to give to prospective customers.
SummaryJust remember that the right preparation and attitude can make or break a show. Although all the good preparation in the world means little if the customers aren't there, it helps to be prepared in advance for a great show!Next week: I'll introduce a new monthly feature being planned. The Crafter Spotlight! |
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