There are days when I struggle to write a blog that I feel will truly help others in our industry. Today just might be one of those days.
For most of last week, I was at a show in Atlantic City, demonstrating how Stratix Systems can help AEC (architects, engineers, construction) companies with technology.
Technology can be quite ambiguous in today's world. Rapid advancements often blur the lines between innovation and practicality, leaving businesses and consumers struggling to keep up with the ever-evolving landscape.
In essence, we were demonstrating practicality to those who passed our booth. For those who engaged with us, we had meaningful discussions focused on print and scan solutions, particularly with our KIP G71 wide-format device. Over those few days, we added quite a few suspects and prospects to our pipeline. In addition, we had the opportunity to chat with existing clients who stopped by. I firmly believe that our time was well spent and that the investment was worth every penny. Over the next 12 months, I anticipate at least $50K in revenue resulting from the event.
I noticed many booths where vendor reps spent most of the day sitting in their chairs, not interacting with attendees passing by. It got me thinking that many of them were just there to earn a paycheck and had little interest in engaging with potential customers. In fact, some of those reps even packed up early and left their booths unattended. I'm sure their bosses were unaware of the lack of participation or the early departures.
Yes, we had chairs, but we only used them during downtime between classes. When attendees were in the aisles, we were on our feet, standing at the edge of our booth, actively engaging with everyone who passed. Sure, not everyone wanted to chat, but many did once we made the first contact. Something as simple as handing out a tchotchke and explaining its usefulness was enough to start a conversation.
We were giving out hand sanitizers, and my go-to pitch was: "With so many people here, you might need this, the flu is going around." As I handed them the sanitizer, I’d ask where they were from. That naturally led to my next question: "Do you have wide-format print devices in your office?" From there, the conversation took off—we learned about their company, and they learned about ours. All you have to do is ask. My favorite saying is: "If you don’t ask, you don’t get."
I did make one mistake with an attendee, though. When I handed him a hand sanitizer (keep in mind these were pump sanitizers), I accidentally told him it was antiseptic spray. The next thing I knew, he popped the top and sprayed it into his mouth! I thought, OMG, what’s going to happen now? Luckily, nothing happened, and he went on his merry way. Geesh! Every now and then, I still mix up words from when I had a TIA years ago.
Is there a point to all of this? Not sure. But I wanted to share my experience from last week in hopes that the next time you’re at a trade show, you remember, you still need to work and make the most of your time and investment.
-=Good Selling=-
Tips
- The danger of sitting back and waiting for prospects
- Why leaving a booth unattended is a missed opportunity
- How body language and engagement can make or break your success
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