Getting the most out of your trade show experience is one of the biggest hurdles in business. How do you do it effectively? Use a little motion, says marketing expert Bob Bly.
Here are his thoughts on selling at trade shows:
"When I was at Westinghouse, we were developing a new firing system for U.S. Army tanks. Our competitors were doing the same - and, of course, only one defense contractor would win the contract.
In those days, defense projects had both an official name and a catchy nickname. The official name for our firing system was DIVAD (Division Air Defense gun). Its nickname was "the Gunfighter."
The Gunfighter was to be our featured product at an upcoming defense trade show, and my boss was looking for a way to call attention to it ... and draw prospects to our booth.
His solution: Hire a quick-draw gunslinger to put on a shooting exhibition.
Again, my fading memory fails me. I can't recollect how we pulled off such a thing at a crowded indoor trade show. Perhaps he shot blanks ... or some kind of plastic pellets.
Anyway, the quick-draw gunslinger was a huge hit. You could come to our booth just to watch him put on a show ... or you could draw against him and see how fast you were. (Of course, nobody even came close to beating him.)
You don't have to shell out big bucks for a huge exhibit (we needed a big display area to accommodate our makeshift shooting range) or expensive gimmicks (the gunslinger for hire didn't work for peanuts). Virtually any physical motion ... even motion on a TV or computer screen ... will draw a crowd like moths to an open flame.
If you don't believe me, here's a cheap idea you can try at your next trade show ...
On the table in front of your booth, where you keep product samples and sales brochures, place a large goldfish bowl. Fill it with water and put in a big goldfish or two. Add a small pump with an aerator to create some noise and bubbles.
I guarantee people will slow down and stop - much more so than normal.
If you can, tie this gimmick to your product. For example, a company selling window treatments could say, "Stop feeling like you're living in a goldfish bowl when neighbors look through your windows." But it isn't necessary. Even if it's unrelated to your offer, motion, interactivity, and animation can get people to wake up and take notice.
Think about it. When you are in a mall or on a busy street and you come across an electronics store with a TV in the window, people are always standing there watching it in fascination - as if they'd never seen one before.
A similar ploy works with pet stores that display puppies in their window.
A family gets sucked into the store, where the kids desperately try to convince Mom and Dad to buy one of the little critters.
Mom and Dad are resistant, even stoic, at first ... trying to maintain an icy resolve to discourage the purchase. But the clerk is smart. He brings out one of the pups (the one the kids are melting over) for them to play with.Within minutes, every member of the family is petting and talking to the puppy in soothing tones ... and the clerk is smiling, knowing he's closed another sale.
The dog is ultimately sold not because of its breed ... or its papers ... or the price ... or the guarantee ... or the reputation of the breeder. What gets the cash register to ring is getting the customers to feel the puppy's warm, soft fur ... and watch him bounce around playfully, so happy to be getting attention from them.
No matter what product or service you are selling, you can probably find an opportunity to work movement or interaction into your sales presentation."
Its a great idea...using motion to sell. Try it!
