During the holidays, I encountered a woman who was quite creative in getting attention to the Salvation Army red kettle she was tending. She used her dog. With a Santa cap on his head, her dog stayed patiently by her side while she rang the bell. While bell ringing often became so routine that it was easy to ignore, seeing a dog immediately attracted attention. Many people walked over to pet the dog. Everyone smiled at the woman and her dog.
I commented, “Bringing your dog is a smart idea. What a great way to get people’s attention.”
“I brought him last year,” she replied, “and he did get a lot of attention. Because of him, I talked to more people and got more donations.”
“Most people like dogs,” I agreed. “Good job!”
I was so impressed by her idea that I wanted to share it with you. Since we are in the January through March trade show season, many of you will be tending a booth in the next few weeks. What do you do to draw attention to your booth? Dogs may not be allowed, but you want something to attract prospective customers to stop by and talk. Get them to interact with you. Her dog did that well for this woman. What can you do to accomplish that at your booth?
Sit down and think this through. Ask yourself these questions. What gets people’s attention? What problems that potential customers have does your product or service solve? How can you use the answers to the first two questions to set up something at your booth to draw in your prospective customers?
While food is always a good draw, those who stop to eat the food are not necessarily your target customers. They are merely attendees who want something to eat. I found that with chocolate. A better way to get your target customer to stop is to have something that piques interest because it immediately shows that it solves a problem. When you set that up, your time in the booth will be spent talking to prospective customers rather than to any attendee, many who may not have an interest in your product or service but may act as if they do to get the food. Your follow-up time will also be better spent because you will be contacting people who have an interest in and a need for your product or service.
A profitable objective for a trade show is interacting with the best prospects that will lead to sales. You are not there just to talk to a lot of people. You are there to meet those with the highest likelihood to buy your product or service. With her dog, the woman got attention, made people smile, and opened people’s hearts and subsequently their wallets. Her dog brought the best potential donors to her red kettle.
What are you doing to bring the best potential customers to your booth?
This week's marketing trivia challenge is What has attracted you to a booth and made you a customer? E-mail me your answer.
I commented, “Bringing your dog is a smart idea. What a great way to get people’s attention.”
“I brought him last year,” she replied, “and he did get a lot of attention. Because of him, I talked to more people and got more donations.”
“Most people like dogs,” I agreed. “Good job!”
I was so impressed by her idea that I wanted to share it with you. Since we are in the January through March trade show season, many of you will be tending a booth in the next few weeks. What do you do to draw attention to your booth? Dogs may not be allowed, but you want something to attract prospective customers to stop by and talk. Get them to interact with you. Her dog did that well for this woman. What can you do to accomplish that at your booth?
Sit down and think this through. Ask yourself these questions. What gets people’s attention? What problems that potential customers have does your product or service solve? How can you use the answers to the first two questions to set up something at your booth to draw in your prospective customers?
While food is always a good draw, those who stop to eat the food are not necessarily your target customers. They are merely attendees who want something to eat. I found that with chocolate. A better way to get your target customer to stop is to have something that piques interest because it immediately shows that it solves a problem. When you set that up, your time in the booth will be spent talking to prospective customers rather than to any attendee, many who may not have an interest in your product or service but may act as if they do to get the food. Your follow-up time will also be better spent because you will be contacting people who have an interest in and a need for your product or service.
A profitable objective for a trade show is interacting with the best prospects that will lead to sales. You are not there just to talk to a lot of people. You are there to meet those with the highest likelihood to buy your product or service. With her dog, the woman got attention, made people smile, and opened people’s hearts and subsequently their wallets. Her dog brought the best potential donors to her red kettle.
What are you doing to bring the best potential customers to your booth?
This week's marketing trivia challenge is What has attracted you to a booth and made you a customer? E-mail me your answer.
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