It won't be long now – another trade show season will be upon us soon. What will you find that is new, interesting… a deal enhancer that you can share with clients and prospects? What tools will you find at the show to help your productivity and ultimately enhance your profitability?
To put this in perspective, I have been a CEO and VP for two different supplier companies during my career, and it always intrigued me to see the way some folks would work a trade show. It ran the gamut of the professional "scoopers" who would rake product samples into their bags to those who would waltz around without a care, to others would whisk by and say, "Please scan me and send two catalogs." From my vantage point, not a very good use of one’s valuable time.
Then there are those attendees who actually work a trade show effectively. They have a plan, an agenda. They know what exhibitors they want to see and they ask tons of questions. I have been accused of asking too many questions, but I believe knowledge is king and the more knowledgeable I am, the better equipped I am to compete profitably in the market.
Here are a few of examples to drive my point home.
Years ago, I was walking an Imprinted Sportswear Show and asking my typical barrage of questions of the various suppliers I chose to speak with. As I walked by the Madeira booth (manufacturers of embroidery thread), I saw something that caught my eye. The friend I was walking with asked me why I was stopping by this particular booth. "You don't own any embroidery equipment so why are you wasting your time?" I explained that while I don't sew, I do sell embroidered good and I want to know what is new, different, and unique. One of the things I found was they had developed a fire-retardant thread and a color changing thread – amazing!
After several questions I inquired about what I saw on the monitor in the booth. There was a short-loop video playing about a new software program that they were introducing called the Maderia Color Definition Package. This software was designed to help those that sold embroidery to view and manipulate their digitized files to see how they looked prior to sending them to their embroiderer. The software could also do the following:
• Output on a photo on a hat, bag or garment
• Dropped on a color background
• Change the color of each color stop in the design
• Prints out a sample of the design which looked like thread
• Prints out a plot sheet with color breaks
• … and more!
The great thing is this software was inexpensive and it helped me save huge amounts of money on spoilage and ensure better accuracy when I did send my goods and files to my embroiderer. If I hadn't asked the questions I would have never found this solution.
Most recently, I was walking a show in Orlando and was chatting it up with a friend of mine at Cutter & Buck. He introduced me to the senior director of global business development, Jeff Waller, from Ahead Headwear. Despite having an extensive background in headwear, I asked him what was new in the headwear market. Jeff mentioned they developed a new technology where they could personalize caps at 54-piece minimums. While personalization in itself is not new, however, I found that the way they go about it was very unique. Here are two examples.
A parent, whose son played lacrosse at Catholic University, had caps made for the team as a year-end gift. The outside of the cap had the players number on the shield on the front and the printed label on the inside carried the players name, number, logo and playing year. These designs are digitally printed on twill then stitched down on the cap. The labels inside were heat sealed inside on the sweatband. Think for a moment on how you could use this technology.
Case 2
A client was hosting a golf tournament and wanted something to distinguish the different foursomes. A custom logo was created with a small oval under the logo where the foursome names were placed.
There were 36 foursomes, plus eight family members that also had eight specialized hats. Given it was the "Shamrock Invitational," it was decided to use 37 different Irish last names to play into the theme of the tournament. Again, what are the possibilities?
The point is, when attending a show, take the time to prepare properly and if you are taking the time to walk a show, give suppliers the opportunity to share "what's new." You'll be amazed at what you might find and your clients will be grateful.
Until next month, continued good selling!
Cliff Quicksell, MAS+, has been involved in the promotional marketing industry for over 30 years. He is the recipient of over 25 international sales and marketing awards for innovation, creativity and his contributions to the industry. He can be reached at cliff@quicksellpeaks.com or 301-717-0615.