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Giveaways and Freebies People like to go to trade shows or conferences because there is SO MUCH free stuff going around. Visitors are swinging by booths filling up their goodie bags with freebies from table to table. You better have something good! Make it unique, something that they show their friends. I think branded stickers and buttons are always nice, but do something fun! Gather Contact Information There’s nothing worse than going home from an event realizing you never got anyone’s contact information. You want to find a way to tastefully collect visitor’s email addresses so you can add them to your mailing list. Eric Terry of Linty Fresh says he has people fill out a little card for a raffle. On the card they can check a box if they want to receive their newsletter. The people that opt in this way are usually pretty enthusiastic about your brand and you should stay in touch with them on perhaps a more personal basis. Eric from Linty Fresh does it big with his booth. THREAD’S NOT DEAD • Jeff Finley Peacocking / Building Buzz I learned the term Peacocking from Niel Strauss’s book The Game about the secret underworld of pickup artists. It explained that wearing a crazy hat or a giant gold necklace would get you more attention from the opposite sex. It seemed like a corny cliché, but somehow it worked. As funny as it sounds, doing remarkable, crazy, or funny things at trade shows builds buzz and certainly makes you stand out. When I go to events, I’ll notice booths try to get bigger, louder, and more in your face than ever. With flashing lights, booming sound, and even dancing girls! They’re all shouting LOOK AT ME! That kind of attention whoring works but there are less shameful ways of drawing attention. For example, while I was at Siggraph in 2007, the Gnomon Workshop taught classes and gave demonstrations on big flat screen TVs. The Adobe booth had 30” Cintiq monitors all around so visitors could draw on their screens. There was some user interaction going on! Think of ways to involve visitors or get them to stop and watch. Demonstrations, classes, workshops, tutorials, and performances are great. Money and Payment Are you going to accept credit cards or cash only? By taking credit cards, you can get more sales as almost everyone uses their credit or debit card these days. Not everyone carries cash on them. But I think it’s still a surprise to most visitors that a vendor is even able to take credit cards. There is also the trust factor. If your booth looks shady and amateur, people may not feel safe swiping their card with you. However, if you look pro, people might expect you to take cards. Keep in mind, accepting credit cards comes with its own price and per transaction fees. You can purchase a credit card swiping machine or even use your iPhone with apps like Swipe, or Square. If you’re taking cash, make sure you have enough to make change the whole day. Keep your cash in a secure and lockable cash drawer and make sure a trustworthy person can keep an eye on it at all times. It’s obvious but don’t walk away from it; it could get stolen! Designate someone to be responsible for managing your cash at all times! Sales & Fulfillment 72
This is me after 2 long days at Weapons of Mass Creation Fest 2010 Network and Be Friendly It’s important to be approachable, friendly, and fun at events. You’re there to meet people and have a good time. Don’t be overly salesy or pushy when visitors are eyeing up your goods, that’s a big turn off. Let them look and be available if they have questions. Don’t be afraid to say hello or start up a conversation with someone. You might not get a sale, but you will still make an impression. THREAD’S NOT DEAD • Jeff Finley More Tips for Selling at Events • Come up with a gimmick or publicity stunt • Encourage social media use with #hashtags • Collaborate with other nearby vendors for cross promos • Bring your own lighting setup • Set up your booth in a high traffic location (intersections), avoid dead zones • Provide seating or places for people to rest at your booth • Keep things simple, show your best stuff • Take pics with your visitors, post to social media • Seed the crowd with free shirts, get people walking around with your tees • Get the host or a band to mention your booth or temporary discount Further Reading: • Make your booth stand out at trade shows • Video: IATT Craft Fair Tips Sales & Fulfillment 73 Justin Kamerer being friendly and showing off his mad skills at Flatstock. Photo by Kodiak Press.
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