Create a Meaningful and Memorable Trade Show Pitch
Part one - The Goldilocks Effect
In the late ninety seventies one of my favourite television shows was the US sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. The character I remember most was Herbert Ruggles (Herb) Tarlek Jr., played by actor Frank Bonner. Herb was the epitome of bad salesmanship characterized by his boorish and tasteless approaches to clients. To complete his baboonish portrait, he wore loud plaid suits, with a belt that matched his white shoes.
Herb was the man you would never knowingly join on an elevator to face the consequences of his talking your ear off with information that you would have trouble relating to.
Fast forward to the second decade of the 21st century at a typical busy trade show when without warning you are approached by a modern day Herb who, while better dressed, still feels the need to overload you with information you care little about. You have just fallen victim to the greatest of exhibition sins – the poorly thought-out and executed pitch.
If you are a fan of fairy tales then surely you will remember the story of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” written by British author Robert Southey. It’s the story a young girl named Goldilocks who finds herself in a bear’s home and searches for perfection as she works her way through porridge, chairs and beds before drifting off to sleep. Goldilocks teaches us that the perfect solution to things in life, like a product pitch, should not be too long, not too short, but just right. That’s the “Goldilocks Effect” that all front line staff who meets visitors at a booth should adhere to rigorously.
A good presentation begins long before the exhibition. It is developed by uncovering four elements:
1. The features and benefits of your product and service
2. Identifying prospects and understanding what issues are most important to them
3. Finding your own voice
4. Rehearse...rehearse...rehearse.
1. The features from the benefits
There is an old adage in sales that says, you don’t go shopping to purchase a 1/8th inch drill bit, what you really want is a 1/8th inch hole.
What are you really selling? Make a list of all that your product (or service) provides. For example some of the features of an automobile might include, Exhaust Heat Recovery System, 2.4 Liter, is this right spelling? 4-Cylinder, DOHC, 16-Valve, Variable Valve Timing, Tier 2 Bin 3 Emission.
Next ask yourself which items bring real value to your customer. You record your answers in a second column beside the feature. For example the Exhaust Heat Recovery System generates electric current from waste heat in your automobile to improve overall engine efficiency resulting with a great potential for fuel savings. What does your customer want? An Exhaust Recovery System or fuel savings?
About Author
Barry Siskind, president and founder of International Training and Management Company, is a trade show consultant, trainer, speaker and internationally recognized expert in trade and consumer shows.
