[amayausers] Re: Trade Show FLOP!
- From: "Roland R. Irish III" <signman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: amayausers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 21 May 2006 09:43:13 -0400
My thoughts on trade show setups...after 30 years in retail business,
20 as a silversmith, graphics on and off until 22 years ago....added
embroidery 2 years ago so I had 'the course' in getting and taking
orders for clothing...and STILL get people that think I can whip up 4
screens to print ONE shirt in half an hour for $15.....
Don't go into any show thinking you will take orders...won't happen.
I used to do 'Home Show's', Chamber of Commerce shows, Wedding shows,
etc. and usually didn't even make an order to cover lunch. It is more
of a 'meet and greet' for other people to see you...and the group
running the show to make money off YOU.
We (ex wife and I) would set up at shows to do jewelry, and realized
right off you can't sit there and make a custom piece while everyone
is watching, talking, picking up stuff, trying to rip you off....so
we would work on 'other' orders-we had rings and bracelets we would
wholesale by the dozen...so THAT's what we would work on-and tell
potential customers to just give us their order and a deposit-and
meet us at the shop.
At the USSC (United States Sign Council) shows, the vendors (like
Signfoam, etc.) hire sign makers to sit at the show and demonstrate
the carving of foam, for example. What was the guy working on that
had a shop in Cape Cod? not only was he getting paid to be at the
show for a demo-the work he was doing was for his OWN customer-so
when he got home, the job was done-and he got paid not only to SHOW
how to carve the sign, but for selling the sign!
So bring your regular jobs with you as a 'demo'.
Otherwise, maybe a case of tote bags (Sanmar, real cheap) and run off
STOCK designs while people watch...and tell them- like this? Buy it
for your mom-add her name, only $5 plus the finished tote bag. If no
one buys it, you have a sample for your shop, or eventually a case of
totes to sell to some local 'craft store' at a discount.
Your best bet for new accounts? If you are looking for BUSINESS
accounts, large or small, join your local chamber of commerce, and
run off a batch of hats and tote bags for the 'staff' at the
chamber...then donate hats or totes to their upcoming event. I ran
off 150 tote bags for the golf tournament they had last year...my
logo on one side, their logo on the other. They filled them with
other 'freebies' donated by other businesses...and gave them to every
one at the tournament. Guess who some of the other businesses came to
for the ad specialties to give away! Me!
And I got orders for other stuff from THE TOTE bag, because the golf
teams were all BUSINESS MEN!
Now I give a case of something to every event the chamber does...and
get orders every time. Did a batch of shirts with the chamber logo,
and gave them some fleece blankets at the same time-they auctioned
those off and made money! Fleece blankets- Big Lots- $1.99, bought 2
grocery carts full!
Not interested in doing any shows-not worth hauling the machine
around. Better results and costs less to run off a case of hats or
totes and GIVING them to the businesses. Figure your time (2 days @
$20 per hour), loading and unloading the machine, setting it up, 2
days wasted from running paying jobs...vs. a case of hats ($1.59,
unstructured canvas) or totes (less than $2) handed out directly to
every business in your area....see the savings
Good luck!
Roland
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