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According to Steve Miller, author of HOW TO GET the MOST OUT of TRADE SHOWS, this is a true story. The moral to this story don’t ever judge a visitor to your trade show booth by his/her appearance. The misjudging is called the Edith Goldman Syndrome-and it starts this way. Edith started the trend of wearing athletic shoes when attending trade shows. It seems Edith is the buyer for Leavitt Advertising/Hanover House Industries and, as such, attended several hundred trade shows each year. These entities represent one of the largest mail order catalog operations in the world – numbering among them Adam York, Synchronic and Tapestry (I may be dating myself). Edith didn’t care what the athletic shoes looked like she just wanted comfortable feet. So off she went show-after-show, with the authority to buy for any part of Leavitt she saw fit. Here’s the point (or the rub – you figure which), because she was wearing running shoes not everyone in the shows she attended took her seriously. I know, I know, attire these days at trade shows goes from coats and ties and dresses to shorts and flip flops – but this was back ‘in the day’. Her retort to those who did NOT take her seriously was, “If they don’t take me seriously, that’s their loss, not mine.” She’s absolutely right; keep your antenna up, don’t judge a book by its cover, whatever. Every visitor to your trade show booth is a potential customer. NOTE: The old saw about the farmer in bib overalls who walked into the Cadillac dealership and nobody (veteran sales guys and gals) paid any attention to him until the ‘new’ kid stepped up and asked, “Can I be of service?” – is spot on. You know the result; the ‘new’ kid had a brand new Cadillac sold in fifteen minutes. Remember, “The only people who have to look good in the trade show booth are the exhibit staffers. Buyers can be as comfortable as they want – blue jeans, sport shirts, you name it (and they usually are). Don’t underestimate them and their potential buying power. This setting is a phenomenal opportunity to create and ultimately cultivate some of the best buying scenarios possible and they’ve just stepped into your territory. Treat every visitor as if they have the potential to take your sales ‘over-the-top and off-the-charts’. Jim Deady (Day-de) is the president of Showstopper Exhibits, LLC a trade show display, banner stand, graphics and accessory website – www.showstopperexhibits.com – with over a lifetime of experience in marketing and trade show sales and service. Call him today for a free consultation on your next trade show requirements @ (888) 440-0377 or email him @ jim@deady.com. For more information about Trade Show Displays please visit: http://www.showstopperexhibits.com/
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