When Its DUH? Time at Trade Show - 3 Little Words Save the Day

TIME, MONEY, HASSLE - You can make a sale on one of the Three Little Words, but when you sell on two of the three, you'll have a very loyal client.

You've have product training and sales training, you reviewed your company's web site and literature, you understand the demonstrations, and the marketing ideas behind the exhibit design. You're ready for the show.

But now you're standing in the booth and it's Duh? time. You can rattle off the features and benefits, but what does the person standing in front of you want to know?

It can be boiled down to three little words - Time, Money, Hassle.

They want you to save them time, charge less money and cut the hassle. Actually, it's what we all want when we shop ourselves, whether for banking or broccoli, wine or widgets. For example - We pay for chopped but bagged lettuce at the grocery store. Saves us money? No, costs a lot more than a head of lettuce, but it saves time and hassle because we don't have to chop it. Go through everything you buy and you'll find an example.

You can make a sale on one of the Three Little Words, but when you sell on two of the three, you'll have a very loyal client.

Frame your opening comments around these three words and you'll get people's attention. Don't make them ask the questions - be ready to find which of these words is most important to them and match your presentation to their concerns.

TIME - We all want time, more time, and trade shows are a time problem. It is compressed - there are only so many hours the show is open, so few hours to walk the aisles and minutes to stop at a booth. Conversations are brief, listening skills are strained and you'll never have enough time to go through the leisurely sales call process.

Here are 10 things people want to know about your company and Time:

1. What's your order-to-shipment time?

2. How long for custom orders and modifications?

3. How long is design time?

4. Do you stock everything I need, or do I have to wait for parts?

5. When will a salesman call on me?

6. How long does it take to learn?

7. How long does it take to teach someone?

8. What training materials and people are provided?

9. How long does it take to put together?

10. How long will it last?

MONEY - Money is important, and saving money in tight times is critical, but remember that beyond pure coin is value. Value is what you should sell. The simple definition is Value = Price + Performance. We all have something in the closet or the garage that we were sold on price alone, and we feel cheated.

Here are 10 things people want to know about your company and Money:

1. How much is it?

2. What's my discount?

3. Do you take credit cards?

4. Will you finance this?

5. What are your payment terms?

6. What's your guarantee?

7. What's my pay back?

8. Why are you higher (lower) than your competitor?

9. Do I have to pay for modifications?

10. What's the best deal you can give me?

HASSLE - If time is money, hassle is both time and money. If you save $500 when you buy, but it costs $1,000 in staff time to get a problem solved, was that a good deal? Of course not. These are the days of push-the-phone-button customer service, of voice mail hell with no live people, of cutbacks in staff who provided the corporate memory of how things really work, and increasingly of look on the web site. (Note - are you aware that more firms are adding a toll free number to help you find what you can't find on their web site? But you have to go to their site and read the small print to get the number!)

Here's are 10 things people want to know about your company and Hassle:

1. What are the most common problems with your product?

2. How do you solve those problems?

3. Have you ever called your own customer service department?

4. Are you 24/7/365?

5. How long does it take to get parts?

6. Who does the repair and how long does it take?

7. What's the guarantee process?

8. Who handles my account and what happens when she leaves?

9. What happens if you merge or go out of business?

10. What if it just doesn't work for us?

We all have true stories about customer service and the time-money-hassle factors. Here are a few of mine.

1. I needed a toner cartridge for an old and faithful printer. The local stores didn't carry it and didn't want to special order it, so I called the 800 number of a staple in the office supply business because I had a 15% coupon. It took one hour of call waiting, checking and finally my item was found! It could not be sent to the store so I could use the coupon and save the freight, but had to be sent to me directly. Now I'm on their mailing list and receive a catalogue every week. What a waste, but I've been told it's too difficult to take me off the mailing list. Is this my favorite store? Used to be. Not any more.

2. There are lots of ISP tales. Two years ago when the big one bought my little one, I had 13 days of intermittent service while they merged. This year, they changed "something" (their term) and I could receive mail but not send it. I spoke with 11 people over the course of a week, a total of 14 hours. I heard lots of music, lots of "what have you done?" and "let's just start all over". I spoke with supervisors, tech support and marketing. Finally, I found a new kid, who said, "Oh, yeah, we changed something. There, it's all fixed." Without billing them for my time, I figure this one experience cost the ISP five times what I pay in yearly service fees. Will I stay with them. Yes, because I'm afraid the next service will be worse.

3. Since I refuse to do business with people who know less about their company than I do, I often ask to speak to a supervisor. Now, I keep pad and paper whenever I make a call, and ask for name and extension. Recent responses - all true!

* There is no supervisor.

* They can't take incoming calls. Leave a name and number and they'll get back to you in 3 days.

* 20 minutes of music, then disconnect.

* Just disconnect.

* Call customer service. One hour of argument and being passed along via long holding patterns. We can't, never have and/or refuse to solve your problem. Hang up, call same number. Problem solved in two minutes.

* Voice mail hell with no option to speak to a real person.

* Web sites without real addresses or phone numbers. Contact us is an e-mail address which never responds.

Be Brief. Start your conversation with "(My Company) can save your company (time, money, hassle) and we support our customers."

Do customer service problems appear at trade shows? Occasionally. Do they happen after shows? All the time. The more you can define Time, Money and Hassle for your clients and prospects, the more profitable everyone will be.

Julia O'Connor
Speaker, Author, Consultant
Expert in the Psychology of the Trade Show Environment
Trade Show Training, Inc.
PO Box 17155, Richmond VA 23226
804-355-7800
http://www.TradeShowTraining.com

---

The ACCOUNTABILITY Challenge for Today?s Business Management

In today's 24/7 driven business word, accountability is becoming a... Read More

5 Secrets to Managing Your Sales Manager Productively

Many people believe that the main reason for representatives leaving... Read More

Offer Package Deals To Increase Profits And Sales

An effective way to increase your profits and sales is... Read More

To Increase Your Sales and Revenue Make Sure To Add Value

What are you and your company's services and products worth... Read More

SEZ WHO? Tips About Recommendations, Sales Cycles, and Trade Shows

Here's the scene. You're at the trade show, having a... Read More

Energize Your Organization

No matter what you do, it seems, your employees do... Read More

How to Improve Your Management Procedures Usability

Are your people consistently following your procedures? Each year, organizations... Read More

Promoting Your Private Label at Industry Trade Shows

So everyone thought you were crazy when you announced 6... Read More

The Boss from Hell: Quick to Criticize, Slow to Praise

So you have a boss who dumps all over you... Read More

The Surest Way to Boost Sales

If you have a small business and you are looking... Read More

Are Your Sales Meetings Boring?

Many sales meetings are boring and a waste of salespeople's... Read More

14 Top Lead Generation Tactics

According to former Harvard Business School professor David Maister, typical... Read More

Increase Your Sales Accept Credit Cards, Part 2

In part two we will discuss overcoming objections, which credit... Read More

3 Ways to Increase Your Sales

Last week I got a call from Jose, who was... Read More

Sales Tactics to Beat Your Competition

This month I want to share a success from a... Read More

Five Steps to Maximize Success in Targeting For Growth

Targeting is the process of selecting high potential customer accounts... Read More

Rotten to the Core: The Story of How the Best and Brightest can be Ruined

The objective of an incentive is to incite action within... Read More

Leadership - How To Turn The Vision Into A Reality

Be clear about where you are now. Audit your strengths... Read More

Profitable Relationships: Is It Amateur Hour or King of the Hill?

"We're in the relationship business?...airplanes are what we use to... Read More

The Differences Between A Commercial Collections Agency & Lawyer

If your letter writing and phone calls have all failed... Read More

How To Become A Better Sales Manager

YIPPEE! Kendra won, or should I say, "She was hired,"... Read More

The Achilles Heel of Management Coaching

While heading home at day's end, you begin reflecting on... Read More

Increase Retail Sales With Meetups

I recently attended the monthly Italian language Meetup here in... Read More

Commodity Sales Prospecting - How to Stand Out From Your Competitors

I have received a number of requests for advice from... Read More

How to Develop a Proactive, New-Business Sales Team!

I don't know about your business but in my experience... Read More

How We Build a 90% Failure Rate into the Sales Process

I recently began doing training in the banking industry. Across... Read More

Hire A Six, To Consistently Produce Sales Success

For many years as a sales manager, I would only... Read More

It?s Time For A Sales Management Revolution

Are you dog tired because of the way you manage... Read More

8 Line Items of a Trade Show Budget

Budget Guidelines for Trade Show MarketingB'techa didn't know - Trade... Read More

How to Sell Strategically

If you want to maximize your sales performance, take a... Read More

Accepting Responsibility for Your Sales Success

That we live in a time of relentless and pervasive... Read More

Pointless Targets

I recall a heated discussion with a sales director some... Read More

Increase Your Sales - Accept Credit Cards

Many people today simply prefer the convenience of paying by... Read More