"Did you get a pen?" asked the lady in the logo-emblazoned polo shirt behind the display table.
"Did you get a pen?" asked the lady in the logo-emblazoned polo shirt behind the display table.
"Hm? Oh.... I have several pens and you have my info...."
"Well, they're free. Give one to someone who didn't come."
As my wife and our two little daughters were ready to move on, I felt no desire to contradict and added another pen to our plastic bag full of brochures, business cards, fridge magnets, keychains, and gifts. These generous exhibitors from the baby and child expo... What would their ROI be from all this? I wondered.
This particular expo, at a cavernous Seattle convention center, had been in three cities before this one. The signs of wear and tear on the attitudes of some of booth owners were starting to show.
"Having a good show?" I asked at one booth with an array of baby hats, bibs, burp cloths, blankets.
"No," was the curt reply. Her products were some of the nicest in the show that day, with alternately earthtone and bright colors in minky fleece.
"Yeah, I heard someone at another table allow that the organizers had focused too much on booking exhibitors and not attracting attendees...."
She scowled, packing items into a box. I asked where they were from. "Minnesota," the smile-free reply. I thought of the Chinese proverb, "A person without a smiling face must not open a shop" (rings better in Mandarin). I felt bad for her, hoped she had a better day.
Just around the corner, a different experience awaited. The owner of a no-slip barrette company, Tristan, greeted us warmly, came out around her table to meet our kids. In a few minutes we were like old acquaintances: we heard about her kids, her friend with a child at Children's Hospital (my wife is an RN there), her passion for her company and what she's hoping to achieve in the community. She was the essence of an "indie," wanting kids to be free of the incessant marketing they're exposed to- such as make-up sold in a vending machine at an elementary school.
Before we left, I asked her how the show had been for her.
"Great!"
We met other people with similar passion, who stepped outside of their internal dialogue to engage with fellow human beings. Leslie, representing a single-anchor hammock crib, made our 9-month old light up with big smiles. There were other playful and energetic people at various booths. The enthusiasm they showed left a positive gut feeling towards their brand and their product.
Their challenges for leads were every bit as daunting as others we met who either put us off with aloofness, or didn't attempt to connect on an emotional level, pointing us to sign-up sheet lead cards and tschotchkes. But is it hard to imagine their success rate will be quite different, given the same set of circumstances?
It reminded me of a time in Sierra Leone, where something like a daily expo can be found in the dusty streets near the giant- bat-filled Cotton Tree, in the center of old Freetown. The batik blankets full of everything from socks to ironwood carvings, to bamboo pencil holders... the merchants I spent the most time with-- and bought from-- were the ones that didn't push, but "pulled" me with their friendliness, even when it wasn't the sweetest deal. They were the salt of the earth. Am I sucker for genuine kindness, or just a sucker? Well, I guarantee you there are more people like me, than people who will buy from a sour or bitter individual.
My tradeshow and infotainer inspiration, Joel Bauer, wrote: "Creating a sense of intimacy and rapport is the entire key to effective positioning for any potential professional/ personal long-term relationship."
That's filling a heart, not filling out a card or filling up a bag.
Learn more about the author, Brian Crouch.
This article reminds me Dale Carneqie's "How to Win Friends & Influence People".
"The fundamentals" he suggests - speak ill of no man and speak all the good you know of everyone; say "thank you" & talk about what people want and help them get it.
"Way to make people like you" he includes - smile; be happy to see people; draw people out....
Filling a heart is a great expression! Thank you. Brain.
Your article got me thinking Brian... If we value ourselves and give away a smile, the ROI will naturally be high. If there is no self-love or self-value, our only chance is with another pen. and those chances are getting slimmer and slimmer every day.
Thanks for your warm and well-written article.
Yes, Brian's got it right. Filling out the card or filling up a bag is just ways to expand a personal connection not a substitute for one.
I think every business should have that Chinese proverb emblazoned over their door, whether it's a home-based accountant or a coffee shop.
I'm getting out my wood burning kit right now.
Brian,
Carol (Baby Chaleco) just emailed a link to your blog here - WOW! I'm now twice taken aback at this kind of TOTAL surprise (Shelly at My Spoiled Rotten Baby did a blog after a small show we did in Bellevue and I was utterly shocked!).
Seriously, I am touched - not just for these kind words - but that you and your wife are who you are and totally 'got' what I'm about is just what I need at this time. I recently lost a loved one and have had some experiences that make me question what kind of a "dent" I'm really able to make in the world beyond my own doorstep. Truly, it's in connecting with others who also care that WE will make this difference, together! Thank you both for being a 'high note' for me, as well.
Just as you hope to find people with passion and a great attitude when you walk a tradeshow floor, I hope to inspire and connect from the other side of that table. I see a lot of long, tired faces - faces of people interested in their freebies. I always look at them as opportunities - to get past that facade and tap into what's inside a person. You and your wife were NO CHALLENGE for me ;-). ALL the old sayings are true - what comes around, goes around, indeed.
Thank you - now I have a whole new site to learn about, as well! WR, Tristan
Thanks everyone, for your kind words. @Tristan, sent you an email.
What words of wisdom, Brian. We have been in many trade shows and I so get the "fill the bag" thing.
It's really all about that personal connection, isn't it? One thing I see a lot of is companies sending their lower-level, uninspired staff to handle the booth. They often look bored and unapproachable.
I'll think about your words next time I'm at a show.
Hi Brian,
I can just imagine you and Gretchen sparkling your way through that trade show.
So that's how you spell "tschotchkes".
I am still smiling from the great event you hosted at the Columbia Club, "Schmooze with a View".
Thanks!
~CarolAnn
@Judy- Isn't that perplexing? To spend major $$ for the real estate of that booth floor and the material to hand out, but then spend little energy or resources to make sure that they have the most enthusiastic and positive people.... I'd say at that show it was half and half, with a few standout examples from each extreme.
Hi Brian. I've been to many a tradeshow and I think Tristan said it best, there can be long faces on both sides of the table.
Whenever I go to a show, I always have a couple things I'm looking for. Then I leave the rest up to what happens. By doing so I leave with a lot less "stuff" (that usually gets thrown away after a while anyway, and more personal connections.
Thanks for the article.
Hi Brian -
I too have been to many a tradeshow/career fair/expo/conference as either a participant or exhibitor and am amazed that companies let some of these "representatives" out the door. And don't get me started on "customer service" in retail establishments... Lately I've been trying the Dalai Lama's compassion gig and even when I just want to slap someone upside the head I take a step back and try to imagine how I can ease their pain. If I can get someone to make eye contact with me and smile sometimes you can just see the tension roll away and then you have a chance to engage in a genuine way. Kinda like when you pull a quarter outta someone's ear ;-) Keep up the magic!
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