We’ve attended more than a few trade shows lately. This past week we attended the Automotive Service and Repair Week (ASRW) show in Orlando, FL.
One of the coolest things we did to get people to come to our booth was to play a life sized version of Jenga.
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So what’s the lesson for you?

Go big or go home – We could have had a regular sized version of Jenga, and quietly played it with all our visitors. But who would have talked about that? Instead, we got a HUGE version of Jenga, and everyone who walked by had to stop by and take a look.
Ask yourself this: Do you have something fun in your shop or that you take on the road with you that folks can’t stop talking about? Could you take something that’s already fun and super size it to make even MORE fun?

Go big or go home (part 2) – We spent a little more on our booth this year, and it made a huge difference. Instead of skimping on quality (like we’ve seen many others do, and blame it on the economy), we got the best booth we could afford. A high quality booth made for a high quality experience for our sales people, and for our guests.

Ask yourself this: What is your sales person’s and your guests experience like? Is it warm and inviting and (most importantly) something your sales people are proud to work in? If they don’t believe in the quality of what you’re selling, that will come through when they talk to your customers. Invest a little more, and watch their confidence, and your customers spending, soar!
Fun, friendly and outgoing sales people is the order of the day– Nobody shies away from contact with our booth guests. Watch the video if you don’t believe us. This is VERY on purpose. We have a team of fun, friendly and outgoing sales people who LOVE to interact with people. Fun, friendly and outgoing people mean more opportunities for engagement with everyone at the trade show.
Ask yourself this: How fun, friendly and outgoing are YOUR sales people? Do you like to talk to them? If you don’t, you KNOW your customers don’t. Hire some new folks with GREAT attitudes, and watch your sales increase.
Instead of pushing sales, pull people in with fun – We didn’t talk about selling transmissions. Instead, we pulled people in with something fun they actually wanted to do, and it created an easy conversation starter. Young and old, experienced and inexperienced, no matter who the guest was at the trade show, they were interested in our booth.
Ask yourself this: How can you engage your customers in a non-automotive conversation? Find something and talk about that. The car talk will come soon enough.
These are little, but very important, lessons you can use in your shop to increase your customer’s positive experiences with you. They cost a little money up front, but you’ll increase your customer’s overall spending fast.