Last week we posted on a session we attended on the topic of show and event marketing. The first half of the presentation was given by Sally Cheney of Sally Cheney's Superstore in Tennessee. The second half presenter was Mike Piper of Best Sewing in Seattle. Today we look at Mike's take on the subject.
Mike began by saying that as advertising becomes less effective shows and events become more important. Continuous activity will lead to continuous sales. He likes to do a variety of events, both in-store and out. He feels that post cards are the best way to promote his events. "You have to do something every month."
Mike's a believer in having lots of activity going on at a home show or other off-site event. Have lots of working samples. If one is good, five is five times as good. He also sells his demo models during the event. He gets the money up front and delivers the demo when the event is over.
Probably the key to Mike's event success is his attitude. "We sell things!" he says. He's not spending the money to do a show just to visit with people. If you come into his booth (and he will come into the aisle to get you) someone's going to ask you to buy something. (See our earlier post There's Nothing Wrong with Making a Sale.)
One thing that is often overlooked is residual business. If you put on a good event, you'll have customers coming into your store for months because of it. Events and shows don't just lead to immediate sales, but also to on-going sales all year long.
Comments