A few years ago, my wife and I attended a Home and Garden show. We discussed ahead of time that we wanted to get concrete borders around our yard and hoped to walk out of the show with a company selected to do the job. There was one issue driving our intention – a neater, more attractive yard.
As soon as we entered the show we stopped at a booth displaying concrete borders. The man there began his pitch. He explained in great detail how the concrete was seamlessly shaped; showed us a host of patterns and colors; and had us look at countless photos of jobs he had completed. He then proceeded to discuss several price and warranty options. After ten minutes of this I said to my wife, “I had no idea this would be so difficult, we probably need to think this over and check with other vendors.”
For all of his good intentions this man was his own undoing. He created price pressure, doubt, and competition where none previously existed. I have a fast buying cycle. All the guy needed to do was get to my issue – a neater yard – and help me see how his product would resolve my problem. If he had done that I would probably have his borders in my yard now instead of having paid a gardener to put new RR ties in.
Remember this rule when meeting with potential customers at your trade show booth: The essence of selling is not telling; it is asking questions and sharing third party stories that will help your prospect self-discover his own need for your product or service. People do not buy features and benefits; they buy solutions to problems. If you want to stand out from your competition, stop overloading prospects with information and brochures. Start asking thought/emotion-provoking questions, and let them talk about their own situation. That’s much more interesting to them than listening to you talk about yours.
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