PPB May 2015

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Be The Expert Your Clients Crave | FOURTH IN A FIVE-PART SERIES
• Remind them of what they saw at the exhibit and
give them a reason to engage one more time.
This is an ideal time to suggest a follow-up pre-
mium that can be offered with a follow-up sales
call or action that moves them further along the
sales cycle.
Resources For Trade Show Knowledge
Trade-show giveaways and direct mail are two
of the biggest uses of promotional products.
Successful trade-show marketing incorporates
both. You will find that many of your existing sup-
pliers have a great deal of expertise in this area
that they would love to share. Our industry also
has a number of suppliers who specialize in trade
show exhibit components which allow you to pro-
vide everything from pop-up displays, floor graph-
ics, retractable banners, table covers, table-top
displays, prize wheels and all of the things your
clients need to have a successful exhibit. [Find a
list by searching product keywords in PPAI’s UPIC
directory at ] Contact these suppli-
ers and tell them you want to become a trade-
show specialist. Set an appointment to meet with
them at a trade show and spend some time learn-
ing what works and tips for effective selling.
MAY 2015 • PPB • 53
An international con-
tractor company that spe-
cializes in building
restaurants and was
exhibiting at the National
Restaurant Association
Show in Chicago wanted
a unique mailer that
made it clear what they
did. The MB-100 Mail
Bag, measuring 5-½ x 7-
½ inches and secured
with a drawstring tie, was
selected. The bag was
screen printed with the
client’s customer copy,
and The Chest inserted
an oversized, customer-
supplied LEGO® and a
custom-printed card. The
Chest then mailed each
bag to recipients on the
mailing list provided by
the distributor. The
printed card invited the
recipient to the interna-
tional contractor’s booth
at the show and included
a reminder to bring the
LEGO. As show atten-
dees brought in the
LEGOs, they built a
structure out of them in
the booth. It was a suc-
cessful tool to reinforce
what the company does.
It’s A Puzzle
The National
Association of Home
Builders wanted to pro-
mote its certification pro-
gram at the National
Home Builders Show.
They joined with six
companies on the
Remodelers Strategic
Partner Council and split
the cost of the promo-
tion. The product selected
was the PZ-600 Tray
Puzzle Traffic Builder. As
attendees registered at
the show, they were given
the tray with the details
of the promotion printed
on the back. Individual
puzzle pieces were divid-
ed up and given to each
company for distribution
at their booths. The
incentive was that the
first 50 attendees who
completed the puzzle and
delivered it to the
Remodelers Council
booth were allowed to
take the “PREP” (a certi-
fication test) at no charge
(a $195 savings). As a
result, traffic at the six
participating exhibitor’s
booths was strong and, in
addition to the 50 who
won a free test, 107
builders/remodelers
signed up for the test.
Cook Up A Winning
Campaign
Jack in the Box was
exhibiting at a large trade
show along with many
other fast-food restau-
rants. The theme of the
show was baseball and
there were famous base-
ball players on hand to
give autographs. The fast-
food innovator, known
for its quirky marketing
approach, chose The
Chest’s MB-100 cotton
bag and imprinted it with
the copy: “I learned to
use one of these ’cause the
players kept signing my
head.” —Jack
Each bag included a
baseball with the Jack in
the Box head on it and a
Sharpie pen. These were
handed out to the atten-
dees to collect the play-
ers’ autographs. Jack in
the Box was very happy
with the reception of the
product and felt the
promotion was “very
successful.”
THREE IDEAS TO BUILD A BETTER SHOW
These three effective trade-show traffic builders are provided by MARY DOBSCH, MAS,
at supplier The Chest:
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