Bungalo Group | business and marketing expertise for the building industry

Last week, I spent two full days walking the floor in Orlando at the International Builder Show (NAHB).  The investment that firms make in booth space, set up, and staffing, make these shows extremely expensive to participate in.  Once those dollars are spent though, the incremental effort of the people on the floor make or break the true effectiveness of this marketing tactic.

I ran into 5 firms that flushed 100% of their investment down the tubes through the following actions by their sales reps:

1. Sales rep openly mentions, “I would quit my job and work somewhere else if I could.”

2. Sales rep says, “the economy has hurt us so bad, we don’t have the resources to care about our customers.”

3. Product development manager says, “Our product can’t be purchased anywhere yet because it may not be structurally sound.  We will find out in 3 months.”

4. Without qualifying, the rep openly shares pricing, competitive information, and trade secrets.  

5.  4 reps at more than one booth sit in chairs texting as 30 people walk right by……

The main theme around many of these blunders comes back to how the rep “feels” about the company they work for.  The investment in morale has been tough through the recession, but it is now playing itself out on the trade show floors.

On the flip side, I talked with many professional people that truly “bled” their company colors.

The magic of  morale + product offering + level of service = trade show success and brand building.  

You can set rules for your reps and build processes, but you can’t control how they feel about working for you unless this is part of your growth plan.

Filed under: strategy |