The ASIS security convention in Las Vegas provided a wonderful marketing tutorial.
It was a carnival of booths desperately shouting for attention. All trying to differentiate themselves. Millions were spent on trinkets, collateral and hospitality.
You should go to a large trade show if you get the chance. You’ll learn two important lessons.
Lesson #1: Attention is Short-lived
Exhibitors spent lavishly for a molecule of a buyer’s attention.
Like casinos in Vegas, tradeshow booths had to be larger and more fantastic than their neighbor to just get a look in.
Once attention was gained, then what?
The best you can hope for is:
- Increased awareness – nice, but not a sale
- Relationships furthered – nice again, but still far from hitting your numbers
- Appointments back home – nothing is sold at our trade shows, it all happens back in reality
Lesson #2: Communicating Difference is Hard
We believe our sales pitch is different from the competition.
But it really isn’t, at least not as much as we believe.
It’ll only take one second on a large convention floor to see that.
At the end of the day, although we feel our pitch is unique, to most buyers we still look like a room full of penguins.
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Chris Arlen
President, Service Performance
Technorati: communication, messaging, selling
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