I've seen this technique used before on trade shows and I agree it's a great idea. There's also an added benifit (beyond increasing sales) and that is getting people to the show itself.

You can draw in those who don't want to pay to attend the show (or "pay to shop") since since they are being returned their attendence fee in mercandise credit. In fact, I have seen it where the coupon is for more than the amount of the attendec fee (for example the fee is $ 3.00 but the coupon for $ 5.00). This way not only are they getting into the show "free" but are also being "paid" to attend. What a bargain from their vewipoint (execpt of course the need to buy something to reap the benefit!) Catalogs do this a lot to obtain new customers. You pay for the initial catalog (of course they send additional ones at no charge to exisitng customers) and are given a merchandise credit for more than the price of the catalog. If you look at a lot of the catalogs you get in the mail - you'll notice a lot of them have a "price" for the actual catalog on either the front or back.

Tam

> Here's how a "simple promotion
> idea" blew the roof off sales for a
> "Trade Show" promoter.

> Here's what happened;
> My wife loves to go to Antique Shows. (She
> had her own Antique Shoppe for years) One of
> her friends puts on an "Antique Show
> and Sale" in the local County
> Fairgrounds every Spring and Fall.

> Last fall her "Antique Show
> Promoter" friend told us that she was
> about to "throw in the towel" and
> stop doing shows because the dealers weren't
> selling.

> She promoted the Show thru ads and flyers
> and was able to get a good attendance at
> each Show BUT...the people were just not
> buying anymore.

> After hearing this, I sat at a table in the
> eats section, sucking on a
> soda....watching....
> thinking...watching....thinking.

> There was an "Entry Fee" of $3 to
> get in. People would come in...stop at the
> money-collection table... pay their $3 and
> move to the right...usually.

> They'd continue on around each aisle...stop
> and look at an item or two...and continue
> walking...acting as if they were really not
> that interested in anything.

> I thought, "WHAT would get these people
> INTERESTED in looking harder at the items
> (there was some good stuff at the show)?
> WHAT would get these people MOTIVATED into
> BUYING?

> I thought, "Let's see now; They plunk
> down 3 bux... walk around the Show and
> leave!"

> HOLD IT! STOP THE PRESSES! All of a sudden
> IT came to me!

> What if, after plunking down their 3 bux,
> they were handed a green piece of paper, the
> size of a dollar bill. What if the 4 corners
> of this green piece of paper had
> "$3" printed in big letters, 2
> inches high?

> What if, in the center of this green piece
> of paper with "$3" in each
> corner...were printed the words;

> "BROWSER BUCKS!"
> THIS CERTIFICATE WORTH $3 TOWARDS THE
> PURCHASE OF ANY ITEM AT ANY DEALER BOOTH!
> JUST PRESENT THIS COUPON AND $3 WILL BE
> TAKEN OFF THE PRICE!"

> So...I ran this "idea" by the
> promoter...showed her a mock-up of the
> coupon and she agreed to give the idea a try
> at her Spring Show...which I just came from.

> Guess what? Her dealers just had the BEST
> SALES of ANY Show they've ever attended!

> People who used to just walk by the booths,
> taking a quick glance and walking by....were
> NOW...STUDYING THE MERCHANDISE
> INTENTLY....thinking about WHAT THEY COULD
> SPEND THEIR FREE $3 ON!

> Attendees were NOW....LOOKING TO BUY! The
> simple little green coupon with $3 in the
> corners had FORCED THEM TO THINK ABOUT
> "BUYING" rather than
> "BROWSING"!

> I'm sure most of the attendees could afford
> to buy almost anything in the show they
> wanted...that wasn't the point. They had
> just been GIVEN $3...and the $3 could ONLY
> BE SPENT on merchandise at the Show!

> WOW! What a POWERFUL MOTIVATOR that little
> green coupon was. Some dealers claimed
> TRIPLE and QUADRIPLE their previous sales.

> And...most of them wanted in on the Fall
> Show and signed up NOW...to be sure to be
> included.

> So...from a "simple little
> idea"...things were changed around to
> AWESOME proportions. An idea that came to me
> because I know a "little-bit"
> about human nature.

> I KNEW that that little piece of green paper
> with the $3 in each corner would be
> "BURNING A HOLE IN THEIR POCKETS!"
> They couldn't stand it! They HAD TO SPEND
> IT!

> And...what this did was take them from a
> "Browse" attitude to a
> "BUY" attitude!

> Granted....some people redeemed the coupon
> for $3 worth of marbles or something else
> worth $3...BUT... for the most part, dealers
> reported MANY people redeeming that little
> green piece of paper with $3 in the
> corners...on items worth MUCH MORE THAT $3!

> In fact, 3 or 4 dealers were overwhelmed
> with sales.

> It was "MOTIVATIONAL MAGIC"! You
> shoulda ben der!

> Anyway...I hope you enjoyed reading this and
> I gave you an example of how just a
> "simple little idea" can change
> things around 180 degrees.

> So...use your noggin and THINK!

> Thanks for reading....Don Alm