ONE IDea can change things

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


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