I gave away a Sharp Electronic Cash Register last Saturday to a friend who owns a Pizza restaurant. I originally bought the cash register for selling my invention at retail trade shows. Seeing it reminded that, back then, I knew nothing about selling product at a Retail Trade Show until a veteran of this venue (who happened to be in the booth across from me selling Magic Chamois’) showed me how.
The Magic Chamois salesman explained to me that people think of trade show booths as they do games at a carnival… The guy at the carnival game is just trying to “get your money.” Therefore you (the salesman at the booth) have to make it seem like you’re just there to have fun and money is the “last thing on your mind.” If a person sees a cash register… They know you’re there for money, so: 1) Get rid of the cash register at your booth… It scares people way. 2) Make sure your table height is at about eye level with the customer. That way you don’t lose “eye contact” when you reach for something on the table. 3) Sell everything for what the people have in their wallets… $5, $10 or $20… And tell them you’ll “take care of the tax.” That way, there’s no change and no cash register… Just you, the customer and the product.
The next day I did exactly what the Magic Chamois salesman told me and got my first sale… and many more thereafter.
I had been working Industrial Trade Shows for over 20 years and thought I knew what I was doing… This proves that you always have something to learn from a guy who “does that.”
Note from Jeff Gawronski: Paul Tuttobene is also an inventor that took an idea (Buck Magnet) and made it a reality. He shares all the highs and lows in a must read book titled ‘INVENT-ONOMICS’ If you have an idea for a product invention before you go any further you have to read this book.
