Thin Slice @ BETT

As the brilliant Jodie Lopez said earlier this week, for the many who trekking to the ExCel in East London, sales conversations aren’t the most important part of the BETTShow. In fact, it shouldn’t be the only reason exhibitors talk to those passing their stands! There are equally valuable conversations just waiting to happen.

The best of BETT happens in the back channels, off the agenda but very much the main reason most of us are there.? It’s in the quiet corners, perching on the edge of a stand, in the queue for an overpriced coffee, and chance meetings in the aisles that the magic can happen. It can also happen when conversations on a stand take an unexpected turn.

As a veteran of exhibiting at BETT, for OUP, BrainPOP and others, I know the pressure of setup, the tired feet, the awkwardness of scanning people, and the worry about ROI.? I also know that often the most important conversations aren’t sales. I want to share a tip for those exhibiting to get valuable ROI- for free!

If you are on a stand - you have a product, service or platform you hope budget holders find as amazing as you intended. You want everyone to love it, and tell you how great it is and BETT is a great place to get feedback from teachers, school leaders and decision-makers - your customers. But, amongst all the noise, bustle, and speaker programme - your customers might not be in the best place to be honest with you about what you are doing. So, are you going to get useful information about how good your offer actually is? Are you falling for the ‘Eager Sellers / Stony Buyers’ trap ?

You might be planing to get back to HQ, to try to convert those scanned details into paying customers - and focus on the sales and marketing work to do this.

If they buy, then the product is a success, right?

If they don’t, it’s because you didn’t explain it right. Right??

WRONG!

Getting all important feedback on the product itself is not something you can do easily, as product testing (focus groups, trials, research, etc) is time-consuming and often expensive.

However, you’ll be missing a trick. People like me, who will have been your ‘competition’ at some point, and might be currently consulting for others - are walking around and ‘thin slicing’ - as Malcolm Gladwell describes in Blink - at every stand they go to. Often watching from the sidelines, we rarely interrupt your actual sales conversations - happy to wait till there is a gap, listening and watching the reactions from the teacher.?

So, my tip is simple - when someone’s badge says ‘Consultant’ or something similar - be OPEN about your product and ask for feedback, as HONEST as possible. Be ready to note it down - maybe even have a field in your CRM for these conversations - so you know where the ideas came from.?

BETT can be a free and convenient way to get loads of expert? input on what you are doing. It’s true you might not love to hear everything that’s said, and maybe they’ll misunderstand, or come with their own agenda - but it’s free, doesn’t need to take long, and might lead to new conversations that help your business grow.? Especially when your offer IS ?as great as you hope it is.

As Jodie Lopez says: “Consultants often talk to other consultants about the great things out there, and we then pass that on in advice to or for schools.”

The first thing I do when I bump into teachers or budget holders at BETT is I tell them what cool things I’ve seen and who to go and talk to. After the event, consultants like me write up our visit and point to the ‘ones to watch’ or companies who are solving the hard problems with smart solutions.

So, if you are exhibiting at BETT, of course focus on the budget holders and potential users coming to your stand. But, seek us out too - the consultants/advisors/freelancers/strategists.

I’ll be wandering around on Wednesday and Thursday, so you can arrange a chat or catch me lurking on your stand - and get your ‘thin slice’ for free!