Inviting customers to a special event is always a sure-fire way to strengthen business ties. The goodwill it generates is priceless and does wonders for your brand and the manufacturers you represent.
But even golf outings, barbecues, and vendor fairs have their limits, especially with busy contractors and installers. Why not have the show come to them? That’s why the vendor road show is earning rave reviews.
Take this recent one in Portland, Ore., for example.
The event sponsor is a leading manufacturer and distributor of building materials. To help support its regional distributors and local dealers in the Portland area, the manufacturer/distributor offered to sponsor a series of road show events throughout metro Portland. The target: the dealers’ top customers of trim products. Contractors and installers could expect free food, straight talk from a trim product expert, and a chance to sound-off to a senior trim product company official.
Let the star of the show, Ian Daniels, director of architectural products at Tamlyn, a top trim product manufacturer, present five winning outcomes:
1. Road Show Schedule
Daniels says six events were scheduled over a three-day period, two events per day. The day’s first event was scheduled during breakfast, the other in the late afternoon in time for heavy hors d’oeuvres and free beer. The early-late arrangement minimized workday disruptions.
2. Road Show Locations
All events were held off-site at a restaurant, hotel, and even at a Cabela’s store. “The neutral setting freed the attendees to speak their mind, something we actively encouraged,” Daniels says.
3. Road Show Amenities
Food, food, and more food. “Every contractor loves food,” laughs Daniels.
4. Road Show Presentation
“We’re not a big company that can afford a fancy mobile showroom. So I used a PowerPoint to feature local projects everyone could relate to. It was less a presentation and more like a conversation. Contractors are brutally honest. They tell you what’s right, what’s wrong, what’s missing in your product. It’s exactly the honest feedback we wanted,” Daniels says.
5. Road Show Results
- Attendance: Daniels estimates about 15-20 contractors and installers at each session.
- Engagement: “Some of the contractors brought up finishes we’d been kicking around at the office. Their suggestions at three of the six sessions proved we were on the right track. We trust these guys,” Daniels states.
- Pull-Through: One of the more interesting metrics was measuring attendance site-to-site. “That told us what areas we were strong or not-so-strong,” Daniels says.
- Face Time: The Tamlyn inside sales rep for the Portland area also accompanied Daniels. That proved to be huge. The inside sales rep is a person nearly every contractor had spoken with but never met. That face-to-face exposure meant a lot to everyone involved.
- Suggestions for Next Time: “I recommend even more locations and sessions,” Daniels says.
To learn more about Tamlyn’s family of extruded aluminum trim products, visit https://www.tamlyn.com.
