Fishing is a great sport that requires a lot and I mean A LOT of patience to be done properly. Carefully we prepare our special bait, disguise the hook, prepare the pole and the line then cast it into the water. We do all of that in hopes of a huge return. We win some, we lose many, but when that line tightens what happens? WE REEL EM’ IN!

Many of you have had the opportunity to attend huge events that can lead to new potential business; thousands of dollars are spent in renting booths, travel time and booking hotels. We go into these with high expectations of huge returns, but in reality how effective are they? Instead of focusing on the past, I want to take the opportunity to look to the next big event and maximize our time on the floor and make those hard earned dollars work for us.

I have had many opportunities to experience the same feelings, the same thoughts and the same expectations. I have made it a goal to out-perform any other company in our same field and any other company in the event for that matter, by maximizing my time and essentially reeling in new customers and intriguing those around me to test drive our product.

In most cases what normally happens on a show floor are people sitting around “hoping” someone will come to them, with expectations of getting some leads on the floor or getting a nibble from a fish that day. Then they voice opinions to their boss afterwards like “It really was a terrible show, no one was that interested or too busy.”

To reel them in I suggest the following:

First: Think outside of the box! I had an opportunity a few months back to do just this. The convention center had a cheese table right next to our booth. It was a huge hit for all of the consumers at the show, so what did I do? I stood on top of our table and yelled “Thanks for eating our cheese! Come see me when you are done!” People laughed and it produced results.

Second: BODY LANGUAGE! 55% of how we act in front of people is our BODY LANGUAGE. Be excited! Get out there and love what you do. Be animated and smile when showing potential customers your product. This is YOUR time to shine!

Third: TONE! 38% of a face to face interaction with someone is our TONE. Tone is best described as: The quality or attitude conveyed by the persons voice. Believe it or not, consumers can tell if we are genuinely excited or faking it and not giving 100%.

Last but not least: TALK to people! Avoid saying menial phrases like “How are you?” Instead say “Hello!” or “Hey let me show you how my product will change your life!” Be creative, the idea is to hook or peak their interest then get them to our booth and sell them! The more people you talk to, the higher chances you will have at being successful! OPEN YOUR MOUTHS!

My thoughts are this: JUMP! Jump outside of being mediocre and SELL yourself! However we look at life we are salespeople. I invite you to look deeper and ask yourself: “Am I giving 100% to this?” and “Do I believe in what I am selling?” These 4 suggestions may be difficult for some, but with practice it will become second nature and you will be POWERFUL!

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