Tradeshows

Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to fly to Seattle with my dad for a tradeshow with his company, Keystone Ridge Designs.  He has been to many tradeshows of all sizes and finds that it is a strong suit of his when it comes to selling.  It gives him the chance to talk to people face to face and really focus in on what they are specifically looking for at a particular tradeshow.  Seattle’s tradeshow this year was called the ‘Main Street Now Conference’ which focused on products or services targeted for smaller town main streets.  My dad came prepared by knowing the local Washington state customers that have previously purchased products from KRD and ready to meet new potential clients.

I let my dad do most of the selling to the customers that he had previously worked with but I made sure to engage with people walking around the tradeshow by informing them of who KRD is and drawing them in by asking about their needs.  It was interesting just to meet new people and discover where they were from or why they were at the Seattle tradeshow.  My dad made a connection with the Mayor of a small town in Texas that had over a 100-million-dollar budget for site furnishings on their main street.  Watching the way he connected with her about similar interests while still selling KRD’s products showed me how to be a genuine salesperson in the industry.  The week-long trip was important to see my dad’s selling tactics in action but also the engagement he had with building relationships with people, regardless of their interest in his company.