Truck it to 'em: traveling display lets you control the presentation and environment.

• Author: Hoffman, Jeff
• Position: Meetings & Conventions - Trailer exhibit adds to trade-show program

The most effective and efficient marketing strategies today are likely not the conventional ones. Here is an unconventional one for you. Build your product and or service into a trailer and drive it to the customer. This approach is highly targeted, efficient and is highly likely to provoke action. The most compelling reason to consider a traveling exhibit is the ability to pull up at your customer's door and make a comprehensive presentation of your products and services. A traveling display allows you to control the presentation and environment.

Once in front of the customer you are in complete control. You are in control of the environment, the presentation and the time. You can make a comprehensive presentation that thoroughly explains your product in an immersive environment, where the customer is not distracted by phones, other vendors or office goings-on. This is truly an opportunity for effective product demonstration and/or sampling.

A traveling exhibit will also help you enlist others in your cause. The bold graphics wrap on the trailer will attract a lot of attention from other associates, who might not otherwise have an opportunity to experience your presentation. "While your exhibit is here could I bring top management down to see what you are doing" or "You know my engineers could really benefit from seeing this." Or "our sales staff would sure understand this product better if they could see this."

The value of the call to your customer can be greatly enhanced and expanded by coordinating training sessions for clients sales, marketing or engineering staff. If your customer has retail outlets, expand the value of your visit by making site visits to store locations lot comprehensive product presentations to staff and special events for their customers. Management, sales and marketing staff that see your entire line of product and service are more likely to put pressure on the buyer to use more of your product.

Combined with an effective advance PR and marketing effort, your trip can generate substantial media awareness and publicity. This can help your...