Firing A Supplier - Demanding Excellence

 We have been in this industry for almost 25 years now. Sometimes that seems like a lifetime. In all those 25 years we have never officially fired a supplier, until today. 

We have many suppliers that have been with us for all 25 years. Over the years some have come and some have gone for many reasons. But I never actually fired a supplier.  

One of the things that our clients tell us is our attention to detail and our service levels are what set us apart from other trade show exhibit companies. We joke with people when they ask, why should I buy from you over some other company?  Our answer is always, "You get David and me". That may sound arrogant, but it is the truth. No one will care about our clients, our relationships and our suppliers the way we do. That is the HUGE benefit of working with a family run, owner operated business. 

Now, don't get me wrong. We couldn't do it without our industry partners. We have partners that have our backs, stand behind their products and help us double and triple and cross check orders so that things don't fall through the cracks. This has been even more important as our industry is coming out of shutdowns.  Our industry went from zero mph to 1000000 mph almost overnight. When that happens and companies are short staffed, or have new employees, more mistakes are bound to happen. Our suppliers have redone things, we have redone things. 

I will NEVER apologize for expecting our suppliers to provide good quality product and services. BUT, it is a partnership. Mutual success is critical to success for both parties.  When you have a supplier where there are mistakes and issues on your last 5 orders, it is time to part ways. I could deal with the mistakes but it is the emails and phone calls after every one of these mistakes where it is pointed out saying it is all 'our fault' that pushed us to fire them.

I sent them an email to explain why their process creates mistakes and errors and contributes to frustration and that it just doesn't work for us. I sent it, not to be petty, but to explain why their procedures just don't work for the way we do business. I got a phone call shortly after I sent that message from our rep. His literal words to me were, "We are ok parting ways." I wasn't looking for any explanation. It was already done, we were not considering continuing to work with them. We have also already found another supplier of the products we were getting from them and so far we are incredibly impressed.

So today was an adventure. Let's talk just a bit about service.  All in a day's work.

1. We fired a supplier. 
2. We received an incorrect graphic from a supplier. They immediately said they would have the correct one ready for us tomorrow. No charge.
3. We missed a typo in a client submitted art file. Was it our fault? Not really, they did the art. But the important thing is the client, the relationship and providing them good service. We didn't tell the client it was their fault.  We didn't charge her full retail for the replacement. Our print partner? They missed it too and are cutting the cost on it to make it right for us and the client.
4. The ultimate event of the day is that we were bidding on a very large deal. Normally this company brings their entire exhibit, furniture, graphics and staff over from overseas. We were asked to bid on building, installing etc. here from the States instead. We did not win the business, but neither did any of our US competitors, they decided to bring it in again from overseas. 

This is one of the nicest sales reject letters I have ever gotten. Although it stings to lose the revenue, it makes me realize that what we are doing and the hoops we jump through are all worth it.

"I want to thank you for your professionalism and attention to detail. It was immediately apparent we found the right US contact based on your knowledge and experience. You raised important questions and concerns that solidified our confidence in you. While the bulk of our booth will come from overseas, we believe there will still be some things we need locally. My boss and I are still fine tuning the details but we will be in contact shortly with our updated needs.

 Again, thank you for your hard work. I hope we can continue to work together with a strong relationship."

We stand behind our decision of firing a supplier and will NEVER apologize for being demanding. That does not mean being rude, but demanding excellence is what our clients deserve.

Does Your Trade Show Exhibit Represent Your Brand?

Last week I had the opportunity to walk a trade show. There were a number of things I noticed, and I had the opportunity to talk with a number of clients and prospects while at the show.

It is painfully clear to me that many people do not really care what kind of image their trade show exhibit presents. In a future post, I will share the stories of two exhibitors, right across the aisle from each other and their different experiences. I hope that maybe you glean some insight into how important your actual trade show exhibit/display is at a trade show.

Details matter people. The way your exhibit/booth looks represents your company, your brand, your staff and your product. Your brand is so much more than your logo and your color palette.

Here is a random list of what we saw. 

1. A large light box set up upside down. The one side upright had a HUGE hole and the cords ran down the side of the exhibit. If it were an inline, it might not have mattered but this was an island, right on the aisle for the world to see.
2. Dinged up, dirty, bent aluminum frames.
3. Dirty graphics.
4. More wrinkled graphics and table throws than I could even count. Come on people, it matters!
5. Retractable banner stands. Yup, still a ton of them. Mismatched banner stands. 10 x 30's done with retractable banner stands. I know they are easy, I know they are convenient, but not a great look for a company that is supposed to be an innovator.
6. Tube stands with pillow case graphics. These have become the new retractable banner stand. They are inexpensive, they are easy and EVERYONE HAS THEM NOW! One of the major points of a trade show is to stand out from your competitors and neighbors. When an item becomes that popular, they become invisible unless you are very strategic in how you do them.
7.  Internally/rear lit tube stands. This is just one girl's opinion, they don't work. The shadows from the tubes really are not a good look.

8.     This was actually my favorite. A vinyl banner hanging from the pipe & drape with a pop-up frame on the aisle (they were on an endcap) that had boards put on the cross pieces and had product displayed on the boards.  

 

9. Lightboxes. Oh my, lots of light boxes.  We love light boxes and sell or rent a lot of them. We saw very few good quality light boxes. Here are some of the things we saw.

·       Hot spots - light distribution was not even and you see bright spots of lights behind the graphics

·       Shadows of lighting transformers, frames and more

·       Actually seeing the light blanket behind the graphic.  Hundreds of circles of light visible through the graphic. I didn't even see their graphics; all I saw were all the white circles

·       Graphics installed incorrectly

The other thing to notice is booth staff behavior. We have talked about this before, but so so so so many people sitting in their chairs, heads down, on their phone, not even watching the people walk right by their booth.

 When you see a well done exhibit or a stunning booth, you know it and it feels like a breath of fresh air rather than a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. 

 I wish I could share photos, but I just didn't feel it was right to do that for those companies' sakes.

 Watch for next weeks post about a tale of two exhibitors right across the aisle from each other.

I'll say it again, details matter people. The way your exhibit/booth looks represents your company, your brand, your staff and your product. Your brand is so much more than your logo and your color palette.

If you like what you read, please share it!

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Lori Hanken has been in sales and marketing for over 30 years. She is passionate about service and providing value to her vendors, prospects and clients. Lori is currently co-owner of Total Displays with her husband David. They help people look great at events, trade shows, in retail, museums and develop long partnerships with customers and suppliers. If you would like to learn more, email her at lori@totaldisplays.com. She is an open networker, connect with her on LinkedIn here.

Read other Total Displays Blog posts at http://totaldisplays.blogspot.com/ or check out our website at www.totaldisplays.com    

 

Tool Free Trade Shows & "Lies"

Say it isn't so Thursday.  

I'm not sure how long I will keep up this theme of 'Say it isn't so Thursday'. But, yes, right now, it seems like things are happening every day that make you shake your head.  So hold on and follow along if you are so inclined. 

If you know me, I can be known for being a bit blunt. There is no point in beating around the bush, so here we go.

General Contractors, Freeman's, Ges's etc have been known, occasionally, to "stretch the truth" (to their advantage.)

We had a client recently purchase a 10 x 20 lightbox exhibit from us. The system they purchased uses a tool free knob connection. 

Here is a short video of how that tool free connector works.  

Video

The client was setting up their own exhibit. While they were setting up, a general contractor union labor person (I have written about unions in the past) came by and told them, they needed to pay for their labor to set up their exhibit. They told them that if it required any kind of tool, they had to hire labor.

NOT TRUE! Exhibitors can set up their own exhibits.  

There can be some wonky (that is a technical term) rules and guidelines at various show locations. It is always good to read them and/or have a copy on hand while you are setting up. They absolutely sometimes try to take advantage of exhibitors. I am not a fan of reading the fine print, but in this case it is better to be armed with facts and knowledge if they try to bamboozle you into spending money with them.

Luckily our client was quick to show them that our lightbox went together with KNOBS - NO TOOLS - NOT EVEN AN ALLEN WRENCH. They sulked away looking to harass another exhibitor. Ok, that might be my interpretation, but how do you live with yourself if you are constantly trying to scam exhibitors by lying to them? 

Here are a couple of other recent "show requirements" our clients have been told.

1. You can't order furniture from someone else or bring in any other furniture.

2. You must rent an exhibit from us, not from anyone else.

3. You cannot bring in your own flooring.

Exhibitor rights matter. Trade show general contractors and unions and dare I say it, show producers/associations can be abusive at best. You can see my other LinkedIn post about trade show vacuuming.  

Say It Isn't So Thursday 

Working with a knowledgeable trade show exhibit company will help. They will help you navigate the treacherous waters of general contractors at your trade shows. If you want a gut check or to get some advice?  Call Total Displays at 952-941-4511 or email orders@totaldisplays.com and one of our project managers will be happy to chat with you and tell you the truth.

If you like what you read, please share it!

====================================================
Lori Hanken has been in sales and marketing for over 30 years. She is passionate about service and providing value to her vendors, prospects and clients. Lori is currently co-owner of Total Displays with her husband David. They help people look great at events, trade shows, in retail, museums and develop long partnerships with customers and suppliers. If you would like to learn more, email her at lori@totaldisplays.com. She is an open networker, connect with her on LinkedIn here.

Read other Total Displays Blog posts at http://totaldisplays.blogspot.com/ or check out our website at www.totaldisplays.com    

What Did We Learn About Floor Graphics?

 2020-2021 was the year of new and not so exciting things. One new product that was typically overlooked before Covid is floor graphics!

We all got very used to standing on the spot in grocery store lines, hardware stores, and all over in retail. 

We have seen some of them used now in trade shows. 

But where should we go from here regarding floor graphics?  What we learned was that people actually look at them!

Here are some ideas.  These are not our graphics, just some images I selected from the internet to be your inspiration. The sky, the floor, the walls, the sidewalk etc. is the limit.

We have many different graphics for many different applications and substrates. 

1. Fun 3-dimensional floor graphics

  

2. Branding in warehouse, entry ways or other areas.

3. Important Messages

4. Decorative

5. Advertise Sales

6. Inspirational Messages

7. Instructional Graphics

8. Utilize unused spaces, walls, step fronts and more!

9.  Directional/Instructional Graphics

Call us at 952-941-4511 or email sales@totaldisplays.com for more information or to request a quote.

If you like what you read, please share it!

====================================================
Lori Hanken has been in sales and marketing for over 30 years. She is passionate about service and providing value to her vendors, prospects and clients. Lori is currently co-owner of Total Displays with her husband David. They help people look great at events, trade shows, in retail, museums and develop long partnerships with customers and suppliers. If you would like to learn more, email her at lori@totaldisplays.com. She is an open networker, connect with her on LinkedIn here.

Read other Total Displays Blog posts at http://totaldisplays.blogspot.com/ or check out our website at www.totaldisplays.com    

Lazy Salespeople - Rant For The Day

I have said it before and will say it again.   People are dying for customer service.   I know I am old fashioned.

Today this happened to me.

We are a small company.   5 seconds on LinkedIn will show that my husband and I own Total Displays.  Seriously 5 seconds.

I answered the phone this morning from an 800 number that had no caller ID.   I assumed it was a Robo call.   We all hate those right?   It was from the 2nd most hated thing, an auto dialer.

Here was the conversation:

Caller, "Hello, make I speak to the owner of Total Displays?"

me, "No."

Caller, "Is there a co-owner that I may speak with?"

me, "No."

Caller (with a VERY annoyed tone). "Oh, well okay then....."

The call lasted all of 21 seconds.   If she had spent 5 seconds researching a name to call she likely would have gotten to talk to one of the two owners.

DON'T BE LAZY. 

Perhaps showing that you actually are interested in the person you are trying to sell to you might be a bit more successful.

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Lori Hanken has been in sales and marketing for over 30 years. She is passionate about service and providing value to her vendors, prospects and clients. Lori is currently co-owner of Total Displays with her husband David. They help people look great at events, trade shows, in retail, museums and develop long partnerships with customers and suppliers. If you would like to learn more, email her at lori@totaldisplays.com. She is an open networker, connect with her on LinkedIn here.

Read other Total Displays Blog posts at http://totaldisplays.blogspot.com/

You can also check out our website at www.totaldisplays.com

Product Innovators vs. Product Copiers

Every industry, every product ever built (at least the good ones) have been copied.  Does that make it right?  Someone changes something just slightly, small tweak here small tweak there and voila you have a "new" item.

Total Displays is primarily a distributor.  What exactly does that mean in the exhibit industry?

We are not limited to our own product line.  We do not have the overhead of having production staff and a shop.  We don't have to keep our production shop staff busy.  So often we have seen prospects come to us that have worked with a custom exhibit house and wanted something more modular.  The custom exhibit house proposed something that they would build for them.  Complete overkill.

But...  here is the big secret.

WE CAN BUILD CUSTOM EXHIBITS THAT DON'T REQUIRE NUTS, BOLTS, HAMMERS, OR NAILS.

But I digress.  Watch for a blog post coming soon about the advantages of working with a distributor like Total Displays.

We are very spoiled.  We have spent years culling the industry and selecting the best of the best manufacturers out there.  Everyday we see reasons that validate our decisions to A.  Not be a custom display manufacturer and B. To partner with the companies we selected.  Read more about a custom exhibit house story HERE!

One of the reasons we select a partner?  A product innovator.  What we see, continually is our partner creating a new item for the exhibit and event industry.  Often they win awards for those items.  A year, later many other exhibit houses now have a new product.  Some are blatant in their copying of the idea and some change things up a bit more.

Here are some examples where one of our partner has been an incredible innovator (just a small list)

• Online exhibit design search.  This is an award winning "catalog" of designs and products.   Check out ours at:  Total Displays Design Search
• iPad/Surface Kiosks - check out ours here:  iPad Kiosks
• Cell Phone Charging Stations - check out ours here:  Cell Phone Charging Stations

Those are just three of many.  Each year following the release of a new product the "copiers" come out. 

This year you are going to start seeing competitors roll out cell phone charging stations.  If you want a Coach purse why would you buy a knockoff?  If you want a BMW why would you buy a knockoff?  If you want a diamond, why would you buy a cubic zirconia?  

You may say, the knock offs are cheaper?   Well based on the "new" or should we say "copied" cell phone charging stations I have seen so far?  If they are NOT remotely of the same quality, they are MORE EXPENSIVE.  

Why would you buy a copy when you can get the original?  Just asking?  

Thank you to Classic Exhibits for being an innovator and a great partner.

If you just want a reality or truth check, I am happy to chat with anyone that might have questions about this.  If you don't have a partner to consult with you on these issues we are here to help.


If you like what you read, please share it!

====================================================
Lori Hanken has been in sales and marketing for over 30 years. She is passionate about service and providing value to her vendors, prospects and clients. Lori is currently co-owner of Total Displays with her husband David. They help people look great at events, trade shows, in retail, museums and develop long partnerships with customers and suppliers. If you would like to learn more, email her at lori@totaldisplays.com. She is an open networker, connect with her on LinkedIn here.

Read other Total Displays Blog posts at http://totaldisplays.blogspot.com/

Meet the LinkedIn Players

All over LinkedIn we see posts and comments about unprofessional use of LinkedIn.  We see arguments about whether a post is appropriate or not.  We see memes like RIP LinkedIn.  I see multiple posts each day that are similar in nature and message.

Everyone knows that LinkedIn is a professional networking platform.  We also know that it is difficult to keep it that way.  As I have been thinking about this concept I have seen some trends in the kinds of people using LinkedIn.  I have taken the liberty of giving them some titles.

Do you see yourself in any of them?



The Connector (It's All About The Numbers Baby)
These people often have LION in their profile.  They will connect with anyone and everyone regardless of business or personal connection.  They connect and then make no personal contact with you and do not truly connect.  If you are going to take the time to connect, then make a personal connection at some level.  That is what networking is truly about.

Looking for Love In All the Wrong Places (Desperate Dude)
Sorry I don't mean to be sexist here.  These are typically men but don't have to be.  They search for attractive females and comment on their photos about how beautiful they are or asking to meet them.   Often they send inappropriate personal messages to them.    There is really nothing to say here other than, use Tinder or some dating service if you are looking for that type of connection.  This is not a hook up site.

The Exhibitionist (No One Wants To See That)
This person's profile picture shows more skin than clothes.  Yes there are the rare profiles that are swim suit models or artists.  But most of them are more interested in getting attention from their profile picture than actually conducting business or networking.  Again, respect yourself enough and act professionally enough to be respected or you will have "Looking for Love in All The Wrong Places" knocking on your door.

The Letch (Creepy)
This person is painfully obvious.  When they see a profile picture of an attractive woman, usually The Exhibitionist, but not always they make comments like, "You're hot", "Wow", "Amazing", and others that I won't put in print and honestly should never be said about a woman.  I should be fair and say women may do the same to a man, but honestly I have never seen it on LinkedIn.

The Sales Stalker (Annoying, Really Annoying)
You connect with someone and you immediately get their email pitch.  This is not about networking at all.  Networking is a two way street, not a one way street.  It is rare for it to be ok and generally turns people off.  If you are trying to make a sales connection, I would recommend the InMail feature to reach out.  Networking and sales, although related are two different things.  Networking applies something mutually beneficial and sales starts as a one sided relationship.

The LinkedIn Bully (AKA You Can't Have An Opinion)
This is the one that makes me the most frustrated.  These people write a post expressing their opinion about something.  When you write a blog post or a LinkedIn post, I would think you would want people to read it and to comment on it.  Of course it opens you up to differing opinions.  As soon as someone has a negative opinion about a post, even if it is written politely, the author jumps them.   

Or this can be the person that doesn't believe that everyone should have an opinion.  They jump in with their definitive, blahblahblah sucks - period.  They are a 'you're wrong', 'end of discussion', 'you are a moron for having an opinion'  kind of person.

I have even seen blog writers that block from commenting if someone wants to post an idea that is contrary to theirs.  Sigh.


The Psycho
These people post the most random, confusing and nonsense posts.   I have a friend on LinkedIn that was virtually attacked by a woman basically claiming that his posts were not genuine and that he did not worship the same God as she did.  It was random, and very bizarre.  I was curious about her so I looked at a few of her posts and there is something very wrong there.  More about her in a later post.

DON'T PERPETUATE THE MADNESS!

Here is one key that people don't think about.  When someone posts something on LinkedIn that shouldn't be there, say a picture of someone in their underwear, commenting on it, just spreads the post/photo further into your network.  When you comment, all your connections get notified that you commented or liked it.   


There is a block feature.  Call up the users profile and use the down arrow by the Connect/InMail/Message blue button.   Block the person or unfollow if you want to stay connected but don't want to see their updates.   

Don't engage, don't try to tell them it doesn't belong there.  Guess what.  They know it doesn't belong there.  AND what they are doing is working.  They are getting connections and views on their profile.  For what purpose?  I don't know.  I will post more later on what I call 'Anti-Attraction Marketing'

I block the original poster.  If someone makes a comment that is out of line in my opinion I sometimes block them.  

It is MY LinkedIn.  I control what I see and what I don't.  Getting into an argument with someone about what they post is ridiculous and counterproductive!

If you find something particularly offensive you can hide it or even report it.






If you got to the end of this, congratulations. There is still one more important point to make.

So how does this relate to me and my passions about BRANDING.  Your employees are part of your brand.  Your LinkedIn posts are part of your personal brand.   If you are a small business owner or a manager in a larger business, periodically check your employee's posts.  Be sure that they represent the image of your company as you want.  The first thing I do when I see something inappropriate, I look to see where the person works or if we have any common connections.

What your employees post on LinkedIn (we won't discuss other social media here) reflects on your company and your brand.

Shamless pitch here - we will be offering a LinkedIn seminar for sales "professionals" soon.  Be sure to send me a message if you want an invitation.

~End Rant

What other LinkedIn Players have you seen?

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Lori Hanken has been in sales and marketing for over 30 years.  She is passionate about service and providing value to her vendors, prospects and clients.  Lori is currently co-owner of Total Displays with her husband David.  They help people look great at events, trade shows, in retail, museums and develop long partnerships with customers and suppliers.  If you would like to learn more, email her at lori@totaldisplays.com.  Connect with her on LinkedIn here.  I am an open networker, but I don't network just for numbers.  Expect a message from me when we connect.

Read other Total Displays Blog posts at http://totaldisplays.blogspot.com/