Where can you find the latest information on motorhomes? At a trade fair!
Where can you find company contacts who should actually be interested in a good marketing story? At a trade fair!
And where can I simultaneously “test” how digital things are there? At the trade fair!
So, let’s go. To the CMT in Stuttgart.
And I already made the first mistake, which is repeatedly illustrated in my books and projects: “I made an assumption!”
Because the relevant contacts were either not there or had neither the desire nor the time to engage with a potentially positive marketing partnership.
Why? Is it because they are doing too well? Partially sold out until the end of 2024, the salespeople are complacent, the order books are full, and foresight seems to be out of place. Regardless.
Then I will simply focus on my actual specialty: digitalization. In this case, in sales at trade fairs.
The following questions interest me from a customer’s perspective:
- How do I quickly reach the right contacts? Are they available? Who is there? When can I possibly speak with them?
- Which technologies are being used to inform customers?
- Which digital technologies are being used to capture and potentially forward customer or lead data? Does anyone actually know who I am?
- What about the “follow-up” ? What do I receive, and when, after I have left the stand?
and much more…
When the crowds are large, many potential customers simply walk by
So, off to the exhibitors. Some stands are huge. One manufacturer even fills an entire hall. Whether it was always like that or if they got the hall at a “bargain price,” I have no idea. There seems to be no lack of financial resources in sales.
Regardless, I want to test how digital things are here and… I am almost suffering a shock.
Why shocked? Having been at trade fairs myself for > 25 years, mostly as an exhibitor, I made another mistake: I assumed that CRM systems and the like had become established and was also “hopeful” of finding something here related to “artificial intelligence” in sales.
Some experiences made:
- One of the world’s largest manufacturers uses a printed MS-Excel® list to see who is at the stand. (Unfortunately, it didn’t quite match up)
- To request an appointment, I simply had to stop by again “on the off chance.” Of course, the contact person then had no time.
- When asking for technical information and a specific floor plan, no one at the information desk could answer. Then the phone calls for an available salesperson started. However, they unfortunately couldn’t show me what I was looking for either.
- None of the exhibitors/salespeople took down my contact details and requirements to potentially inform me when a new series could meet my needs.
- When handing over a business card, it was not scanned or photographed anywhere to capture data. The stapler was in high demand once again, and the trees are happy about very sustainable data management.
- At no stand could you obtain all relevant information with one click via a QR code. Usually, the “click” only resulted in a reference to a website. Ideally, to a fairly good one, where I then have to search for specific information about the vehicle myself. Often the “click” ended with the download of a complete catalog.
- I was at the fair on January 18, 2023. So far (January 22, 2023), no one has reacted to my visit. No email, no information, etc. I find that unprofessional and truly disappointing from a customer/prospect perspective.
Conclusion: The exhibitors are perfectly prepared for the next blackout with their “analog” sales systems. Paper, pencil, and staplers can be used even without electricity. Anyone who needs light can just turn on the headlights on the motorhome or use the battery-powered interior lighting.
The customer need to receive all relevant information about a vehicle, even without a salesperson, could not be met—at least at the stands I visited. Rather, it seemed to me as if they wanted to provide as little information as possible because they do not have potential changes in price, equipment, or delivery capability under control and now want to mask it through a lack of information.
One can serve all the information needs of visitors with minimal resources and little effort.
e.g., with the Digital Folder® for Caravans and Motorhomes
with a “QR code click,” all information is available
Overall Conclusion: CRM seems to be a complete foreign concept in “on-site” application. Not to mention “artificial intelligence in sales.”
The potential, especially in supporting existing customers or potential new customers (even if only in a few years), is simply being squandered here due to currently full order books.
Keeping customers and prospects happy, especially in a time of delivery problems or ever-increasing prices, should be one of the providers’ goals. Otherwise, it will come back to haunt them. As a customer, I am certainly not satisfied with my visit.
Recommendation for Dealers and Manufacturers: Put CRM on the priority list and optimize sales processes with it. This is the only way to keep customers happy and ensure full order books even when the hype is long over. I am happy to help with my experience in digitalization within the industry. My own experiences as a customer speak volumes on their own.
