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Healing Silks Company Supporting Articles

::How to for Affiliates / Sales Reps

::How to make your Booth a Success (click here to download article in pfd)

Psychic fairs, health fairs, and gift shows are one of the greatest inventions in marketing. You get a chance to be in the middle of “market,” showing what you have to sell. You also get a chance to do great networking, making connections with buyers and other merchants and a kind of “put your toes in the water” and “FEEL” the market.

Diana and I have attended a handful of trade shows, psychic fairs and health fairs. We have always approached each show with lots of love and prayers and made sure our booth was fun, inviting and energized. We also spent a great deal of time in preparation, we know our merchandise and are able to answer the questions asked. If we did not have the answers we thanked them and honestly told them that we did not know the answer but were going to find out and we got back to them via phone or email… making some great connections.

We have found ourselves as the center of attention in almost all of those shows. We found that people are attracted to our booths for a numbers of reason, many just kept coming back and played with our silks like kids in toy store! We enjoyed walking the floor and connecting with as many as possible. We learned about them and become good friends with some.

You meet some of your greatest allies in business in these shows. Brit Elders, the CEO of Shirley MacLaine was scouting for new products for Shirley. We made a great connection with her at Vegas trade show last year. As the result, our healing Silks are the only clothing sold in Shirley’s official website; http://www.shirleymaclaine.com/index2.php.

In a small Wesak Festival fair in Mt. Shasta, we met Cathy Chapman, Ph.D., who has been a psychotherapist since 1976. Cathy is an author and frequent writer for Sedona Journal and world traveler. Cathy spent great deal of time with us and loved our silks so much that she has joined our company. http://www.odysseytowholeness.com

We have had many compliments on our booths, some exhibitors asked our help to replicate our humble yet elegant painted PVC displays. We also received the 1st place trophy for our metal gird display in Natural Products Show in July of 2007 in Vegas, against booths costing tens of thousands of dollars. It is amazing what you can do with some used chrome metal grids and tasteful touch of women’s hands. Before attending a show with your own merchandise, it is wise to just go and do some sightseeing at shows that are within your market. Take time and talk to exhibitors, ask questions and take pictures. The most important part of a show exhibit is “visibility” and “magnetism.” You need to stand out above others and attract people to your booth.

Granted there are a lot of dog and pony tricks, but your best bet is offering a product and service that your customers want or need. You will also need to make your booth a FUN place to be and make genuine connections with the people who are coming to your booth. It is always fun to offer a free drawing give away. And when you can, offer a small gift to every visitor to your booth, making their visit FUN and MEMORABLE.

No matter what kind of show you are attending, you need to allow at least 1 to 6 months of preparation to get ready for the show. The bigger the show the more time you need to prepare. Take a close look at what you are going to present and ask yourself how you are going to present your merchandise or service. It is a great idea to start small, many do a small in-home, Tupperware-like party for friends and relatives. Some attend a local psychic fair or flee market in their area. Cost are insignificant but will give you the “MUSCLES” you need to step up to a larger show.

Consider offering the Healing Silks in a package with the type of work you do, such as psychic reading, massage, workshop package, etc. There are many ways to display your goodies. You can always buy professional displays that are good looking and are easy to set up. Pay attention to displays used in the shows you attend and ask the exhibitors questions about the success of their displays. Look up “display fixtures” or “store fixtures” in your phone book or in a Google search. We will also gladly send you free photos and drawings of the displays we have made ourselves, from off the shelf materials. Contact sales@healingsilks.com for more information.

When you have your display, set it up for a practice run. Place your merchandise on it and make the booth attractive and practical. Learn how the parts of display go together, marking them with permanent numbers and a matching list/drawing. Pack them in a practical manner so when you get to the show you can easily assemble & disassemble your display as quickly as possible. Make sure every member of your team knows what and how to set up the display so the show goes on no matter what. Get organized because when you are out there setting up, you may be tired from a long trip and dealing with change of climate and time demands.

Organize your merchandise (inventory) in a way with labels so that you can easily find it to make the purchase smooth and easy for the customer. Have your credit card machine, sales receipts and information packets ready with a system in place to quickly close the sale.

Also make sure that everyone in your team knows now to pack up after the show, carefully folding all silks, taking down signage, and placing them in the proper containers so that you do not need to repack them for the next show. Get a system and follow it. I suggest you take time and do some research in the field and learn as much as you can. Just remember, “You never get a 2nd chance to make 1st impression!”

Take your time and learn from those who have done it before. By the way, don’t be intimidated with big multi-million dollar corporations; they all started small. We have also found in every show that we were getting more crowds, due to the energy of the flowing healing silks, than exhibitors that had been at it over 10 years or more! Make the whole adventure fun, unique and personal. Dress appropriately for occasion but let your hair down to fit the setting. When you are in your booth, be aware of your body language. Never cross your arm or let yourself to get tired or distracted. Take frequent breaks and walk the floor for networking, fun and reaching out to others.

Make sure you have plenty of liquid to drink, have some healthy snacks available to get a quick and healthy energy boost. Your best energy source is deep breathing, it gives you the quick boost, keeps you alert and relaxed.

Study the market needs and familiarize yourself with the what, how and why of your products. Also, study the floor plan of the hall, and carefully position yourself in most energetic and strategic locations. Feng Shui charts will give you good start in placing your booth in places that are in you highest advantage. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help or negotiate, it is worth the effort.

THE most important reason for attending any show is making the “CONNECTIONS”. So go to connect, collect business cards and flyers and make notes for future reference. Have a visitors’ list handy and collect all the contact information, including footnotes of who and what and how for later. Every Show is different and offers you different lessons and opportunities. Consider all possible scenarios and be prepared to deal with the unexpected. Make sure you take the proper hand tools, extension cords, lights, zip fasteners, different tapes etc.

You will also need to have some duct tape to cover the extension cords on the carpet. Read the show exhibitor instructions carefully and know all the requirements. Make a checklist of all you need including all the merchandise you are taking. Take time to make professional, attractive, informative signs and price tags.

Your preparation is great foundation for your business adventure. What you do, create and learn is always going to be there to help you in your future marketing success. Be willing to search for the answers and go there to learn and prepare yourself for even greater adventures ahead.