It's afternoon on the last day of the Industrial Processing trade fair. The aisles are slowly emptying, exhibitors walk in and out on each other's stands to catch up. This is the final stretch, and for most people who have been here for four days, it has been okay. But one stand is still busy. There are people waiting to talk to the man who has not stood still for a second throughout the fair: a sweaty Swiss man.
Need tips?With these phrases, your stand will fill up with just the right people
The sweaty Swiss has a tiny booth at the back of the hall. He has been director of company that sells filters to the processing industry for 16 years and has had a brilliant fair. As he talks to yet another customer, he waves himself some coolness with an exhibition map. His success is not due to his stand, as it is a standard cubicle with no frills. But he has one thing no one else has. It cost him less than 200 euros and has generated a folder full of appointments and enquiries.
At the start of the fair, the Swiss put up a simple roll-up at the front of his stand. You know the ones, one of those oblong banners with a metal bottom and a big stick behind it so everything stays upright.
Usually, banners at the fair display marketing language that sounds somewhat good, but doesn't actually mean anything. Slogans you can use for pumps, but also for batteries or cereal (think: "Your Partner in Energy"). But the Swiss made a different choice.
The winning banner has a light print showing a production line. It reads in large black letters:
"Do you want to start saving too?"
€42,500 a year
On labour costs, maintenance costs, cleaning costs (when using bag filters, strainers, centrifuges and separators)
€50,000 a year
On labour costs, maintenance costs, cleaning costs and replacement costs in Ultra Filtration (UF) and Reversed Osmosis (RO) systems
€60,000 a year
On product reuse and labour costs
Ask us what YOU can save.
There is a queue here for a reason. There is a continuous stream of visitors who keep stopping to read on. Because here they are promised something they REALLY want. Just very flat money saving.
And once one such trade fair goer stops and reads the entire banner, he simply does what he is asked: he walks in to explain his situation and ask what can save.
This is how our Swiss is in constant conversation for 4 days. At 4pm on the last day of the fair, he notices me staring at him. He looks up and raises his thumb, smiling broadly. By his simple banner, he has left all the competition behind.
Interesting article? Also read: The trade fair anno 2017: good investment or outdated concept?
