Or it HOT enough to jump off the shelf all by itself? Most of us have a few outdated memories of product demonstrators. For some, it’s a door-to-door salesman selling vacuums, or a sweet old lady offering you a sample of the latest cheese wedge in a grocery store. But if that’s all you think of when you think Field Marketing, then perhaps it is YOU who is out of date! In today’s world of fast-paced and tech-savvy buying behavior, consumers can be overwhelmed with choices when purchasing almost any product. And while the “buy now” option can be appealing, research shows that the one thing often holding back a purchase is the peace of mind offered by a hands-on interaction. When end-caps, standees, and packaging aren’t enough to put your product in the shopping cart, consider the highly successful product demonstration program.

Field Marketing’s primary function is more than just selling a product. It is building brand awareness while increasing consumer engagement. The busier people are, the less time they want to spend “shopping”. When they do venture out to explore their buying options, they expect entertainment and an experience that caters directly to them. Malls and stores are evolving to meet these demands, and it is more critical than ever to offer consumers a unique, high-quality 1-to-1 interaction. As the marketplace changes, so must retailers, brands, and the highly important “face of your brand”.

Here are 5 ways that Productions Plus Demonstrators have evolved to keep up with a changing marketplace:

1. A good Demonstrator must understand that it is a privilege to have even a few moments of someone’s attention. Understanding that consumers are living and operating at a fast speed, our talent are trained to quickly to create a personal connection. Our agency’s focus is to have our Demonstrators and Talent treat every guest as if they are the most important person they will talk to that day. Our Talent approaches every interaction with the highest level of service, and when a consumer is treated like a guest in your home, your product often finds its way to their home.
2. Our Talent are carefully looking for opportunities to “WOW” the consumer. Our Field Marketers know how to ask questions, build instant rapport, and find common ground with guests (maybe it’s noticing something a consumer is wearing, or offering an opportunity to engage in a social media sharable moment). The personal connection between the Demonstrator and the consumer makes for a memorable experience, which then transitions into a successful demonstration. Making an immediate impression and connection is key. It fosters trust, which ultimately translates to your brand.
3. Not being afraid of “difficult conversations.” Consumers often arrive with preconceived notions or incorrect brand and product information based on things they have heard in the marketplace or online. If a consumer is skeptical, doubtful, or has it all wrong on your product and its performance capabilities, the most successful way to change them is through an informed conversation. A good demonstration will help combat product-related concerns presented by a buyer. Our staff is trained to view buyer concerns simply as a request for more information, and not a condemnation of their solution. Productions Plus Talent embrace these challenging moments with potential buyers, and see them as a true opportunity with a new consumer.
4. Being tech-savvy. Technology allows for a more fluid and informed experience for the consumer. Technology brings more streamlined communication and encourages hype around a new product launch. While consumers “need” the technology, our Demonstrators understand the need to connect personally with those consumers. Understanding and participating in the same technology with guests helps to stimulate interest, convey ownership, provide the proof of the product, and combat potential concerns. Technology is often the bridge between the consumer and the brand, and the tech-savvy staff knows how to join the experience. This furthers the opportunity for brands to continue their reach long after the interaction is over.
5. When it comes to KPI & ROI reporting, each of our Talent is highly capable at delivering qualitative and quantitative metrics to our clients. They are accustomed to utilizing any client-provided portals/apps, but also our own Productions Plus client portal to provide sales metrics data. In addition to these ‘hard’ metrics, our Talent can help provide additional ‘soft metrics’, such as key consumer comments & common themes of discussion. Productions Plus has developed a proprietary Consumer Engagement Tracker, which our talent use to log their consumer conversations. This has proved to be successful in providing additional real-time metrics to our clients about consumer purchase funnel position, length of consumer interactions, traffic patterns, and more.

These are 5 simple reasons why Fortune 500 companies repeatedly put their trust in Productions Plus Demonstrators across the nation. They know our Talent will be consistently energetic and enthusiastic, trained on product, sales, and consumer engagement, and able to capture metrics and data that allow you to make important marketing decisions.

Let us change your perceptions of In-Store Demonstrations. We are excited to show you how our skilled Field Marketers can result in increased sales and a larger return on investment for your brand!

The post 5 Ways Our Product Demonstrators Have Evolved appeared first on Productions Plus.

Here are Productions Plus’s top 5 training tips for a successful demonstration program.

1. Use Certified Training Facilitators

2. Train In-Person Whenever Possible

Face to face, hands-on training is always best. Not only do you get to know your demonstrators on a more personal level, but they also get to know you and the product they will be demoing on a more personal level. This builds trust quickly. It also allows the talent to use the product and work out any kinks before stepping into a store.

3. Give Talent Brand Knowledge

A demonstrator needs to know about your company. Sharing the history of the brand and its core mottoes provides a retail product demonstrator a more intimate look behind the scenes, which results in them becoming more invested in the demo program.

4. Show Talent How to Do It

If you can’t hold your training in person, you should still consider how you can show the talent how the product is used. A presentation deck is not the same as a live video conference with you. Many brands also send the talent the product ahead of time so they can walk them through its functionality during a conference call in a hands-on way.

5. Keep Talent on Their Toes

Your demonstrators are out there in the field representing your brand. You want to be sure they know how to handle tough questions, and that they retained all the information you provided. Consider sending your talent a quiz to see where you may need to retrain or put additional focus.

Let Us Help You

For our in-store product demonstrators, Productions Plus also holds regional training intensives with our certified trainers to teach additional customer engagement and sales education. To learn more about our customized trainings, contact us.

The post Top 5 Training Tips for a Successful Demonstration Program appeared first on Productions Plus.

Here are 8 tips we teach our talent to increase the sales and the success of their demos.

1. Look the Part

You are the first impression that a retail customer has of the brand and product you are representing. Your appearance and the appearance of your demo station are a reflection of the brand and will set the tone for your demo. Your clothing should be clean and pressed. Hair and makeup should be done. You should be wearing the required wardrobe, and your station should be stocked and clean.

2. Be Prepared

Reciting a script is not enough. Be prepared to help a customer make an informed decision. It is imperative that you know your product and brand history. Brand and product knowledge should be deeply ingrained so that it flows naturally. This frees you up to focus on the customers’ needs and how you can fulfill them.

3. Stand, Smile, and Stay off Your Phone 

Standing during your demo shows you are ready and open to engaging with the customer. You should be physically able to stand for the entire 4-hour demo, aside from your allotted break. Smiling and looking someone in eye is a friendly, non-verbal, and non-threatening greeting. A smile can disarm a customer and draw them in. Sitting and not smiling during a demonstration implies disinterest and laziness. Stay off your phone. Being on your phone during a demo is unprofessional and unacceptable.

4. Approach the Customer 

The most successful demonstrators are those who don’t sit back and wait for customers to ask the first question. Approach customers with a smile and fun opening line. “Hi! Looks like you may be ready for a coffee break. Would you like to try some?” “Welcome! Is it still cold out? How about a hot cup tea to warm up?” “I see you’re looking at wine openers. My mom loves this one! Are you familiar with this product?” The more comfortable you are, the more receptive the customer will be. Role play some opening lines before your next demo.

5. Ask Questions

Turn the demonstration into a conversation, not a presentation. Assisted selling is not about the hard sale. It is about asking the right questions to help the customer understand their needs. This includes asking for the sale when the time is right. Take a more personalized approach to selling. Ask their name. Ask how often they open a new bottle a wine. Ask the color of their kitchen to see if our product line would match their decor, or if they use whole beans or ground, etc. The more you know about the person, the easier it is to show how the product fulfills their specific needs, without being pushy.

6. Actively Listen

If you ask questions, you must actively listen to their reply. Don’t cut customers off. Let them work through their thoughts as they decide if this is the right purchase for them. Listen for clues that may suggest a sale is imminent. A great technique is to listen to what a person says, and repeat it back to them. “So what I am hearing you say is that you really need a machine that fits under your counter, is that correct?” “You mentioned you love red wine, but your husband only likes white, and that one of you always has to compromise. How would you feel about not having to compromise anymore?” This approach helps customers feel heard, builds trust, and deepens the conversation.

7. Involve the Customer

Having a customer take an active role in the demo will help them understand how the product works. People love to “try before they buy.” Let them push the buttons, or put the pod/capsule/teabag/fruit in the machine. If they want to know how heavy it is, guide them pick it up. If they want to know how something works, walk them through it. Remember, you learned the product by “doing”, not by watching. The more hands on the customer can be, the more they will understand the product, and the more they will feel personally involved in the demo.

8. Know How to Handle Objections

Handling customer objections to buying a product can be easy if you know how to do so confidently. Keep a list of frequent objections and your responses. What did you do? What did you say? What did they do or say? Try to dig down to the root of their objection. You can say something like, “I am hearing you say this is too expensive right now. Another customer of mine didn’t want to lose out on having this machine because of price. So, she asked her entire family to chip in for her birthday. Is that something that’s an option for you?” “Based on our discussion, this is really the perfect wine opener for your wine habits. Is never having to compromise again on what bottle to open something you find worthy of saving up for?” The more you understand why they are not buying, the easier it is to give a clear and concise, yet personalized response. Have some responses prepared before your next demo and see if it makes you feel more confident.

Bottom Line:

Companies like Coravin, Philips, Nespresso, De’Longhi, illy, The Cookware Company and more have been putting their trust in Productions Plus demonstrators nationwide for years. They know our talent will be trained on the brand, the product, and on sales techniques, which will result in increased sales and a larger return on their investment.

The post 8 Reasons Productions Plus Demonstrators Sell More appeared first on Productions Plus.

Build Brand Awareness

A product demonstrator’s primary function is more than just selling a product. It is also building brand awareness. When hiring a product
demonstrator, you are giving yourself an edge up over other brands with similar products.

Product demonstrators are specialists in your products and brand. They are there to make sure consumers understand your product, see how it stands apart from other options on shelves, and learn why your product is the one for them.

This helps to leave a lasting impression on consumers. They will remember your product when they are ready to purchase.

Increase Sales

Extensive studies conducted on retail product demonstrations reveal that in-store sampling and demos increase same-day sales, long-term purchasing habits, brand franchise sales, and total basket size of the average shopper. With that kind of power to influence sales, how could you not hire a product demonstrator?

Our friends at Bed Bath and Beyond provided some statistics from Q4, where we demonstrated a variety of new products during the holiday season. BBB tracks sales by month in three ways: sales at demo stores, sales at non-demo stores, and sales at demo stores on days when no demos were executed. Demo stores sold 650% more units than non-demo stores.

The demo stores also sold 300% more units than non-demo stores on days when demos were not executed. A five-hour demonstration had a positive effect on that store’s sales throughout the rest of the week.

Impact Future Sales

A good demonstration program should have a lasting effect on sales over time. Immediate sales are a good way to track the performance of the demonstration, but what about future sales?

Bridal and Baby Registry sales should be tracked as well. Many of the brands we work with want to know how many people signed up for a registry during the demo, in addition to the immediate sales that day.

Generate Leads

Lead generation is a great way to get to know who your consumers are and what their level of interest is, ultimately leading to sales in the future. Is your product an impulse buy? If isn’t, perhaps consumers need to discuss the purchase with a spouse or friend. This is a great opportunity for lead generation.

Get the consumers’ names, invite them back next weekend with their spouse, or ask if they would like to receive a newsletter and specials deals via email. Lead generation is a valuable way to connect with your consumers, and to keep the line of communication open, which can lead to future sales.

Get to Know What Consumers Really Think

Demos can tell you what potential consumers like or dislike about your product. Even if you don’t sell a single thing during a demo, it is a great opportunity for your team to find out what consumers really think.

Do they like the color options? Is the machine too big for their counter? Do they question the price over the value? Which gender or age range shows the most interest in your product? What are their reasons for not purchasing? Do they know your brand? Where did they hear about your product? All of this information can influence your future marketing efforts and updates to your product.

The time is right to scale up spending on marketing platforms that are closer to the point of purchase. Long-term, consistent demonstration programs create direct relationships with shoppers and drive more measurable results. Productions Plus can help you plan your program and find the right demonstrators for your brand.

The post 5 Reasons Why You Need to Demo appeared first on Productions Plus.