Better marketing at shows .

[Portofino]

There seems to be issues around the “gate keeper “system that lead to potential flash points.
All I think avoidable with modern tech .

From two blocked threads about front desk behaviour at FL @ Cannes thats I am struggling to reconcile this .......
If you are looking for irony about social media ( SM ) look no further ....

https://introtweet.com/clients/burgess-yachts/

It’s as if ( like many Co,s in the public high profile eyes ) Richard has have actually thought about the implications of both sides ( presume ? ) of social media ......upsides and down sides .Guess SM fits somewhere in “ marketing “ theses days ?


On are more practical and preventative note ..why can’t you have a lanyard with a QL. code on ,which contains all the relevant data base stuff + more optional that the front of desk smiley ladies need .?

It can have various levels of access arrangements too .
So as well as a punter ,here in blocked threads case a dealer / dealer exchange or exhibitors to exhibitors and so on .

One scan and up comes ( and captured by the front desks ) all your details .There is a minimum setting if ones picky .

A simple common IT system ( at each “ gate “ ) linked to a show master system .
Thus entrusted users can see spreadsheets on an hourly , day basis of each exhibitors activity.

As far as fwd hassle , ie next day you get bombed by promo junk , you set up a no email thingy or fine tune the thing when you populate the fields initially.
Eg only receive Ferretti mails or what ever.

Can be used for hospitality, the ladies enable that at there discretion, more like the meeter and greeter after the viewing if things go forward etc etc ,

Saves all this potential conflicts shields the smiley ladies ,

That what Ferretti do at there Monaco preview .
One tag , tags where you go .

 

[jrudge]

I did point this out in the other thread.

All trade exhibitions do it so it is not new tech

 

[Portofino]

I did point this out in the other thread.

All trade exhibitions do it so it is not new tech

Sorry I missed that .
Perhaps when you buy an online ticket as a none trade person , ie a punter you download there offering of a QL code ( bit like a boarding pass ) and then at your leisure populate it .

You mobile with this code is all you need to present to anyone, even the entrance guys .

You can of course amend it as you go along say by lunchtime gone off FB now focus on opens or what ever in the preferences as the day(s) progress .
If you clock out of a stand ( optional) when you get home you can spreadsheet you time spent and where ,

Agree it’s tedious doing the pen n paper thing or on the end of yet another set of questions from the smiley ladies.

So I can see why it can get grumpy at the front desks by mid afternoon, mid show .

There’s more people milling around the front desk and the boat(s) are empty with perhaps a bored sales guys stud on the back .

It the wrong way round the crowd(s) should be on the boat not on the land .

As far a wear n tear go Sunseeker once told me after a show they replace virtually everything that’s touchable , it’s factored in .So new carpets , head linings cushions etc etc .
It’s that “ trash it “ policy - we don’t care that enables them to let Joe public run amok .

 

[Bouba]

The visitors at trade shows are not the ‘general public’. They are all qualified (a new definition I recently learned). Either they get complimentary tickets from a dealer. Or they are self qualified by queuing up and paying cash, something that is hard to justify for someone with no interest in boats. Especially in places like Cannes, Paris, London, Miami etc where there are many other distractions.
Treating them like untouchables or herding them like cattle is not acceptable. Nor is providing them with your mother’s maiden name and date of birth.
Fortunately the vast majority are not like that and I’ve had a great time visiting some wonderful boats. Some have been boats that I’ve purchased (including buying one on the spur of the moment with no intention when we entered the show). Others were not for me and some have become aspirational, that if good fortune were to smile I’ll be down the dealers like a shot.
Unfortunately there are a few not so. Which is hard to understand because they must occasionally read this forum and perhaps even contribute

 

[henryf]

I think there are 2 issues here. Show wide and individual brands. We get invited to most of the shows by Princess. We are current owners, have bought 2 new boats from them and will be in the market for a third at some point. So we are a decent prospect. Even with my beloved Princess we struggle a bit at shows. All the UK sales team know us as do some of the senior manufacturer team. But none of the girls standing on the back of the boats know me from Adam. I'm just another person wanting to look around a boat. Not a problem, but get in line with all the other people having a day out or come back when I've made you an imaginary appointment.

Princess paid for my ticket, they are looking after me in hospitality but I struggle a bit to get on the hard product. It's crazy. The solution there is a pass given by Princess which you can show to the girls so they know you're a genuine prospect and on the company's radar. It would only be of use on that particular stand - although if you're a bright enough competitor you would also take advantage and that's probably why Princess don't use them.

We could of course take a sales person with us but I don't need to waste their time. I'm just doing my long winded research which leads up to the actual buying bit taking 20 minutes. At Cannes I was chatting with the Asia Pacific region general manager, the guy who sold me my first Princess and who's opinion I still value when the boat's gatekeeper told us we couldn't sit there and had to move. So it's not just us, even the company staff get hit by the sales prevention team....

Then there's a show wide issue which might be helped by an electronic data collection system but in reality that initial dialogue of what boat do you currently have, where do you keep it etc. is really valuable. You can tell a lot by how the questions are answered - if you're a good sales person, and the gatekeepers aren't, they are just there to write stuff down and phone your dealer. They aren't even full time staff. Someone has told them what to do and they stick to it like glue.

You can make appointments. Knowing Ferretti is busy I made an appointment with the UK dealer. I also needed his input because I don't know the brand. If I'd just looked round the 550 I'd have walked away never to be seen again. Using his knowledge we explored the future direction a little more.

But the whole thing about going to shows is seeing stuff you didn't know existed. At Düsseldorf I looked round my first Sirena 64 and liked it. At Cannes I also saw the 58, they are definitely on our radar now so if we buy it will be as a direct result of the boat show. Similarly I look at stuff which is a bit left field. Sometimes it only takes 60 seconds to know we aren't interested so I don't want to waste 20 minutes of someone's time. If I am interested and need more info I'll grab someone.

At Cannes everyone's a millionaire ready to buy a boat. They look the part, talk the talk (although when you really know you can see through most of them pretty quickly), and exude an air of self confidence. So weeding out the buyers from the spyers (sp?) takes a bit of skill. At Southampton it's just as hard not helped by people's insistence of dressing down to try and catch the companies out.

Ultimately if you attend boat shows as an exhibitor it's a nightmare but something does need to happen. There needs to be a way for manufacturers to get the right people on their boats and make sales without pissing people off.

Henry

 

[jrudge]

Henry

Your reply assumes you dont mind being on a sales person radar. I like you know many of these people, have bought boats of some of them and they dont hound you - they are simply nice people who keep in touch who know it is only a matter of time until you are daft enough to buy another one. I dont really want contact from tom cobly and all. Also I might want to look at a motor cat for example without going into a gushing explanation of how i want to buy one and handing over my contact details.

Flip side the punters have paid their £20 or whatever a ticket costs. That must offer them more than a walk round a marina and the opportunity to buy a hot dog, large bean bag, garden building and a jacuzzi ... oh and some boat bits they can more likley than not buy for less on line.

In short if the show wants their money it is not unreasonable they can look at a boat!

 

[markc]

Flip side the punters have paid their £20 or whatever a ticket costs. That must offer them more than a walk round a marina and the opportunity to buy a hot dog, large bean bag, garden building and a jacuzzi ... oh and some boat bits they can more likley than not buy for less on line.

In short if the show wants their money it is not unreasonable they can look at a boat!

Therein lies the problem - punters pay to enter the show and expect to see the boats, exhibitors pay so they can show their boats to who they want. Creates a classic Venn diagram when only the small group in the middle get what they want!

 

[Blue Sunray]

For various reasons we are contemplating a whole range of options for (near) future boating, including a return to sail. What I can is that we have eliminated several brands from consideration including both Fairline and Rustler (I did say it was a wide range), as a direct result of their people's attitude at Southampton over the last couple of years. Others have been consistently good for example Gunfleet/Hardy.

I don't think it is rocket science to make eye contact and smile and be polite and welcoming if a conversation results.

 

[henryf]

If you go to the boat show I don't see that you have a god given right to wander round boats, it's up to the people selling them.

On one extreme you've got Sunseeker who say form a queue, as and when space allows we'll let you have a look round. As a boat owner / prospective customer you need a sales person escorting you so you can bypass the queue. If you don't want to make contact with the sales team then stand in line and wait your turn. I feel a bit guilty every time I go on the stand and grab one of the two sales guys we know but that's how Sunseeker roll. Ultimately we are going to buy a boat at some point and they will want to be in the shout.

Unwanted emails are easy to deal with after the show, opt out. But providing they aren't too frequent and I've got half an interest in the product I don't mind, I'm not so important that I can't spend a couple of seconds looking at an email inbox.

So if you want to look at boats be prepared to receive an email with whatever info the company wants to send. I'd love to have a full price list for all the boats I see at a show for instance but I don't want to wander round weighed down with paperwork.


Henry

 

[henryf]

Following on from my last post it's interesting that Sunseeker show the bulk of their boats ashore where they can manage the queues waiting to get on a bit better and also create a buzz. Wow, look at all the people waiting to look at those boats they must be good. You then create an air of exclusivity for people being whisked past the waiting throng to get on board. A win, win, win.

Compare that to Princess who haven't got a problem with letting people see their boats but due to them being on the pontoon can't have big queues waiting and so the gatekeepers have to devise tactics. Sometimes it's can you wait a while until a couple of people get off which is ok, other times it's the dreaded, "do you have an appointment". I really hate that. We both know if I had an appointment it would have been at the remote hospitality area and I would have been escorted down by the person with whom I had the appointment. Frustratingly I've just come from hospitality, Princess gave me the ticket to get in and are quite keen for me to have a wander round quietly selling to myself. So as I said previously even they suffer at the hands of their own temporary staff.

Fairline strangely I've never had a problem with either in Cannes or Southampton but they haven't had anything I'd want to buy. The Squadron 68 is the first boat I've looked at and thought that's interesting but it's going beyond where I think we want to be. I think Fairline are guilty of operating a bit of an old boys network with a few favoured faces. You can see why, they are / were desperate to retain customers. As an outsider you need to say the right things to get in.

The smaller manufacturers don't have the problem of being victims of their own success. Fewer people eases pressure. They also haven't got hundreds of current / former customers to placate.

 

[Bouba]

We are, as a group, in a strange position. We all seem to see ourselves as ‘the general public’ but as boat owners we also know we are ‘qualified’. So we can see it from both points of view. And I think the consensus is that the general public should be given more respect. And I like that

 

[henryf]

Actually I’m saying that as potential customers we need to be recognised beyond that of someone just there for a day out.

Sunseeker, the masters of marketing, seem to have model that works for both sides but it does mean you need a permanent chaperone.

The best show for looking at boats is the Swanwick British builders show but of course a limited range from a limited number of builders.....

 

[Bouba]

That’s why I said ‘consensus’
But if the Sunseeker model is let them all aboard and it works while some others is let them eat cake (or caps) and that is not so good.

 

[henryf]

The disadvantage of the Sunseeker model is a bit of a scrum on the stand. The Princess model has an air of calm about it to a point. It's also nice viewing a boat where it belongs, in the water.

 

[JerseyDiver]

I went to SBS today, really disappointed with Fairline, my local
Salesman had me whipped past the lovely ladies to take details and was offering beer before I could blink!
On a serious note, not an issue to access any of the boats I wanted to browse. Some of the reps were a bit head in phone but were responsive and generally knowledgable to any questions I had.

There is a also what I thought a good selection of fringe / lifestyle items.

 

[jrudge]

Likewise. I am here now ( thank you princess for the drinkthat is about to arrive!)

No issues getting on the boats. Shame the new 68 from fairline is not here.

Latest trend is bbq on the back ... with no drain channels so the fat will oose all over the bathing platform !

 

[henryf]

It’s called a beach club apparently. All the rage these days....

I’m there at the weekend

 

[jrudge]

The snag is that unless you have fat less burgers and steaks god it’s going to be a mess. Oh and you can’t get to it it anyway as-in the real world your tender will be in the way. Oh and you don’t want to see the crew cook !

 

[jfm]

Therein lies the problem - punters pay to enter the show and expect to see the boats, exhibitors pay so they can show their boats to who they want. Creates a classic Venn diagram when only the small group in the middle get what they want!

I think that hits nail on head. It is easy to argue in luxury goods generally that the seller may qualify people who ask to look around - the front door to Graff diamonds on Bond Street is closed. BUT at a boat show people have bought a ticket, and that changes everything. I don't have the answer but MarkC describes the problem well

I spent 2 days at Cannes and EVERY big boat stand had a qualifying desk. Fairline was no different and no worse than the others imho. I don't think you could walk on any of the big boats just browsing on your own. I haven't been to Southampton show yet.

I like Porto's technology solution but it is only part of the answer. As a minimum, if shows continue to include qualification and denials of boarding, that should be made clear to punters when buying a ticket. Also Porto I loved the irony in your link, thank you https://introtweet.com/clients/burgess-yachts/ (Both threads pulled, alas, suppressing free speech, but life is too short to over worry about that in this context).

 

[Hooligan]

I think that hits nail on head. It is easy to argue in luxury goods generally that the seller may qualify people who ask to look around - the front door to Graff diamonds on Bond Street is closed. BUT at a boat show people have bought a ticket, and that changes everything. I don't have the answer but MarkC describes the problem well

I spent 2 days at Cannes and EVERY big boat stand had a qualifying desk. Fairline was no different and no worse than the others imho. I don't think you could walk on any of the big boats just browsing on your own. I haven't been to Southampton show yet.

I like Porto's technology solution but it is only part of the answer. As a minimum, if shows continue to include qualification and denials of boarding, that should be made clear to punters when buying a ticket. Also Porto I loved the irony in your link, thank you https://introtweet.com/clients/burgess-yachts/ (Both threads pulled, alas, suppressing free speech, but life is too short to over worry about that in this context).

I think there is no end to this debate and agree with the above. To be honest if I paid to get in to the show and was told I couldn't get on any boat unless I qualified I wouldn't go to the show. I think vendors just have to play it by ear and be sensible. Princess seemed to me to get it right. They had lots of people and managed entry and exit on each boat in a sensible way and also boat by boat. they also had lots of boats. At Fairline they had hardly any boats and managed the process centrally so for example we were asked to give our name and then come back in 20 minutes. which isn't a great start to persuade me to buy a new boat but then again as I am not going to buy a new boat they haven't lost anything. So we stood behind the 50 and to be fair the rep showing the boat saw us and just told us to step around the barrier and was happy to let us look around. Ultimately I suspect that if you want to buy a boat you will deal with each of these guys separately away from the boat show and make up your mind which one you want. The boat show is therefore I suspect really there to get the undecided or unknowing buyer fired up. As such important to have a good balance and Princess really do this well, which I suspect is largely due to who runs the process.