If I, Harold Mintz, was your tutu wearing Fairy Godfather and handed you $1 million dollars, what would you do with it? This generous gift would come with one condition. You must spend 100% of it on your business. What would you splurge on?
Many of you have already gotten this question from me because I often ask it during my Distributor visits.
Below are your Top 10 answers (in reverse order). Do you recognize your response?
10. It’s a Schvitz-a-thon out there! Our shop is an oven for at least 4 months of the year. With the bay doors open and fans swirling you could still roast a chicken in the shop. We’d bring in some sort of air conditioning to make life more tolerable for our employees.
9. I’d bring back our showroom. We eliminated our showroom years ago so we could create additional set-up/staging areas. While necessary, we still miss the impact that our showroom had on everyone who saw/experienced it. It was our silent salesperson.
8. Our website is ancient. We’d upgrade it immediately. The first thing we’d do is engage with a professional developer to assist with revamping it. We know Prospects and Customers often go to our website, but we are underutilizing this blockbuster sales tool.
7. Add to our rental inventory. Our current rental inventory is ancient and sparse so we don’t offer rentals as much as we would like. We can’t do everything, but it would be nice to handle basic inlines and islands.
6. We’d boost our social media presence. We don’t post on social media as much as we should. We post large, cool jobs but forget about all the other tidbits that Clients and Prospects might appreciate. I’d hire a dedicated social media expert.
5. I’d invest in an LED tile inventory. Backlighting was/is hot. Just about everything going out the door these days has backlit graphics. LED is coming on strong. I’d acquire the tiles and the A/V experts necessary to travel with them.
4. Graphics. We’ve flirted with the idea of bringing in our own graphic production for years but never pulled the trigger. It requires a level of expertise and volume outside our current scope. That said… the influx of cash would allow us to dip our toes in the water or in-house graphic production.
3. I’d boost employees’ salaries across the board. Everyone took a hit during the COVID Pause. When their salaries were cut, their work ethic increased. They treated this company as if it were their own. We owe them.
2. More storage space. Our current storage space is full. We make good money on our active clients, and if we had more space, I could fill it with those types of clients. Cha-Ching!
And the #1 comment I hear when “giving away” $1 million…
1. We’d add more employees. I’d use a chunk of the money to find and hire a new batch of employees in all areas – PMs, Sales, Design and Production. Especially PMs.
What would you do with a $1,000,000 gift from me? Share in the comments.
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For 30 years, Classic Exhibits has been designing and building creative custom solutions for our Distributor Partners and their clients. As the largest private-label exhibit manufacturer in North America, we have the unmatched capability, capacity, and creativity to create 3D projects ranging from 10 x 10 inline displays to 60 x 80 double-deck islands.
I was recently
asked to share memories of my very first sales call. I had to blow the dust off
many layers of memories to find my way back to the early 80’s.
People usually find their way into our industry via two different paths: your family member owns an exhibit house in which you spend your youthful summers schvitzing away in a sweltering shop (I’m looking at you, Nick Carty!) or like most of us… you trip into it by accident.
For me, it was accidental. Please allow me to share some snippets from
the early chapters in the Book of Harold.
First Job. First Big Mistake.
Fresh out of college, I somehow managed to get a gig as a copywriter at a
local ad agency. I was writing 5 ads a day/5 days a week — TV, radio,
newspaper. I wrote all the ads. Whatever the client or my boss asked for, I
wrote it.
One day my boss says, “We have a new client (The Washington
Times newspaper). They need to see some radio copy. Go write me five
spots by the end of day.” As he was leaving my office, he tossed out one
more instruction… “Don’t be funny. This is a serious client who is
attempting to plant a serious flag. Don’t be funny.”
Sounds simple enough, right? Five ads before the end of the day. No funny. Gotcha. But here’s the problem. After doing my research on this new daily paper, I honestly felt they could use some humor to get people’s attention.
So after penning five straight (rather boring) radio spots, I decided to do one more… for extra credit. And it was funny. Reallyfunny. Might have been one of the best ads I’d ever written. I was quite proud of it actually. So, when I went into my boss’s office that afternoon, I presented the five assigned “not funny” ads and proudly placed my extra credit copy right on top of the stack. MISTAKE!
This is the boss who showed me the door. Notice the hat? The Washington Times
He began to read. After a few seconds, he balled up the copy and tossed it into the trash can. There was no way he’d read the entire ad! My young and inexperienced emotions bubbled to the surface and before I could zip my lip, out it came… “FXQZ You!”
After he stopped laughing, he said, “Okay. You know you’re fired,
right?” He continued, “And just a suggestion, it’s probably not a good
idea to say ‘F You’ to your next boss.”
My Next Job.
Who the heck would buy anything from this head of hair?
I was once again on the streets looking for a job. I sent out resume after resume. Bupkus. I even got my hair cut (at my father’s strong suggestion).
After a month of scouring the want ads, one of my buddies said, “Why don’t you go see my brother? He owns an exhibit house, and he’s looking for someone to write a client’s annual report.”
An exhibit what??!! Didn’t know. Didn’t care. I was out of work and
needed money. I booked the appointment.
I was hired and after six weeks, I completed what I’m sure remains one of the world’s most boring annual reports ever written.
But during those 6 weeks, I noticed odd things around the shop and I had questions. Lots of questions.
“What’s that?”
“That’s a piece of moon rock. We’re making a display for the
Smithsonian.”
“What’s he doing?”
“He’s a calligrapher. He’s illuminating (hand penning) diplomas for Mt Vernon College.”
“What’s he doing?”
“He’s a sign painter. He’s painting posters for the local department store.” (Listen youngsters — Vinyl machines didn’t always exist. Before Gerber made the first vinyl plotter/cutter, all signs were either hand painted or silk-screened.)
This all looked like great fun! So I asked if there was a permanent spot
for me on the Blair, Inc Team. There was. In sales.
Sales? No kid that I know says, “When I grow up I wanna be a salesperson. Ewww!” But I needed the job. I didn’t know it at the time, but Scott Jackson, owner of Blair, Inc had just given me my first sales gig in the trade show industry. (By the way, Blair, Inc is still kicking butt in Northern Virginia, currently enjoying 72 years in business.)
So there I was — young, inexperienced, and probably not much more
knowledgeable about trade show exhibits than my future prospects. Although I
had tagged along on a few sales calls with my boss, I didn’t feel like I was
prepared to go solo yet. Doesn’t matter. The call came in, and I went out.
My First Prospect
All I knew about the prospect was that they were an engineering firm and that they were a two-hour drive from our shop. I arrived about half an hour early. Always good to be early. But I screwed up the time. The appointment was set for 2:00 pm – NOT3:00 pm.
I walked in thinking I was 30 minutes early, but in reality, I was 30 minutes late. No time to visit the restroom to unload the 20 ounces of coffee I had been slogging down.
I was ushered into the conference room where there were seven men staring
at me. Remember… I’m a rookie. Instead of starting by asking the questions I
now know are critical to capturing a prospect’s needs, I proceeded to make my
presentation all about my company, my team, and ME. After about 10 minutes of non-stop blabbing, I finally pulled
out my newfangled “pop-up exhibit.”
Nomadic Display’s corporate headquarters was just down the road from Blair, Inc and they had recently given us some demo Instand frames to show clients. I popped open the frame and the room full of engineers went nuts. They immediately jumped up and said, “Do that again!” At the time, nobody had seen Ted Ziegler’s pop-up technology before. They were astounded and wanted to know everything about it.
There was time when pop-up technology was astounding to everyone who saw it. Revolutionary!
No longer nervous, I taught them how to open it. They were sooooo into
it!
I told them everything I knew about “Instand pop-ups,” which took all of
two minutes. But they were engineers and started asking me questions. Lots of questions…
“Can the shelves hold 30 pounds?” “Sure.” No they can’t. They don’t even HAVE shelves.
“Is it reconfigurable?” “Of course… Don’t be silly.” Liar!!!
“Can we get it by Friday?” “Absolutely.” Nope.
They couldn’t have been more excited, and I couldn’t have been more worried. I spent the return two-hour drive freaking out. Oh my gosh! What if they actually BUY this display and find out it that it can’t do ANY of the things I’d promised?!
I needn’t have worried. Never heard from them again. As impressed as they
were with the technology, they had also detected my rookie-ness on display and
had decided to go with a more seasoned (smarter,
more knowledgeable) salesperson.
I wasted their time and mine. I crashed and burned on my very first sales
call — badly. But I did learn some big lessons.
Lessons Learned
1. Get There Early – Never, ever, ever be late for a
meeting. Get thereearly. Get their WAY early. But never
be late. In Hollywood I learned this ditty… “If you’re early, you’re on
time. If you’re on time, you’re late. If you’re late, you’re fired.”
2. Engineers – I know it’s stereotyping, but in my
experience, engineers tend to like details. All the details. They also
tend to want to put WAY too much copy on exhibit walls that nobody will ever
read except maybe other engineers.
3. IDK — If a prospect asks you something that you don’t
know the answer to, say “I don’t know!”Tell them you’ll find out
and get back to them ASAP. And then find out and get back to them ASAP.
The Family Business
I mentioned up top about the two ways that people find their way into our industry: by family or by accident. While reminiscing about my early career, I realized that most of the companies that I’d worked for were all family houses:
Blair, Inc – son-in-law took over from father-in-law
Shy Greenspan, Founder of Blair, Inc and Scott Jackson, my boss and still the Owner of Blair, Inc.
Nomadic – daughter took over from father
Susan Mintz, Judy Watson (daughter) and Ted Zeigler (father and inventor of the Instand and the self-locking pop-up technology) and me.
HW Exhibits – son took over from father
Howard and Scott Walode
Last week, I was in Texas and had the pleasure of sitting down for a cup
of coffee with Danny Kent/5D Show Services
(https://5dshowservices.com/). Danny’s dad, Rick Kent and industry icon Larry
Crumlish started The Exhibit Store in Dallas many, many years
ago. Danny shared with me how he spent his youth at The Exhibit Store learning from the ground up. It was emotional for
both of us listening to him wax poetically as he reminisced about the early
days and people no longer with us.
For all those who swam into our industry via their family’s gene pool,
good for you.
And for all the rest of us who found it by accident… how lucky are we?
“Let’s host an event in Louisville for our Distribution Partners
during EXHIBITORLIVE.” Yes, please! Throwing unique corporate events is one of the most
enjoyable tasks anyone can ask of me.
When someone says Louisville, you
might immediately think Kentucky Derby. Or where 90% of the world’s bourbon is
distilled. Not me. While they’re both iconic and associated with Louisville,
they’re both just a bit too on the nose.
Louisville to me says baseball because it’s the home of the Louisville Slugger Museum and Bat Factory. Starting in 1884, Hillerich & Bradsby (aka Louisvillle Slugger) is the country’s oldest continually operating sport’s equipment manufacturer in the United States. Every kid who’s ever played Little League knows Louisville Slugger baseball bats. And as luck would have it, it’s a convenient ½ mile walk from the Louisville International Convention Center.
Hosting Your Event
Hosting a successful event is simple if you follow a few guidelines. Here are 5 tips to hosting a memorable event that your guests will remember for years:
1. Pulling the Rope– Why are you hosting the event? Are you trying to promote a new product or service? Are you presenting year-end awards? Just like designing a successful exhibit, the best way to accomplish any goal is to know it and share it with your entire Team. Pull the rope in the same direction at the same time.
2. I Want Buzz – We’ve all attended corporate events held during trade shows. Maybe it was a party sponsored by a client, a vendor, a publication. While I’m always thrilled to be invited, these events often end up being “okay” or “nice.” I don’t want nice. Don’t they all just sort of fade away into a hazy blur of sameness just as soon as you walk out the door?
If you’re going to host a party, make
it memorable. I want buzz. I want people thinking about the event long after
it’s over.
3. Forget the Crudite – Hotel Ballroom? Trade Show Floor? There are reasons companies host their events in these spaces. It’s simple. But simple doesn’t usually lead to memorable.
Find unique venues. Look for a place
where parties aren’t usually held. Throw more money into the location rather
than the food being served. Guests will remember a unique space long after
they’ve forgotten about that crudité.
I’ve thrown events in a stinky 90-year-old
boxing gym, the bell tower of the National Cathedral, a wax museum, Cirque de
Soleil’s private gym for their performers, the Kennedy Center. I once scouted
the ballroom at the Russian Embassy in DC. The venue is EVERYTHING.
Once you’ve selected your unique venue, add layers. Did you know that you can rent the island of Alcatraz? You can!Thank you, National Park Service! For that party we hired an ex-guard and ex-prisoner to speak with attendees in the prison’s old chow hall. Memorable? Exclamation Point!!!
4. It All Starts with the Invitation – The event doesn’t start at 5:00 pm. It starts about a month before the event when the invitation lands. That’s when you start building the buzz with an unforgettable invitation
Louisville Slugger Museum – An oversized vintage baseball ticket and a box of Cracker Jack.
Alcatraz – An oversized Monopoly Get
Out of Jail Free card.
National Cathedral – A shocking postcard that demanded attention.
Boxing Gym – A cool, retro boxing poster.
Invitations offer an opportunity for some
pretty serious pre-buzz, weeks before the event ever begins.
5. If You Build It, They Will Come – While there are lots of things you can stress about, getting your guests to show up probably isn’t going to be one of them. As a matter of fact, once your guests experience one of your parties, they’ll be on the lookout for next year’s invitation months in advance.
Wanna talk about planning unique, fun business events for your Clients? Give me a call. Happy to chat.
The trip odometer read – 1741 miles. That’s one serious road trip. Just a few weeks ago, I traversed the Southeastern United States for two weeks to visit Classic Exhibits Distributor Partners in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Driving that many miles over 13 days gave me plenty of time to experience life on the road.
Yes. Go!
Most road warriors understand that business travel impacts others as much as themselves. Sitting at the top of this list is how your absence can affect your family life. The longer the trip, the more impact.
Me: “Dear, I’m starting to plan a business trip for early December. Looks like I might be gone for a few weeks. You OK with that?”
My Wife: “Yes. Go!”
Well, that seemed a bit too easy. Make a note to bring Susan back pecans from Georgia. Susan loves pecans.
Notes from My Trip
Sales Volume – Almost everyone’s sales were up in 2022. And not just up. Most distributors on this trip told me that 2022 was their best year ever (financially).
Showrooms – Are they making a comeback? No, not from what I’ve observed. But one thing is obvious… those who have showrooms stand out and get noticed! Of the 17 offices I visited, only 4 (four) had showrooms. These four offices had impressive showrooms showing a wide assortment of products including double decks, backlit graphics, LED signage, interactive digital offerings, etc. And the showrooms weren’t just there “for show.” They also served as client meeting/conference rooms. Clients were surrounded by product and design offerings without being actively “sold” on them.
Petrol – I live in Los Angeles. As almost everyone knows, gas prices in California are stupid. At the height of the stupidity, we were paying over $7.00 per gallon. As embarrassing as this may sound, I do a happy dance in CA when gas is only “$4.95/gallon.”
On this road trip, I stopped to fill the rental car somewhere outside of Atlanta and gas was $2.39/gallon. Less than a gallon of milk. I texted my wife a picture of the prices, and her response was “Forget the pecans… bring home gas!”
Gray Hair – A question I try to ask all Distributors during a visit is, “What is currently giving you gray hair? Short term or long term… what do you need to work on or fix to make your business run more smoothly?”
When You Ask Questions, You Get Answers
Of the 20 or so times I asked this question, here are some of the most common answers I received:
Managing Staff (HR, employees new to the industry, and training)
Vendor Quality (no, not Classic, but discretion prevents me from speaking poorly about competitors)
Client Response Times are running like molasses in January
Still need more hands on-deck (specifically in the shop)
To Portable or Not to Portable… THAT is the question. It almost takes as long to sell a 10 ft. display as it does an island. Some are weighing dropping the attention paid to smaller booths.
Turn Times are Still a Challenge (they’re better than they’ve been but not “back to normal” just yet)
Customer Mix – New vs Existing – Another question I tend to ask is “What percent of your business comes from Existing Customers vs New Customers?” While I tend to get a variety of answers, the vast majority tell me that 75% of business comes from current/former clients while 25% comes from new contacts or referrals. (Looking for ways to tip the scales toward NEW Clients? Send me an email and I’ll tell you – Harold@classicexhibits.com)
Just Like a Doorknob – I stayed in a different hotel just about every night. I’d check in, drop my bag off into my room then go out for my evening meal. When I would get back to the hotel, I head to the elevator and press my floor’s button. The elevator rumbles up to the 3rd floor and the doors open. I now have a decision to make – is my room to the left or the right?
Doesn’t matter… Whichever direction I choose is wrong! ALWAYS WRONG! It’s comical. I have the sense of direction of a doorknob.
In Closing…
Two weeks is a long road trip: Two weeks of bad coffee, loud hotel neighbors, and being away from home and family.
Our industry is filled with seasoned Road Warriors. I learned from the best — Alex, Dave, Reid, Jen, Tom, Hendrik, Lynn, Gina, Kevin, and Mel. So many folks who drive our industry forward. If you are a Road Warrior, regardless of your role, I feel for you and appreciate what you do.
Last but not least. Classic’s Distributors make this job easy to enjoy. You never cease to surprise and amaze me. Like when you:
Ask a question about my family or past health issues
Get excited to learn something about Classic that you didn’t know a few minutes before
Share intimate tidbits about your own personal lives
Finally, when I connect with a new salesperson who like a sponge sucks up everything I say. Thank you!
The exhibit industry really is a family. I appreciate the opened doors and the time you spent with me last month. Already looking forward to the next trip. But more on that later.
Based in Portland, Oregon, Classic Exhibits Inc. designs and manufacturers portable, modular, and custom-hybrid exhibit solutions. Classic Exhibits products are represented by an extensive distributor network in North America and in select International markets. For more information, contact us at 866-652-2100 or www.classicexhibits.com
On Friday, August 19, the Classic Exhibits Family held our Annual Summer BBQ. The BBQ wouldn’t be complete without great food, conversation, drawings, and the Harold Mintz-inspired Watermelon Seed Spittin’ Contest.
To help wash away the “end of summer” blues, we remind ourselves that the waning days of August also brings the best fruit season of the year! Every weekend Farmers Markets all over the country are bursting with nature’s bounty – the juiciest berries, the sweetest plums, and succulent peaches.
And then there’s the mother of all summertime fruits… the WATERMELON! When was the last time you spit a watermelon seed? Heck, when was the last time you ate a watermelon with seeds?
In Portland, we know a guy who knows a guy whose second cousin hooked us up with Hermiston, Oregon watermelons, the world’s best-tasting melons. And here’s the best part… he let us snag a few for Classic’s Annual Watermelon Seed Spittin’ Contest!
You might be asking yourself how does one spit an award-winning watermelon seed. Simple…
Select your favorite slice of red, ripe, juicy watermelon
Find the most aerodynamically shaped seed
Step up to the line
Place the seed on your tongue
Visualize the seed arcing gracefully
Wait for any slight breeze to give way to still air
