10Oct2010
How To Run Great Demos
A good demo can build sales and product awareness while improving the customer’s shopping experience. A bad demo is a waste of time and money. But an ugly one? Well, it can kick your sales into reverse.
As a celebrity chef working for a variety of frozen and dairy manufacturers over the years, I’ve been to a gazillion demos (really!) at retail stores all over the country. Believe me, I’ve seen plenty, and some of it would curl your hair.
A CHECKLIST
Let’s start with the ugly, since people seem to love to hear about other people’s mistakes. Here are a few common problems for your checklist:
—Are there any allergens in the product? Food allergies are more common today than ever. Does the product have peanuts? Or seafood? We once were doing a seafood demo when it turned out that a third of the demonstrators were allergic to the product. (You can’t make this stuff up!) Have signs posted at the demo on items that may have allergens.
—Are there plug-ins available in the demo area? You wouldn’t believe how many cooking demos go astray when you get to your location and can’t find an electrical outlet.
—Does the store know you’re coming? Sometimes I’ve shown up and it’s been like a surprise party. “A demo?” the store manager asks. “Today? Here?” Get your ducks in a row, and call ahead the day before.
—Do the demonstrators know anything about the product? This one’s a no-brainer, right? But you’d be surprised how often the demo person has no knowledge of the product whatever. To counteract this, I’ve run 45-minute training sessions for everyone. This is especially important for a boutique-like product.
—Did the demonstrators invite their friends to stand around and talk all day? Maybe give them a free lunch, while chit-chatting about the weather and Aunt Mary’s gall bladder operation? If this happens, you need to nip it in the bud.
—Is the product actually in the store? Sometimes product doesn’t get into all the stores, or there are only six packages left. This happens a lot and, once again, a call a day ahead of time is all you need.
Basically, all you need to avoid a bad or ugly demo is planning, communication and training. With those three things in place, you’re way ahead of most of your competitors and your demo will most likely fall into the “good” column. Let me tell you about a couple “great” demos I’ve been involved with over the years at two New England chains: Hannaford Brothers and Shaw’s.
SIX MONTHS AHEAD
At Hannaford, we planned six months in advance to have huge demos in tents outside the stores. We’d highlight locally grown produce and other products, and tie vendors in early with TV, radio and in-store fliers. We put up signs and promoted the event like a rock tour, with press releases, Facebook and Twitter. Each event had music and games in addition to product to try. Customers got excited about it, and looked forward to when the event would come to their town.
The interesting twist was the product varied from store to store. Each day, depending on where we were, we had to create a new menu based on what was available locally at the time. Customers loved it — they got to meet some of the local farmers and artisan cheese makers, and I got to teach them about new dishes and recipes.
It was a win all around. The events were well-attended, they built awareness for Hannaford and the participating brands, they attracted new customers and gave shoppers a great experience. They also moved a lot of product.
At Shaw’s, we upgraded standard cooking demos into a program called “Get Inspired.” The goal was to get people out of the food rut of peanut butter and hot dogs. Each week we had different recipes — four in the store and six to go into a binder shoppers could get. That gave shoppers a reason to come back.
Instead of just stumbling across a demo while shopping, customers were actively seeking these demos out. I trained people who were already foodies, and taught them to get out from behind the table and interact with shoppers.
I would convert the recipes so that they incorporated the vendor products. Every week, we’d have different recipes for quick meals, in about 200 locations. Shoppers were developing friendships with the demonstrators, and asking what the next week’s recipe would be.
Shaw’s had about 1.2 million loyalty card customers at the time, and nearly half of them signed up for the recipe program. This can be done on a smaller scale with just the recipe cards and promotion to draw attention to them, but it was one of the best programs I’ve been involved with in a long time.
