You've signed the contract and you're excited about representing Sonlight at your first convention. What comes next?

Obviously, you want to be an "expert" on the product, but that's a given since you are a veteran Sonlighter. As an ongoing part of your training, be sure to read the catalog front-to-back every year. Read all the articles in the SCR portion of the wiki. Also, the right-hand side-bar of the wiki includes product information. Read some of the threads on the forums, particularly the Choosing forum. The annual STC (Sonlight Training Conference) at the Sonlight offices in Colorado is an excellent way to stay up-to-date on product changes and marketing tips.

Early Planning

As early as possible you'll want to decide how many assistants you need and begin to recruit them. (For more details and tips on how to do that, see the Assistants page.)

At least 2 or 3 months out, make your travel arrangements. This might include airline tickets, rental car, and hotel reservations. When reserving your hotel, check to see if they will accept shipments of your booth supplies and hold them for your arrival. Be sure to ask if they charge for this service. Most hotels do not.

Plan meals for the weekend of the convention. Your hotel might offer breakfast. Most conventions have concession stands for lunch. Some allow you to bring your lunch. A few even provide a lunch for the vendors. You might plan to fix a simple meal at your hotel in the evenings, or go out for dinner.

Prepare your display products. Colored spine labels and/or sticky notes inside the front cover will help during set-up to know what book goes where in your display. Pack the books according to which display table they'll go on. To save yourself time on the other end, label your boxes so you'll know what's in each one.

Decide how you will give out coupon codes. Usually we print them on address labels. Some SCRs like to stick them directly onto the catalogs. Others prefer to put them on a card to attach to the catalog. You can get these ready as soon as you get the coupon code list from Judy, and then attach them to the catalogs however you like.

Plan your workshop and practice presenting it. Make notes. Prepare a PowerPoint or transparency presentation if you'll be using those.

Pre-Convention Arrangements

Touch base with your assistants to confirm your plans. Make sure they are aware of your expectations and well-trained on what to expect. You might want to schedule a conference call with them, or send them training documents to go over. Talk about each person's role at the convention. Who will be stationed at the front table? Who will be available for consultations?

If you will be flying be sure to ship your materials to your hotel in plenty of time to ensure they arrive before you do. Check the Convention Packing List to make sure you have everything you need.

Print out your convention paperwork, maps if needed, booth set-up diagram and/or photos, and workshop notes. If you'll be shipping your boxes from the convention, you can go ahead and print Fed-Ex shipping labels to put on the boxes after the convention is over. Stop by a Fed-Ex office to pick up some plastic sleeves to put the labels in to stick on your boxes. (You can tape them, too, but the adhesive plastic sleeves are much more convenient.)

Check the Booth Survival Tips page to be prepared for long days on your feet on the convention floor. Make no mistake: this is a physically tiring job!

Booth Set-Up

Be sure to arrive at the convention site as early as possible, to allow extra time in case of unexpected delays in unloading or setting up. Often conventions have volunteers who will help you get your boxes to your booth. Once you have all your materials carried in, arrange the tables according to the booth design layout. You can put the boxes by the appropriate tables. Find the box with the table covers first. Once the tables are covered, put the racks and/or display pieces in place. As you begin to unpack books, just stack them on their corresponding table. You can arrange them attractively once they are all unpacked. Save the packing material and store the empty boxes under the tables if you have room. (If not, the convention organizers may have a place you can store your boxes.)

Be prepared to think creatively! Sometimes when you arrive at a convention venue, your booth size, shape, or location may not be what you expected. In that case, you may have to come up with a totally new booth lay-out on the fly!

Goals for the Convention

• To empower each potential customer by offering enough information about Sonlight so the customer can decide if our curriculum is right for them.
• To leave all event attendees with a positive impression of Sonlight, whether they choose our curriculum or not.
• To obtain legible, complete contact cards for all potential customers.
• To highlight Sonlight as a package or program. Sonlight's strength is that everything is done for you.
• To actively focus on new, potential customers.

Selling Sonlight

At least one representative needs to be at the edge of the booth at all times to make eye contact with all who walk by the booth. We usually have some giveaway items that you could offer for a drawing as an incentive to engage casual passersby and get them to fill out contact carts. Your "front" person can refer prospects to a representative in the booth to answer questions or for more in-depth help.

When someone enters the booth, engage them! Smile and ask an opening question such as, "Are you familiar with Sonlight?" or "Would you like a catalog?"

Make sure everyone you talk to fills out a contact card. If the prospect doesn't want to fill out the card, explain why we ask for that information, that it enters them in a drawing for a free gift, and then give out the catalog anyway.

If you receive a positive response and the customer takes a catalog, share your "Sonlight in a nutshell" (a 30-second to 1-minute explanation of Sonlight). It should include these key points:

• literature-based
• integrated history, read-alouds, readers, and LA
• glimpse of IG - ease of use, all laid out for you
• complete curricula provider, all subject areas for preschool through high school

Listen first. Find out what they are really asking for! Ask pertinent, open-ended questions to find out what they need: "Are you homeschooling now?" "How many children do you have?" Select key points and share them clearly and slowly; don't overwhelm them with information.

Though we are not trying to convince everyone that Sonlight is right for them, we do believe Sonlight is a great program, or we wouldn't be using it! Many do not understand a literature approach. Listen first to understand their objections, then overcome those objections with an emotional connection. (For example, share how you now love history and literature because...)

It's ok to be honest if you've made a choice to use another product, but remember to honor Sonlight in the process. When asked, I tell customers I use mostly Sonlight, but I evaluate each child each year and make the best choices for my family. Then share why you love Sonlight!

It's ok to not have all the answers. Instead of saying, "I don't know" you can say, "That's a great question! Let me see if I can find an answer for you and have someone get back with you." We can always take their name and number and have Sonlight call them.

Paint a picture with words of the customer using the curriculum: "You'll read..." or "Your child will..."

Be enthusiastic, but don't over-promote. No curriculum will work for everyone. Take the time to read the customer when they enter the booth. Be excited, but try not to scare the looker off with your enthusiasm. Do they just want a smile and a catalog, then to be left alone? Or do they want more information?

FAQs in the Booth

Booth Etiquette

Make no mistake about it, convention attendees and other companies are monitoring your behavior. Your booth is a public stage, and you are the host. As such, you and your staff must behave with the warmth and graciousness expected of a host. These include:

• Humility
• Active Listening
• Genuineness
• Hospitality
• Graciousness and empathy

If someone is within 10 feet of you, acknowledge their presence. Pay attention to each person. Let them know they are important! Smile and speak to them even if you can't help them right away.

Attendees pay for the opportunity to talk to you and see the product. We owe them our full attention. Try to keep personal conversations and cell phone calls to a minimum, but if it is necessary, move away from the booth, not just out into the aisle, to take care of the call/conversation. If you are in the booth, please be "on the job."

Attendees don't like to interrupt you when you are sitting down or talking. Use facial expressions and body language to let them know they are welcome and important. (Stand up, smile, walk towards them, etc.)

If you are speaking to one person and others are waiting, open up your stance to allow others to feel comfortable eavesdropping or even joining in the conversation.

Occasionally you will get "stuck" with a talker: someone who has lots of repetitive questions, or feels the need to share her life story, or whatever. This is not usually the most efficient use of our time. One helpful hint is to work out a signal with your assistants ahead of time for such occasions. If someone is "trapped" in a conversation that she can't seem to end, she might casually raise a book or catalog at shoulder level to signal to others on the team that she needs to be "rescued." If you or another assistant sees the signal you can approach the conversation and politely interrupt: "Excuse me, Karla. It's time for your break. Could I take over for you here?" The "stuck" person can then leave the booth (just to go to the restroom if nothing else). Often the "talker" will realize that it's a good time for her to move on as well.

NEVER make a disparaging comment about another company.

If you plan to do some shopping at the convention, please do not buy products that Sonlight sells from a discounter. As a representative from the Sonlight booth, this is not appropriate. If you really need to buy something from a competitor, please do not wear your Sonlight shirt or name tag.

Booth Tear-Down

Do not start packing up before the vendor hall is officially closed.

If you are particular about how the books go into the boxes, it's probably best to not have your assistants do the packing. They can take down banners, collect things, and arrange the books from biggest to smallest so you can pack them.

Tape up the boxes you will be shipping, and put on the labels. Generally, you will then drop them off at the nearest Fed-Ex office.