Pitching a Partner at a Trade Show

Scene: You are at a trade show in Munich, standing at your company's small booth. Your product is a portable coffee grinder. A woman stops, picks one up, and turns it over in her hands. Her badge says Marta Keller, Purchasing, Nordwerk Retail. You have about three minutes before she walks on. The goal today is not to sell anything. The goal is to earn a follow-up.

You: Hi, I am Wei, from Bean Craft. That is the model we launched in March — go ahead and turn the handle, it is much smoother than it looks. Marta: It is quite light. Where are you based? You: Shenzhen. This is our first show in Europe, so I am mostly here to listen. What does Nordwerk stock at the moment?

Marta: Kitchen electricals, mainly for department stores in Germany and Austria. We do not carry many small brands. You: That is fair, and I am not going to pretend we are a big one. May I ask what usually goes wrong when you do take on a small brand? I would rather hear the risk now than find out about it in six months.

Marta: Honestly? Stock. A brand sells well, we reorder, and then nothing arrives for ten weeks. You: That is the part I can speak to. We keep three months of goods in a warehouse in Rotterdam, so a reorder ships in four days, not ten weeks. I can send you last year's delivery record if that is useful to you.

Marta: Send it. One thing you should know — buyers in Germany will not decide anything at a show. Do not expect a yes today, and please do not call me twice next week. You: Understood. So what is the normal rhythm here? Documents first, then a meeting a few weeks later? Marta: Documents first. Then we talk in October.

You: Then I will keep it short. I will email you three things by Friday: the delivery record, our trade price list, and two references from retailers in the Netherlands. No pitch deck, and no follow-up call unless you ask for one. Marta: That is the right amount. Most people at this show send me eleven attachments and phone me on Monday.

You: One last question, and then I will let you look around. If you did take us on, which of your stores would you try us in first? Marta: The Hamburg flagship. It has the right customers for this. You: Good to know — then I will price the first order for one store, not twenty. Thank you for your time, Marta.

Look at what those three minutes did. You opened with the product in her hands, not with your company history. You asked what usually goes wrong instead of listing features. You took her cultural hint about pace seriously, and you closed by promising less than she expected. Nothing was sold today. But you left with a name, a rhythm, and a reason to email on Friday.