Drag Illustrated Issue 139, December 2018 | Page 54

D.I. COLUMNIST
Tuned Up
with Will Hanna
A RACER’S GUIDE TO THE PRI SHOW
O
ver the course of this
year, we have discussed var-
ious tuning topics. As this
issue will be fresh off the press at
the upcoming Performance Racing
Industry (PRI) show in Indianapolis,
I wanted to give racers a “tune-up”
of what to do and what not to do.
While not as big as the SEMA
show, the PRI show is a very big
show showcasing a wide variety
of parts, services and machinery.
While some of the same companies
might be at both shows, at SEMA,
they are there to primarily discuss
automotive business and at the PRI
show they are there to talk racing
business. If you have something to
write with, circle that word: busi-
ness.
I started going to the PRI show
back in 2004. The late Shelly How-
ard had really been on me that I
needed to start going. I didn’t have
a clue what I was getting into and
I made the same mistakes I see so
many racers make when they
decide they are going to go to
PRI. That is carrying a brief-
case full of sponsor proposals
hoping to land some product
deals and/or money. At that
time, “product” deals were a
bit more commonplace. Get-
ting an oil deal, maybe plugs
and some other consumables
wasn’t that hard to do. Most
of those ships sailed in the
various economic slowdowns
of the mid-to-late 2000s and
have never returned. The
industry has changed, and
a decal on a car is not the
marketing tool it once was.
So why should a racer go?
There are still business
deals to be made. First and foremost,
you can make a face-to-face interac-
tion with representatives and deci-
sion makers for various companies.
If you have ever sold anything, you
know that having and building a
relationship is a big step. PRI allows
you to build and develop a relation-
ship with the decision makers.
Here are some pointers to helping
you do more business at PRI:
Dress
to impress.
Look pro-
fessional. A
suit and tie
may be a bit
overboard,
but busi-
ness casual
is definitely
a good idea.
Perception
is
real-
ity. Do you
look more
like Don
Schumach-
er Racing
or a small
timer? Your
appearance
is going to reflect on your racing
operation appearance.
Have a nice business card to give
people. If your business card looks
hokey, you’re not putting your best the booths
you need to
talk to while
you are on
that side of
the floor. I
haven’t re-
lied on the
app, but I’m
sure it has a
similar fea-
ture. Have a
plan.
It’s key to
prioritize
important
booths you
want to vis-
it. First, the
person you
need to talk
to may or may not be there the first
time you stop by, and secondly, it’s
a busy show. You definitely want to
get your essential business done by
Friday. Everybody is hung over, wore
foot forward. Collect business cards
from the representatives you talk to.
This will be key to the follow-up part
of the process.
Have a plan. The PRI website has
an app and a show planner you can
use. I list the companies I need to
talk to in an Excel spreadsheet. I
sort the list by booth number, then
color-code by priority. The floor is
so big; having a plan helps you hit out, burned out and “whistle bit” by
Saturday. If you have people you just
want to stop by and say hi and shoot
the shit with, Saturday is the day.
The bars stay open until 3 a.m.
in downtown Indy, so it’s real easy
to have a “leftover” after your first
night in town. Get your important
meetings out of the way on the first
day.
As I have stressed several times,
the theme of this show is business.
If you want a company to do busi-
ness with your team, have a plan on
how you will bring them business,
and try not to rely on the “exposure”
word too much.
Have your social media ducks in
a row. How much of a following do
you have? Have you been showcas-
ing any sponsors’ products on social
media?
You need to be able to demon-
strate how an investment in your
team is going to turn into sales for
them. If you have the means, you
may be able to sell their product,
and maybe come up with an incen-
tive program after x amount of sales.
The Monday after the show, be
sure to send a follow-up email to
anyone with whom you had a mean-
ingful discussion. I will often send
an “it was a pleasure meeting you”
email to everyone who gave me a
card, even if we didn’t really discuss
anything substantial. I think it’s im-
portant to do this ASAP after
the show to remember what
was discussed. Then, follow
up in January because it’s
pretty much a blur from the
show to Christmas and New
Year’s.
Many companies offer
good discounts on orders
placed at the show. If you are
going to make a big purchase
(aren’t they all), this may be
worth the price of the trip.
Another great reason to go
to the PRI show is a lot of
new products get unveiled
there, or at least you can see
the newer ones in person.
Sometimes companies are
looking for teams to try new
products, so this may be an oppor-
tunity.
Last but not least, there’s the
Drag Illustrated After Hours par-
ty, which is always the place to be
Thursday night.
If you go to PRI hoping to come
home with a bunch of sponsorship
deals, you’re probably not going to
come home happy. If you go there to
do business, you will be successful.
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