Monday, December 28, 2009

And...You're Outta There!

I kicked around how to approach this week....I could take the easy way out and do a fluff piece themed to the holiday...or maybe write a piece about how happy everyone is to get 2009 safely behind us...Those seemed like pretty obvious answers. The more I thought about it though, the more I realized that the people who read this blog don't want "obvious". "Obvious" is , in this case, just another word for "unnecessary"- which is, in itself, another way of saying "a waste of time". That being said, I'd like to take a few moments to go over a topic that is often overlooked by exhibitors to their own detriment: Toxic Staffers in the booth.



Trade shows are unchallenged in their ability to match potential customers (or, as John Patterson of the National Cash Register called them -"Probable Purchasers") with your product at a time when they are most interested in buying. Corporations around the world spend millions of dollars each year to best capitalize on the abundant opportunities that are available at trade shows, and yet, all too often, people seem to forget the biggest truth about sales- People buy people first, and products second. It doesn't matter how good your product is if the person that you choose to represent you is about as pleasant as a punch in the teeth. In honor of these Misfits of the Mezzanine...these Creeps of the Convention Center, I bring you "The 5 People You Can't Afford to Have Staffing Your Booth".



1. The "Screamer"

Wanted For: Scaring away potential clients

Description: Often seen lunging at everyone who makes eye contact, frantically screaming at people to stop into their booth, handing out expensive literature and give aways to uninterested passer's by, and aggressively chasing anything that moves...usually as they quickly move away.


If you find the Screamer working in your booth: Above all else, stay calm...someone has to. Screamers are usually well intentioned, but clumsy (and over caffeinated). Remind the "Screamer" that there is no need to chase people at a trade show- Interested parties don't need to be roped like cattle...and usually don't appreciate such aggression. Have the "Screamer" treat convention goers as he or she would prefer to be treated if he or she were entering a automobile dealers showroom. If the "Screamer" continues to scare away potential clients, assign the "Screamer" to the inside of the booth where they can do the least harm, while still answering questions from the people who have already entered the booth on their own.





2. The "Squatter"

Wanted for: Illegal parking, Loitering, theft of company time and resources.

Description: Can almost always be found sitting behind a table at their own booth looking completely detached and/or uninterested in being at the show or talking to anyone. May appear to be dead or unconscious due to complete lack of energy or movement throughout entire event. Often found alongside a fish bowl full of show give aways that never seem to actually be given away. Subject should be considered lazy and a waste of company money.

If you find the Squatter working in your booth: There is, unfortunately, not a whole lot that you can do about the "Squatter" other than trying to lead by example. The sad fact is that some people just have it, and some people just don't. If you must rely on the "Squatter" as part of your efforts, immediately remove all chairs/stools and tables that aren't absolutely necessary, and make plans to have someone else staff the booth next time.





3. The "Drunken Uncle"

Wanted for: Public Indecency, Public Intoxication, DcaWI (Driving Customers Away While Intoxicated), Lewd and Lascivious Behavior

Description: The "Drunken Uncle", when not seen making strange, off color, and rambling toasts at weddings, will often often appear staffing trade show booths. The "Drunken Uncle" is recognizable by his inappropriate and often offensive jokes, stories, and behavior while supposedly representing his company.

If you find the "Drunken Uncle" working in your booth: The "Drunken Uncle" should be considered alarming and VERY dangerous to your business. The only thing that will scare away potential clients faster than the Screamer is the mouth of the Drunken Uncle. Much like his wedding namesake, he will always embarrass you without realizing that his humor is falling flat. It is suggested that all booth staffers be reminded that the only people it's acceptable to make fun of are themselves, and that if they have to lower their voices or look around before saying something, it's best left unsaid if they value their employment with the company.





4. The "Politician":

Wanted for: Fraud, Making false promises, Assault on your reputation, Bait and Switch

Description: Also runs by the alias of "Mr. Glad Hand", the "Politician" is a master of gaining trust through false promises, mud slinging, and anything else it takes to make the sale, even if that means lying, cheating, and stealing. For the "Politician", the ends always justify the means, and it's always better to apologize after, than risk not getting the sale today.

If you find the "Politician" working in your booth: Immediately seek higher ground- the kind of higher ground that comes with honest and integrity. Lead by example. Promise ONLY what you can deliver, and then OVER deliver. Make it clear that any promises they make to potential clients are expected to be met, and that over promising and under delivering will not be tolerated. Crack down on any negative talk about your competitors the moment you hear any coming from the "Politician", and make it well known in the advance that every member of your team is expected to represent the company well by always taking the highroad. The negative word of mouth that can come from a customer burned by the politician can be devastating for your reputation.


5. The "Tourist":


Wanted for: Misappropriation of marketing funds, Considered to be a severe flight risk.


Description: The "Tourist"will almost always arrive late and/or hungover to his/her booth. If you turn your back, the "Tourist" will most likely drift away to wander the floor in search of give-aways, or worse they might disappear from the event altogether in search of swimming pools, casinos, bars, or amusement parks.


If you find the "Tourist" working in your booth: Make immediate steps to contain them- the "Tourist" is considered to be a flight risk! Besides the obvious waste of resources involved with bringing along a non-participating member of your team, there is also the loss of potential results to consider. The "Tourist" is great at causing hard feelings and strife among the active staff of your booth, who will almost always develop a sense of resentment stemming from a perceived double standard- they do all the work, while the "Tourist" gets an all expenses paid vacation on the company dime. If you don't clamp down on this roaming employee, you risk having a full scale riot on your hands. AVOID THIS AT ALL COSTS!



Set up a pre-event breakfast an hour before the show opens, and make it mandatory to make sure that everyone is ready to start well before the moment that crowds begin arriving. To avoid hangovers, have a set policy in place- anyone showing up to the booth in no condition to work the event (due to over indulgence) is responsible for the cost of their own travel expenses (have everyone agree to this policy before the trip...in writing). There is- unfortunately- very little that can be done to correct the "Tourist" during the event...the best you can do is prevent the situation with clear pre-set rules. If you fail to stop it before it happens, all that is left is to punish AFTER the damage is done.





So, there you have it- the 5 people that you can't afford to have staffing your booth. The cruelest irony though? There is one more person that didn't make the list...and that one person is actually the most dangerous of them all- The "Enabler"...YOU, if you allow yourself to be. None of these characters can operate without being granted permission by YOU. That doesn't mean that you give them your explicit blessing to undermine you efforts and results, but rather that you run the danger of implying that this behavior is acceptable. You do this by not having a well prepared plan of action well in advance of the event. You do this by not setting a positive example to live up to (or worse, by not living up to it yourself). You do it by not being clear with your expectations. You do it by not keeping the interest of the people you have staffing your booth...by not giving them a clear and exciting purpose to take forth and spread to the "Probable Purchasers" walking the hall.

The good news is that by making the conscious decision to reject the role of the enabler, you can almost always guarantee that the 5 characters above won't be making a surprise appearance in your booth.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Trick or Treat!

I love this industry. I really do. Where else can you build your business, meet great new people, expand your view of the world, and all while experiencing some of the greatest cities on Earth? These are the benefits that can only be found through the marketing miracle that is the trade show. How could I NOT love this industry? Heck, I'm pretty sure everyone reading this right now is filled with memories of sunny skies and warm weather as you left the show hall, while your friends and co-workers back home gripe about the ice and snow they were scraping off their cars. The fact that you had just landed that big contract that you have been trying to get for the last couple of years didn't hurt either. Isn't that the reason that everyone loves trade shows? Well...maybe not EVERYONE...there is one group of people that we've all run into at shows that is obviously there for a completely different reason than expanding any relationship or building any business. You know the type. Trick or Treaters.



You've seen them...heck, maybe you've even been them (though I hope not). They're ones who lurk in every trade show...avoiding eye contact and sprinting from booth to booth with an overflowing plastic bag full of pens, jumpdrives, stress balls, paperweights, and the occasional Tshirt. Or perhaps you've seen their evil twin, the "Explorer". So named for their penchant to travel the show floor with a map of exhibitors, asking for stamps or stickers to fill their punch cards, all in the search of the elusive show prize. Maybe free airline tickets, or an I-Phone perhaps? You ask them if you can answer anything...or even better, scan their name tag for future contact, but much like a over-sugared child on the big night, they are already dashing off to the next freebie or stamp of their card without so much as a thank you.



Yes, the Trick or Treaters and the Explorers are a necessary (and potentially costly) annoyance at every show. The only way to completely do away with them would be to ban all show give aways altogether, so that everyone could just focus on business. Am I suggesting that we do that though? Definitely not! That's overkill. The fact is, promotional items DO work...when used correctly. The problem though? Most people don't use them correctly. +



They aren't supposed to be used as bait to get passers by into you booth space. That's counter productive- the whole point of a trade show is that you get qualified buyers who are looking to buy (or at least, looking to learn more). If you use "bait" to lure everyone in, you're just going to get distracted by a hundred and one people with no interest in you or your product distracting you from the people you really need to be talking to. Now, that could possibly work for you I suppose...assuming you are the worlds best sales person, and you can engage, qualify, entice, and close hundreds of people who didn't care a bit about you two minutes ago- all at the same time. I haven't met that sales person yet though...if you know where I can find him or her , please have him or her send a resume to my attention as soon as possible.



So, let's talk about the correct way to use "premiums" (I love that word..."premium"...ironic, seeing as how they are usually cheap pens with just enough ink in them to sign your name on the bill). Premiums are intended to help you build top of mind awareness with potential customers. That's the key right there- with potential customers. Not with anyone and everyone... just with potential customers (or your kids if you forgot a birthday and they have very low standards).



Here's how to do it without looking cheap: Have two classes of give aways- your standards (like the pens or measuring tapes) that you keep on hand as a "Thank You" to all the people who take the time to speak with you, and your "Key Prospect Premiums", which need to be something desirable, and memorable. I've seen people use MP3 players, nice leather bound padfoloios, and laptop accessory kits (all with the exhibitor's company logo branded on them) used. Get a dozen or so...these are the ones you give to your biggest prospects (or better yet- customers!) Keep the smaller items on hand behind you in your booth...make sure they are out of the reach of the Trick -or-Treaters. Place ONE of your "Key Prospect Premiums" within easy eye view of the crowd as they pass by, but not so easy that someone can grab it an go...Look but don't touch is the key here. Got it? Good! Now here's how you play this:

Step 1. Stand (don't sit) near the front of your booth with a SINGLE piece of literature in your hands.

Step 2. Smile and engage with people, but don't lunge at passers by. Definitely feel free to make conversation, but don't beg them to come into the booth, or worse, scream at people. You'll just scare everyone away.

Step 3. When people step into your booth, don't smother them or throw give aways at them. Smothering them will send them straight into the arms of your competitor, and your give aways have a value- just like you do. Make them earn a give away. How do they earn it? They talk to you!

Step 4. Qualify your visitor by asking good questions about them. You aren't trying to sell them here- you are trying to see if there is a good fit for what you do. If you ask them good questions about themselves, you will not only learn if they are a good prospect, you will also build rapport, and create the necessary engagement to move towards actual relationship. With this information, decide if this person is a good candidate to benefit from your products or services, if they COULD be a good candidate at some point in the near future, or if there is no fit.

Step 5. The next step will go one of three ways...

a.)If this person is NOT a good candidate for your business and will never be a customer, thank them for their time, and give them one of your standard premiums. After all, they earned it by sharing information with you. Don't give them your literature though- if they aren't a good fit, they won't read it, and you'll just be wasting it. At the end of the day, you'll still go through far fewer wasted give aways than normal, simply because most Trick-or-Treaters won't go through the trouble of talking to you to get the give away.

b.)If this person IS a good candidate for your business and is genuinely receptive to talking further about developing a business relationship, get their business card, and then give them one of the "Key Prospect Premiums" with your business card attached- and be "showy" about it. That will get the people who were on the fence about talking to you to stand up and pay more attention...maybe step up to the plate and talk to you themselves. And as for your literature? Chances are, if they are really a good prospect, they have already asked YOU for your literature.

c.) If this person is not a good fit now, but might be in the near future, ask them if they would like some of your literature. If they say yes, give them your literature and business card along with one of your standard give aways. If you can tape the item to the literature, that's even better since they will have to look at your literature again in order to get at the give away.

Step 6: Make a note on the back of each business card that you collect as to what you talked about, what you gave them, and one personal item about each person so you can always remember who was who...and have something to mention during follow up to show that you remember them on an individual basis. As soon as you can, fire off an email to each of these people THE SAME DAY, thanking them for coming by, and promising to be in touch as soon as the show is over.

Step 7: Follow through. If you wait more than a couple of days after the show ends, it will all have been for nothing. Follow up, and follow up quickly!

But what do you do about the Explorers? The ones who are only stopping by to get a punch or a stamp on their explorer card? Well... There are two main schools of thought on the subject. Most of these programs are opt-in for exhibitors. If you like the program and feel it's worth sifting through the Explorers in order to get a little more traffic, then hey- more power to you. Heck, you might even luck into an extra sale that you wouldn't have otherwise gotten. Chances are that's not going to be the case though. If, on the other hand, you don't want to waste time with the Explorers, and you have the option, just opt out of the promotion. Trust me, they won't bother you. If there is one thing that the Explorers are good at, it's knowing where "X" is on their map...and where it's not!

The other two ways to deal with Explorers...this for the folks who aren't given the opt-out option, is too either:

a.) Bring an intern to the show who's entire assignment is to simply stamp the Explorers cards. Put them in the back of the booth, and qualify the people coming into the booth to see if they are there for business, of for the promotional scavenger hunt. If it's for business, follow the steps above, and then personally stamp their card on the way out. If they are just there for the scavenger hunt, send them straight back to the intern to take care of while you go back to selling.

b.) Have someone stand just outside of the booth, in a place that won't disrupt traffic with the stamp. When someone comes into the booth and simply wants a stamp (and nothing else), send them to the person outside of your booth who has the stamp, there by getting them out of your booth so that more qualified and more professional people can come in.

Now, I should mention that some people believe in their heart of hearts that the best way to build business at a trade show is through cheap give aways (or worse...expensive give aways!). They'll go to their graves swearing that the true power of the pen lies in dropping it into a plastic bag with 12 other cheap pens. That's their choice (and their money) to do with as they will. It's been my experience that premiums DO have their place, and that they can help to keep you in front of people, but only when they are earned..and even then, they won't make or break the sale. That's for you to do. Do it well.

Friday, December 4, 2009

When Bad Graphics Attack!

Do you remember those "Magic Eye" posters that were so big in the mid-90's? They started off being sold at kiosks in every mall across America (and hey, remember malls?), and before you knew it, they were on T-shirts, magazines, books, and screen savers everywhere. For those of you who either missed the 90's, or have conveniently blocked out the memories of eye-strain and migraines, these posters were colorful blurs that would suddenly "morph" into some sort of coherent image or message if you stared at them long enough...well...stared long enough and were willing to endure potential ocular distention. Don't get me wrong- we ALL tried it, and if you were one of the people who got the messages to come into focus, you probably thought it was pretty cool...at first...but after awhile what happened? We all gave up. It just wasn't worth standing in the line of traffic at the malls while people dodged you (or slammed into you) just so you could try to get the message on these posters to "pop". You got tired of the hassle, you stopped looking, and you kept walking. One look at some of the graphics I have seen at recent trade shows though tells me that the lesson of the "Magic Eye" wasn't learned- If people have to stop and decipher what's really there, they'll just keep walking past.

How many times have we all heard about the magic marketing number of three? It will take three times to hear a message before someone might possibly act. The human brain can handle no more than three bullet points to a message at a time. You've got no more than 3 days to follow up with someone before they forget you. Heck, even the Stooges, the Musketeers, and Amigo's knew that the number 3 had power. Use that power when you design your graphics. Find no more than three messages for your graphics. Keep it simple, or I promise you, you'll scare people away.

I can hear people now though- "But Ryan, My graphics have to educate people as to what it is I do, and how it will help them!". Wrong! Your graphics aren't there to educate- your graphics are there to ENTICE. The most effective graphics are the ones that arouse curiosity, and that engage interest. Educating takes time, and you don't have that kind of time when someone is passing your booth. If someone has to stop to read the 12 reasons why your company understands their needs, then you have already proven that you don't understand their biggest need at a trade show- to get the information they want quickly and painlessly.

There is an old golf saying: "Drive for show, and putt for dough". That's the rule you want to follow here. Your graphics are the "drive" part of that equation. That's going to be the "Wow!" factor that knocks their socks off and guarantee's that they are paying attention. Your literature is the "putt" end of things. This is where you list your bullet points...this is where you educate. Graphics ...when well done...will put them in your booth so that you can put your literature in their hands. It's a symbiotic relationship between graphics and literature- you'll never get the full benefit from one without doing the other correctly as well.

Let me give you a few pieces of advice on what works with booth graphics, and what doesn't. Some of these things are common sense (or at least should be) and some are a bit more from left field:

1.) All photos files must be the right size. I can't tell you how many times people have come to me and asked me to blow up a tiny image that they used for their literature or print ad. It just won't work. It will look exactly like those Magic Eye posters we just talked about- blurry, pixelated, and fit more for a mall than a business gathering.

2.) If you are going to have text (other than your company name) on your graphics, limit it. Don't list everything you make, don't write long paragraphs, and if you can keep your text on ONE panel, you'll be thankful you did when you don't have to line two panels up perfectly on the show to keep all the text (or worse...a picture of a face) from getting lopsided if the floor is uneven.

3.) For the love of Saint Marketino (Patron Saint of marketing driven profit), don't Velcro pieces you made on your home printer to a backdrop in place of a "real" graphic. I know money and time are issues for everyone, but a homemade printer graphic is the equivalent of wearing a swim suit to church (and what would Saint Marketino have to say about that?).

4.) One theme per exhibit. ONE. You can have multiple divisions, you can have multiple products, heck, you have multiple personalities if you want, but leave them all off your graphics. Choose a theme for your graphics and stick to it.

5.) Keep the pertinent information ABOVE counter level. It's one of those things that people tend not to think about until it's to late, and it will kill your exhibit. Chances are there will be a table or a counter somewhere in your booth, and I assume you want to have people in your booth as well. Make sure that your logo and the other most important elements of your graphics are high enough that they can still be seen in a full booth.

Well, there you have my rules for trade show graphics. It's up to you to add your own creativity to the mix to make it all work, but I will promise you this- If you follow these rules, you will get compliments for your exhibit, you will get more people stopping, and you will get more value per dollar than you have ever gotten out of your exhibit before.

If you would like some additional ideas on how to make the most out of your graphics or other free ideas on how to drive higher profits from your trade show program, add me on twitter at www.twitter.com/odiryan or email me at Ryan@ohiodisplays.com .