I received quite a bit of interest about my last two posts – Joe B. wants to know more about what “effective tradeshow marketing is?”

So Joe, here we go….

Last week I said I wouldn’t touch on the actions you should go through before the tradeshow. But let me digress and bridge that gap for a moment.

The worst thing you can do as a tradeshow or event exhibitor is to settle for a small listing on your website about your exhibition and booth number and leave it at that. Show up, set up, and hope all goes well is a dangerous set of ingredients. 9 times out of 10 that recipe is going to give you some terrible tasting results.

The major reason most companies attend tradeshows is to increase their sales. I mean, you can put a blanket on the ‘increase sales’ phrase with whatever language you want, like “demonstrate our new product” or “make contacts” or “create awareness” – fact is, you’re doing all of that to make a sale.

Now, if you’re going to make a sale, you need to know who you are going to sell to. And what you have that they so badly want or need that they’ll spend their time taking out their credits card to buy it from you. But you always identify who your prime targets are before going to a trade show, right? And the product or service you’ll offer them has been crafted with laser precision to give them what they want, right? 

Good, I’m glad to hear that.

So you have a list of prospects, maybe not the exact companies, but you know what kind of company you want to target. Great. The next step is to get a list of those ‘ideal clients’ and start the dialog with them.

Operator…connect me

How can you find these companies, you ask? You can go through the yellow pages and call them. You can buy a list from a list broker and send direct mail to them. There’s also placing an ad in a publication those prime buyers are most likely to read. And of course, their is the various ways to do all of this on the internet. 

Remember, these initial communications don’t need to say everything. You definitely don’t want to start this dialog trying to hard sell your offering. This is just to get things going….

Next, send out that initial communication months in advance. Why? Because some ideal clients may not even be planning to attend that trade show. But after you personally invite them to your booth…to see something amazing you have to offer…they may decide that attending the show is worthwhile.

Your next communication can be a month or two before the show, and then another week or two before the show. What you’re doing here is creating and keeping the anticipation, awareness and desire of your target market to meet with you. You’ll be on their ‘to-see’ list during the show.

Here they come baby, here they come

They will come. That’s what this is meant to do – and it works. If each communication is done properly and if what you’re offering fills a need or want of your target market…they will come. Not only will they show up at your booth, they’ll be primed with interest to talk with you, to see what you’ve got, and you’ll be ready.

I wanted to write more about this but I gotta run. Check back next week and we’ll be covering more about tradeshow marketing, like:

• What kinds of materials are best to bring to the trade show
• How to keep in contact with each person that visits your booth – it will increase your sales
• A recap on the do’s and don’ts of booth design
• One of the top 3 keys to a successful tradeshow, and more.

Come on by next week.

To your success,
Michael

Last week we looked at the big take away from CES.

This week we’re going to dive into a quick snapshot of what works and what doesn’t in trade show marketing.

Since I just came back from the CES, we’re going to use this as our case study.

Looking at the results, I can tell you, many if not most companies’ trade show marketing stinks – it’s terrible.

Here’s why….

Let’s leave the marketing steps you should take before the trade show even begins for another day. I want to show you some examples from the show.

The reason to have a booth at a trade show is to:
1. Get attention
2. Create awareness
3. Start a meaningful dialog

Then, with that all taken care of there is the all-important:
4. Follow-up stage 1
5. Follow-up stage 2 and so on

So I’m walking around the show and see this. Companies need to think of their booth designs as advertisements…not as space to play with color use as art. Generic words like these say nothing. They don’t get attention, and even if someone happened to take 5 seconds for a glance at the text, they get nothing from it.

The copy here provides no reason for people to be interested.

Folks, use this space wisely. Text should be large enough to get attention, but just as important, it needs to communicate directly to your ideal prospect with a fact, news, or benefit that will make them stop and rush over to your booth.

This company could have said something like this “Save Money Delivering Your Products: We deliver more than 13,000 products a day to global markets”

After they’ve read your copy and feel compelled to come over to you and find out more, than you can start a meaningful dialog with them.

Point: Maximize your booth space to not just look ‘professional’ but also to sell attendees on a reason why they should get more information from you.

We’ll pick up from here next week…and I’ll elaborate more how to complete the trade show experience to get real measurable results and increase profits.

 To your success,
Michael

Earlier this week I went off with JZ to help her choose a new computer.

While on this brief stint to a large national purveyor of electronic goods, I saw the sales person put something into action that made me smile and cringe at the same time.

There are a ton of different models to choose from these days, right? After understanding what she would be using the computer for (internet, emails, a bit of video editing, digital pictures) we found a great deal.

An Acer computer filled with all the specs and features she would require, plus more.

And the price was good too. But then it happened….

After saying, “we’ll take this one” the sales person went into a speech on what else JZ could add onto her computer. Warranty, printer, etc — and that’s all great. That was expected and, in the long run, makes JZ’s life easier. Using this up sell and cross sell technique was a job well done.

The sales person then went on, “the computer also comes fully installed with ads and other things that will slow down your computer.” “We can remove this for you and give you a back up disk for an additional $150.”

He didn’t just suggest it, he pretty much expected it.

“You mean to tell me that you are selling computers, brand spanking new computers, that come preinstalled, not just with 3 or 4 programs I don’t need, but with many ads and THINGS, that will slow this baby down?” I was getting heated. What kind of company sells a new product that, when fresh out of the box, doesn’t work the way it is supposed to?

I understand that a money hungry company will do whatever it can to add more ka-chings to its bottom line…but going as far as inconveniencing your customer? Selling something that is new, in poor condition? There’s nothing smart about that.

Why? Because now, for a few extra dollars, that store has lost 1, 2 maybe even 3 or 4 loyal customers that I know. The next time I buy a computer, my loyalty will go to a store that knows how to treat its customers properly.

The salesman’s use of the up sell and cross sell for the warranty and printer was smooth. Those are things customers usually need and definitely add value to the purchase (as well as to the company’s bottom line). Unfortunately, luring customers into making a purchasing decision on a product, and then when their minds are set, telling them that what they see…is actually not what they get — leaves a bad taste. The taste of loyalty gone sour.

Add value to every transaction for your customers. And never, never mislead or provide poor quality or service — once you do, your customer becomes a free agent looking for the best deal — and that often means they’re off to see your competition.

Happy Holidays!

To your success,

Michael

You may have heard recently that the founder of Wired magazine has started a sweet new venture — manufacturing chocolate.

The new company, named TCHO is taking a different approach than most well-known chocolate producers.

From a marketing standpoint this is exciting. Many of the principles these guys are putting into play are classic and sound in their approach.

First, Louis Rossetto, the CEO of TCHO isn’t scared to tell the world what is different about his new company — that TCHO will actually manufacture chocolate and not just re-melt or rebrand someone else’s mixture.

This claim would get attention by itself, however, it is further reinforced by TCHO’s story of how they work directly with farmers, produce chocolate through their own factory, and so on.

They are also making this personal…by telling everyone they can that they are not funded by some money-hungry venture capital firm, but rather by their friends and family.

I should note, that VCs can be great. But this approach helps to create more of a bond with the company…an underdog you want to support.

Next, the company is actively requesting feedback. Right away this tells chocolate enthusiasts they care about quality and making this the best chocolate around.

Another strategy they are using is scarcity. TCHO is building desire for their product by only offering sale of their ‘beta’ phase chocolate to those that register on their website (www.tcho.com) and who live in the Bay area that can pick up the chocolate from their factory.

You know the ‘I really want what I can’t have syndrome’ — it’s in work here.

It’s yet to be seen how sweet this chocolate venture will be. But what is clear, is that the company has leveraged its past assets to garner strong media attention…and has been doing a good job of communicating what makes it different, and why, if you’re anyone that likes chocolate, should consider getting a hold of a TCHO bar.

Until next time.

To your success,
Michael

Today I thought you’d be interested to hear about: The One Word That Makes Or Breaks Any Business.

When I was thinking about what to name my latest company I went through a long process. In fact, I’ve worked on naming projects for large global corporations in the past.

I went through the motions and considered all key areas like functional names, invented names and experiential names. Each has its benefits and depending on the company’s business strategy you could make a case for each.

It’s not all fluff…there are some general rules you can follow. Like, if you’re a professional and want to have the focus on you, one person, then using your name as the company name makes sense.

If the focus doesn’t need to be specifically on you, and you’re interested in building a company brand, then a name that doesn’t rely on one person makes more sense.

So back to the naming challenge. When the dust finally settled I had registered Relagy Marketing.

Michael, what is that all about, you ask?

Relagy stands for Relationship Strategy.

My years in the business world and even before I entered it, told me that without a strong relationship nothing sticks.

You can’t have friends or spouses without having a relationship with them. Your relationship can have ups and downs…but if you don’t have a relationship with that person…you really don’t have anything with them at all.

The other day, when I told my uncle, who is a well-known international movie producer, that I was writing a book about customer service, marketing and relationships, he said “…you know Michael, it’s true. Even if you have a signed contract…it really doesn’t mean anything. It’s the relationship that counts.”

And you know what? You can’t have a long-term profitable business without having strong relationships with your customers.

It just doesn’t happen. Companies that focus on short term profits and are obsessed with ‘making the sale’ don’t last. Nope, they tend to go out of business in a matter of years.

Real relationships are what make you rich.

Try it and you’ll see. Be warm and welcoming to your customers, build a relationship with them and they’ll reward you with loyalty and boat loads of money.

Back to Relagy and what the Strategy part is about. Successful companies must have a strategy in place. They can’t run around with short-term tactics…and inconsistency.

A well crafted strategy has each action building on the previous one…everyone and everything working together to achieve the same goal.

While some people see the name “Relagy” for the first time pronounce it with a hard ‘g’ sound (the ‘gy’ is soft like the end of Strategy), I’ve had several compliments from business people once I’ve explained the name and meaning to them.

Okay. So now you know the background of the Relagy name and what it means to me. You can read more about this on our website at www.relagy.com/about

What I’d like you to take away from this though, is the importance of relationships. Treasure them. Whether personal or business – the more you put into them, the more they’ll give back to you.

They really are the most important part of any business.

Until next time.

To your success,

Michael
Relagy Marketing