EXHAUSTED AND DISORIENTATED

Exhausted, mentally drained, aching bones, disorientated.  Yes, I spent all day yesterday at an exhibition.  The minute you cross the threshold into an exhibition hall, all your usual reference points like time, daylight and weather are lost and you step into a parallel world.  It is not surprising then that many of the people manning stands yesterday looked like they were slowly losing the will to live - it is impossible to maintain enthusiasm and a happy smile in an atmosphere which seems to drain your soul through the air conditioning system.


But, the reason we all pay vast sums of money (and they are not cheap) to go to an exhibition is to tempt in new customers and to make the investment worthwhile it is vital your stand and your staff are welcoming and friendly.  Here are my exhibition Dos and Don'ts:


DO
Bring in fresh blood.  Although someone from accounts or the lady who answers the phone might not know everything about your products and services, what they lack in knowledge will be more than compensated for by their energy and will provide a welcome recovery period for your sales staff and senior managers.  Spread the load.


Catch people's eyes.  It is terribly British to be terrified of looking someone in the eye, but remember that everyone who has paid to get in is waiting to be wowed so make sure you are the people to do it.  Position yourself at the edge of your stand with a smile on your face and some leaflets in your hand.  Talk to someone.


Get their details.  Many people I spoke to yesterday reported fewer sales but more people interested in their products.  The internet means everyone is after a bargain and they will go home and scroll through websites trying to save a few quid.  Just because they don't buy now doesn't mean they won't.  Ask them for their details so you can keep them up to date with special offers.  Give them a reason with a free prize draw.  If they are interested at the Show they will be interested afterwards.


DON'T
Text.  If your job is so vital that you cannot be out of communication for a three hour stint you shouldn't be there.  There is nothing that makes me walk on past to the next stand than someone hunched over their mobile.   Put the mobile out the back and talk to a real person instead.


Be miserable.  I know the weather is rubbish, attendance is down, sales aren't great and your future is a bleak and uncertain landscape but I have paid £15 to get in and don't want to hear you moaning.  When visitors ask how the show is going they are being polite so gloss over the bad bits and focus on the good stuff like how people have been really interested in a particular product, or that a show special is going well.  We all love to do business with successful people and I have enough bad news to cope with so keep yours to yourself.


Sit down.  A controversial one I know but I am always less likely to approach someone sitting down than if they are standing up, especially if there is two of you on the stand and you are chatting to each other.  There is so much competition at an exhibition you need to do everything to stop people walking past you so stay on your feet.


There are no simple ways to get through exhibitions and you won't be able to do every one of my Dos and Don'ts for every hour of the show, but at least if you try most of the time you should maximise the number of people who come to the stand, keep their interest, follow them up and get that sale.


Let me know how you are getting on via the reader comments or email: Lindsay@redyellowblue.biz.  Don't forget to visit our website: www.redyellowblue.biz


Lindsay

















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BUT IS IT REALLY WORTH IT?

I have yet to have a meeting with any prospective clients who remain unconvinced about the benefits of good PR and marketing.  Usually, by the time I have finished with them they are champing at the bit to get going.  So the Christmas break gave me a bit of breathing space to ponder why I hadn’t yet been asked to fill a vacant spot on Dragon’s Den looking for potential investments for my hard earned millions.

It boils down to going off the boil. Despite my best efforts prospective clients appear to still relegate PR and marketing to the bottom of their To Do list after I have gone.  It is frustrating for me because I know that targeted PR and marketing needs just small investments of time and money yet can yield big when it comes to new customers.  So,  I have spent a bit of time wading through research papers and texts to find some examples of companies who have used PR and marketing successfully and here are a couple:

Friends Reunited: Six months after launch Friends Reunited had 30,000 registered users and invested solely in PR to raise that number.  One year later the site had 5 million registered users

Tomy: Tomy just used PR to launch their new range of Micro Pets in the summer of 2002.  By the end of the year sales had topped 1 million units and were voted Best New Product of the Year 2002 by the British Association of Toy Retailers

Crafty Tales:  Crafty Tales needed to grow and generate more customers.  Through updating the website to offer regular downloadable crafts and stories, in six months the business doubled and needed to employ extra staff.

Now you can’t argue with that can you?  (That last one was one of mine by the way)  So drag PR and marketing from the bottom of the list to the top and enjoy all those extra sales.  

Let me know how you are getting on via reader comments or email me at lindsay@redyellowblue.biz.  Don’t forget to visit our website:  www.redyellowblue.biz.

Lindsay

A MONEY MAKING RESOLUTION

Go to the gym more, give up drinking, stop eating biscuits, don’t go to the shops in your pyjamas (is that one just me?)  blah, blah blah.  We all make countless New Year’s resolutions for ourselves every January, but have you made one for your company?  Growing the business, attracting new customers, generating more profit are bound to be on the list but you need to come up with ways to achieve these goals for a fighting chance of success.  Therefore developing a strong PR and marketing plan should be at the very pinnacle of your resolutions list.  Done well, with consistency and synergy PR and marketing are the most cost effective ways of bringing in new customers so start 2010 with a brilliant plan to keep that flow of clients through the door.   Here are a few pointers which will help you on your way:

-                      Set aside some time.  You can’t do any planning effectively if you have given yourself half an hour between a sales appointment and a teleconference with a feisty supplier.  Clear the diary and hold your calls for at least two hours to give your brain some breathing space

-                      Know your customers.  If you are a regular reader of my Blog you will know that one of my pet hates is the phrase:  ‘Anyone can buy our stuff’.  If you  have limited resources, then analyse your customer base to find out who spends the most and then only target them

-                      Know where your profit is coming from.  It might be that most of your profit comes from one or two big deals or it might come from lots of the smaller transactions.  If you don’t have much time or money you don’t want to be wasting them chasing business that doesn’t bring you the most return

-                      Know what you want to say.  Really focus in on the one or two most important things about your business.  Don’t try and tell everyone everything or no one will understand what you are trying to say

-                      Know your competitors.  Understand what they say about themselves and where they are investing their marketing money so you can either follow suit or do something completely different

-                      Let ‘little and often’ be your PR and marketing mantra.  You marketing messages will be understood much better if you are consistent with what you say and you say it regularly.  Choose activities which may seem low key, because they will be easier to do and a few every month will soon add up.

Two hours of planning and a little bit of time every week will result in the phone ringing or the shop bell jingling I promise you.  Let  me know how you are getting on through the reader comments or via email at lindsay@redyellowblue.biz.  Don't forget to visit our website: www.redyellowblue.biz.

Happy New Year and I hope it is a prosperous one for all of us.

Lindsay