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Sweet marketing music

Tanner Montague came to town from Seattle having never owned his own music venue before. He’s a musician himself, so he has a pretty good sense of good music, but he also wandered into a crowded music scene filled with concert venues large and small.But the owner of Green Room thinks he found a void in the market. It’s lacking, he says, in places serving between 200 and 500 people, a sweet spot he thinks could be a draw for both some national acts not quite big enough yet for arena gigs and local acts looking for a launching pad.“I felt that size would do well in the city to offer more options,” he says. “My goal was to A, bring another option for national acts but then, B, have a great spot for local bands to start.”Right or wrong, something seems to be working, he says. He’s got a full calendar of concerts booked out several months. How did he, as a newcomer to the market in an industry filled with competition, get the attention of the local concertgoer?

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by Andrew Tellijohn
November 2006

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Trade shows

business builder trade shows  

Comfortable shoes
and other tips for
trade show success

by Mark Fyten  

LOOKING FOR a quick way to make an impact in a new town or marketplace? You might be thinking trade show.

No doubt, it can be a big commitment to exhibit at a trade show. When you consider exhibit space fees, display expenses and time out of the office for you and your staff, the expenses are considerable.

However, the return on your investment can also be considerable. For instance, a typical trade show lead costs 61 percent less to close than a comparable field sales call. Also, more than half of all trade show leads don’t require a personal sales call to close.

So, let’s say you’ve made the decision to participate in a trade show.  You’ve paid your registration fee and blocked out the days on your calendar. So what now?  Well, get ready for sore feet and cold coffee, dry mouth and wet armpits, serious prospects and “Looky-Lous.”

How do you get the most for your money? It is a simple process: Set objectives, develop a strategy, implement your plan, and evaluate your results.

Setting objectives
Simply put, what do you hope to accomplish?

Do you want to increase your booth traffic by 10 percent? Perhaps you want to close a higher percentage of the leads you receive at the show. Maybe you have a goal of increasing the revenue generated by the show by 50 percent.

Setting your objectives for a show is the first, most important step, because it will determine the approach you take for the remainder of the project. Try to set just one huge, audacious goal, rather than multiple goals. Having a single goal will allow for better focus, easier evaluation and less frustration in the long run.

Develop a strategy
How will you reach your objective? Will you purchase larger booth space? Will you use a giveaway or a celebrity to draw attention to your booth? This is where you can really use your creativity to integrate ideas to create some buzz at a trade show.

One way to really get people talking and have them flock to your booth is to either use a well-known celebrity or sports figure to work your booth. I have seen some booths go so far as to hire professional models to greet visitors and hand out samples or promotional items. Another way to create some buzz is to use an unusual give-away or promotional product to promote the theme of your booth.

Always have a theme for your booth. This will be a uniting factor for all the advertising and promotion of your presence at the show. The theme should be the reason and invitation for the show attendees to visit your booth.

There is one thing that you can do to make your time at the show more productive, no matter what your objective. Have a script. Develop a script for everyone and anyone that is going to be working in your booth during the show.

 Keep your presentation short and simple, with a few key selling points for your product. Include two or three qualifying questions the presenter can ask the visitor that will identify prospects.

Once a prospect is identified, have your staff use a formal questionnaire to get all pertinent information, so your sales staff can adequately follow up. Keep the questionnaire to one sheet, no more than five questions.

Implement the plan
Now work the plan. Make sure all participants are fully trained in their responsibilities. Have their individual objectives written out for them, along with supporting sales information or questionnaires in three-ring binders.

Assign each booth worker their own binder to have with them at the show to provide guidance in your absence. Encourage them to set and reach individual goals. Ensure that your staff members work the show, not just show up and stand around.

There is no greater waste of time and money at a show than to have an unenthusiastic, bored person standing (or sitting) at a booth, unwilling to talk to prospects who walk past the booth.

Evaluate your results
If you’ve worked the show effectively, you should have a nice stack of qualified prospects and even booked sales that will keep you busy for the next several months. Sometimes, the follow-up from a show can be somewhat overwhelming. If you find yourself with a stack of information and wonder how to tackle it, follow the Sift-Sort-Sell method.

• Sift through your information and identify any and all qualified leads.

• Sort and prioritize your leads, depending on the demographics you have identified as important to your sales process. Separate them into A, B and C leads. Follow up on As immediately. Follow up on Bs within the next four to six weeks. Follow up on Cs when time allows.

• Sell your product or service to your prospects and create happy customers!

Trade shows can be a fun and interesting way to generate revenue for your business. The level of success you experience will depend to a great deal on the attitude you take toward the show. Prepare and plan, and implement your plan.

And one more thing: Make sure you wear comfortable shoes.

[contact] Mark Fyten is Midwest region vice president for Brown & Bigelow, a promotional products distributor: 651.293.7557; mfyten@brownandbigelow.com; www.brownandbigelow.com