Planning For the Trade Show You Forgot to Plan For Part 2

Image via Wikipedia

By Bob Reed
Element-R Partners LLC

Boy, calendars are sneaky, aren't they? That trade show or industry conference you budgeted for last year is fast approaching. You have an exhibit. You know who your team is and where they have to be. But, are you prepared?

Rule 3 – Pre-Market Your Appearance to Prospects and the Media

Look at your timeline. If you have two weeks or more, you can mail or e-mail a promotion to pre-registered attendees. Provide an early-bird special (e.g., increased odds of winning your drawing for people who pre-register) and track responses with a show-specific Web page.

If you are introducing a new product, service or capability, consider arranging one-on-one interviews with the media to build exposure. Even if you are not making a major announcement, with a little digging on what the publications will be covering in the near future, you can 'sell' a meeting by offering input on those topics.

Rule 4 – Follow-Up with All Booth Visitors

Don't forget to track who comes to your exhibit. Attendees spent their time and showed their interest by spending time with you. Tell them it wasn't wasted time by following up. Assign a priority to each visitor so you can invest differently in follow up. Spend more money and time on the best opportunities. Get hot leads in your sales team’s hands and make sure they follow up, fast.

And remember, there could be some diamonds in the rough, so follow-up with everyone. A simple e-mail that thanks them for their time will be appreciated, and you may also extend an offer to provide subsequent educational material.

Rule 5 – Evaluate Your Success

You've made a large investment in attending the show. After you've packed up and headed home, play Monday morning quarterback. Which customers responded to your message and which ones didn't? Use this kind of intelligence to improve subsequent marketing and selling programs.

And for the people you met, stay with them. Get their permission to add them to your database and communicate with them on a regular basis. Keep track of these new leads during the next one, three and six months. You never know who might buy later.

Trade shows offer significant opportunities if you know what you want to achieve and how to go about it. Think of the word "show." Like any stagecraft, preparing, rehearsing and putting on a good performance is what will deliver the ovation you are looking for – the opportunity to create dialogue and value for new customers.

Planning For the Trade Show You Forgot to Plan For

Image from Flickr

By Bob Reed
Element-R Partners LLC

Boy, calendars are sneaky, aren't they? That trade show or industry conference you budgeted for last year is fast approaching. You have an exhibit. You know who your team is and where they have to be. But, are you prepared?

Events like these are special. They represent that one opportunity to meet face-to-face with your next customer. For most small to mid-size firms, one or two events will account for the majority of the marketing budget.

Events are also like running a race. Your ability to win the race is ultimately determined by the quality of your preparation - The Event Plan. A stroll down the show aisle will prove the point that many firms have missed countless opportunities to improve the return on investment for their travel, exhibit cost and out of office time.

Even if you are just four weeks from show time, it's not too late to put together an action plan to increase traffic and potential leads at your exhibit. Here are five rules to consider:

Rule 1 – BE There!

Showing up doesn't count. Too many times, companies go to a show just so they're not "absent" from the scene. Understand why you are there and what attendees should remember about your presence. Try the following:

• Prepare a talking points script so that everyone in your booth knows the story. Test them to ensure flawless execution.
• Use open-ended questions such as "are you familiar with our products and services?" or "is your firm facing pressure to (...)?".
• Invite high-quality prospects to personal meetings.
• Administer a quick survey at your exhibit and make it fun.
• Assign staff to walk the show, network, attend sessions and gather ideas for next year.

Rule 2 – Have an Offer

Regardless of whether you provide services or products, you should extend an offer to give prospects a reason to visit your booth. Be creative. Think of ways to build a relationship with visitors. Hold a drawing for those who stay for a demonstration or presentation or distribute educational materials, such as a white paper. Think of a remarkable giveaway that reinforces your brand and won't get thrown away.

To BE continued....

Travel helps for the best seats everywhere

Image via WikipediaFind the best seat on the plane
at www.seatguru.com

Find the best hotel room in that particular hotel
at www.tripkick.com

Vacation and help others!
Ritz Carlton give back means you can work to help a community while you
are on vacation.

Like what, you say?
In June you can help children in Bahrain, Work with the Blue Iguanas in the
Grand Cayman Islands or restore the Everglades in Florida.
There is a lot of stuff to do! and Who knows what kind of business ideas could come?

http://corporate.ritzcarlton.com/en/About/GiveBackGetaways.htm

New Strategy for Your Business

Image from FlickrNo strategy lasts forever. Even Tom Peters knows this. Half the books he wrote about are no longer in business. He held them up as examples of success and leadership.You need to change things up and try some new things.

Are you not getting the success you are looking for? Do you want to enhance what you have been doing?

Do you want to talk to entrepreneurs who are looking to talk to you (permission marketing?)
then you need to be in the Wright Place!

Call 01 909 635 2040 to get more information about how to be on the show.

Top Gifts for Moms- Mothers Day or Just Because

Its' no secret, every year we have one big show to honor mothers. Ok- its to honor MY mother but hey, we all have a lot of fun there. This year, the show was Co Produced by UThinkit Graphics and I will tell you about their unique contributions a little later.

This is going to be a long post, but if you need ideas for a special lady who is growing her business, then just bookmark this to come back for review!

I will catagorize the items

Books

From Credit Repair to Credit Millionaire
Its about business credit ( which is different from your personal credit)


How to Escape the No Win Trap
Assess where you are now and how you got there!
By Barbara Berg www.barbaraberg.com

The Power of Mentorship Books
www.donboyer.org

Marsh Engle's book- Amazing Woman!

Food

Boresha Coffee!

Bdrizzled Popcorn- This stuff is amazing, pop corn with chocolate drizzled over it-I have never tasted anything like this. Find an excuse to give someone this amazing food.


Personal Items
We all wear badges, now we can look stylish! with Crystal Lanyards and

Sterling Silver earrings from Of-The Earth
Artisians

Lily Organics- Skin care that is all freshly made and natural.

MOre great stuff to share with you later!

Online and Offline Marketing

Image via WikipediaMost successful businesses do a combination of online and offline marketing.
TV is off line marketing. Online video is ONLINE marketing. The Wright Place TV show gives you both.

Most internet marketers to do not bother to tell you how much offline marketing they do. They place ads on TV, newspapers, and magazines.
They send out tons of direct mail, post cards and newsletters. But when they teach the classes they only talk about how they build a list online.

They do not tell you how many people on their email list came from a direct mail list they purchased for a special source.

Let's get real people, you need both. Because so few people are using any kind of advertising , its easy to stand out. Television gives you sight and hearing, a chance to really connect with the viewers.

If you are business to business, then you need to be in the Wright Place- where the eyeballs already are. We are looking for July guests, you are looking for more exposure, maybe we are a match. Let's explore

www.wrightplacetv.com/

Mikhail Prokhorov - SNOB website and magazine

Image via WikipediaMikhail Prokhorov is starting an invitation only website for millionaires who are self made called SNOB. He is also starting a magazine of the same title. The magazine is a great way for people who can not get a membership in the website to consume his product. It is also a way for people who ARE in the website to brag about it and get people to ask them about it. Then they can casually drop that they are a member. Americans do not like to talk about how they made their money. It is a cultural thing

but other countries do not feel that way.
Would you belong to SNOB website?
He says it refers to a self made millionaire.
Websters defintion is different.
Can he rebrand the name? Hi is using $150 million to do !

Blade gets 3 years

Image via WikipediaIts been reported that Wesley Snipes is getting 3 years for tax evasion. Acting is a business . When treated like a business, then it makes money. Making money means handling taxes in a way that is advantageous to yourself. You have to pay taxes but you don't have to pay MORE than you are supposed to. Being famous does not mean you can forget about the basics of business or your brand, The judge felt that he has shown to have a history of contempt for a court, this is why he gave him the 3 years. His brand seemed like it had contempt. Blade would not care about court, so Wesley must not care about it.

This is an excercise in branding and basic business.

check out the new note at
A Note for You

Mentors on Amreican Idol

Image via WikipediaI recently saw a poll that said Mariah Carey was not a good mentor on American Idol. Really, what can you expect? There was no real relationship set up. She came to sing to promote her album. They could all learn from her marketing and showmanship. Once an Idol wins they need to learn how to market themselves. They have to learn how to get the right kind of media. Something other than a mug shot would get great for them.


Even business needs to learn how to get the kind of publicity that makes them money

check out
www.wrightplacetv.com/guest.htm

Social Networking Sites for Business? Can You Make Money?

Ojeez.com- I belong but only get invitations from guys over 60. I am not sure what I am attracting there but It's not working for business.

Fast PItch- This site was recommended to me by my friend Maria Simone. She pointed out that you can have unlimited news releases, I used that feature a lot. I also met a great person who was on the show. Helene Wasserman- visit www.wrightplacetv.com to see it online.
They also have a webinar on how to use it.

My space- I only have about 15 friends on there,2 of which I actually converse with on a fairly regular basis. My audience is not on my space, and clearly, my friends aren't either.

Twitter- a time waster, I am not sure anyone is fascinated with what I am doing.

Plaxo- my contacts there communicate well, good dialogs happen when I participated in a poll and then made comments. Its simple and I don't get an email from them every 5 minutes. Maybe the blue is soothing to me.

Linked in- you can ask a questions that experts will answer.Thats a cool feature. They tell you how many people looked at your profile and how many times you came up in their search.I enjoy answering questions online, but I dont think I have really worked LINKED in well.

Facebook- honestly I dont know what the deal is with them. I could not register my name- so I am in there as Lacy Wright, needless to say, I hardly use that. I do belong to a group on there but they are from a different country and might thing Lacy is my nick name. It's not... so don't call me that. I tried to correct it by sending a letter to admin, and no answer came. I guess it's free 'cause there is no customer service.

Digg- I just joined to post to someone else's blog. I have not really used it or DUGG other people's site. I'll have to read more on it.

Monkey Brain- I started a fight, we'll see who comes, so far, nobody! I guess it wasn't an extraordinary position to take but we'll see.

Squidoo- I worked on my site there a little more, my lens is about the show. I am not sure that anyone who has ever talked to me has seen that lens. But for some reason, I have a not so bad ranking on that site. I am not passionate about it, but it's another site that can point back to yours.

Meet UP- every meet up meeting was canceled so I never participated and now have lost interest because my personal vision has changed. I am not longer interested in just local events.

SO bottom line, for me, money is being made at Fast Pitch
I am sure I belong to a few more I have forgotten about but thats fine, If I come across them, I blog about it.

Tell me who you actually MAKE money with, not just network with?

If you can write, you can get your idea out of your head and into the World!

Most people have great ideas, but you need to know how to get them out of your head and into the real world. In the world is where your ideas help people, where they make money and where they make a difference!

2007 Mothers Day for Women Entrepreneurs

A mom who has her own business faces an incredible challenge. Motivated by the need to put food on the table or to give herself the gift of accomplishment, she moves forward with her life and family while starting a new business. All women who start a business, have to start somewhere. Even those who purchase a franchise have to start with the education needed to run that particular franchise. The never ending juggle of
Family, business and self begins.
Finding balance can be a challenge. With outside input, women discover and utilize tools that will help them create the life and business that they want. One of the tools used to find things that can make business building faster and easier than they thought is the Wright Place TV Show Mother’s Day Special. The Wright Place™ TV Show is a 30 minute broadcast television talk show for women. ‘ We talk about strategies, techniques and mindset needed to grow ones business.” Says Dr. Wright, host of the show. “For the last 7 years, I have brought to the screen leaders in entrepreneurship who have talent in creating incredible businesses. They love to share and my audience gets the benefit of that.”
The Mother’s Day Special evolved as a way to make women in businesses, which also happen to be mothers, feel appreciated. “ A few vendors got together and gave the audience these lovely gift bags.’ Says Dr. Wright. ‘From then on, every year, I would get requests from vendors to be a part of the show. People are interested in encouraging women who take a change to create the life and business they want. I look forward to seeing this live audience every year.” Last year’s show was presented by Jenny Craig. Jenny Craig, know for their weight loss products gave each audience member a goal setting kit created by Martha Beck. “This kit could be used for anything, not just weight loss or management. If women can use this to move themselves closer to a fulfilling life, then it’s the perfect gift.” Says Dr. Wright. Dr. Wright says she tries to look for things that are unusual yet exceptionally useful for today’s woman entrepreneur. You never know what kinds of things the audience will find in their gift bags.
Registration for the 2007 Mother’s Day special has begun. If you are a woman business owner in Southern California and would like to be a part of the audience, then register today by visiting The Wright Place TV Show