Trade shows can be a boost to your business or a money pit.

It's trade show season again. Yesterday I met with some potential dealers in the log home industry and we talked about trade shows. They really understood a lot about the do's and don't's but some in the group didn't.

Here are a few bits of wisdom I've picked up over 25 years of shows.
1. YOUR BOOTH - I can't tell you how many shows I've been to a show and walked by a booth and not really figured out what the did or what they were selling. It should be obvious within less than 5 seconds. And, then there are the people who put up 40 little photos on a backdrop. Duh. Nobody is going to be able to see them from the aisle...nor will they care. Then there are those who just plain don't understand that the booth is simply a billboard with the goal of stopping traffic long enough to take interest. A display with more than 7 words is a recipe for boredom. Your value proposition statement or slogan should say what you do in only a few words that can be read and understood in only a few seconds. Large graphics or photos can really make a huge impact, too...so use them.
2. HANDOUTS, GIVEAWAYS AND FREEBIES. Unless you sell a product or service that absolutely every visitor wants or uses, don't give away anything except a single sheet of paper! Over 85% of all materials picked up at a trade show are dumped within 4 hours after the trade show. Think your expensive catalog or marketing piece is so good that it will survive? Not likely. Email me and I'll tell you what you should be doing.
3. FISH BOWLS - If you want the name, address and phone number of every man, women and child who walks through the show, put out a fish bowl and a big sign "Enter Here for a chance to WIN $500 this weekend." If you only want the contact information for serious prospects and don't have time to sift through 1000's of names to find a few likely prospects, don't put out a fish bowl.
4. TRADE SHOW ATTENDEES ARE NOT FISH - If you are fishing, you through out the most attractive bait in your tackle box that is sure to attract just the kind of fish you are fishing for. And, you wait for them to take the bait. Sure, some visitors are outgoing and will come right up to you and "bite" on your booth bait. Most won't. You need to get out there and pull them in by making friends and asking a few questions.
5. DECIDE BEFORE YOU GO WHAT YOU WANT WHEN YOU GO HOME. If your goal is to go home with the contact information and other info appropriate to your product or service in order to execute your follow up program, then your booth strategy should focus on that. This is critical. Email me and I'll send you some tips on how to easily run a program in your booth that will produce sales.
6. DRESS FOR SUCCESS - Again, I can't tell you how many times I've seen staff in trade show booths dressed inappropriately. This will kill your chances before you ever have a chance. Here's what you should never wear in a trade show booth: hat, tennis-type shoes, jeans, perfume, provocative dress [women], tank top, anything that is wrinkled or t shirt.
7. EASY CHAIRS - Do not ever have a chair in your booth. Never. A high stool is acceptable if it is used only when there is no traffic.

9 Marketing tips I learned from my 10 year old’s vegetable stand

9 Marketing tips I learned from my 10 year old’s vegetable stand

1. Give people something for free and they will feel obligated to return the favor

When you help someone, it creates a natural desire to return the favor. As a web designer, provide helpful tips on your blog, participate in forums offering advice and helping non-designers, share ideas on Twitter. In doing so, you’ll not only build trust, but also develop relationships with potential clients.

2. Give potential customers a taste of your offerings

Offer free themes or templates with an easy upgrade to “pro” versions. Provide free stock graphics that hint at potential identity or branding packages while demonstrating your creativity. Just be sure to make it good. When users are excited about the base product, they are much more likely to upgrade.

3. Make it “Extra Special”

Don’t just offer vegetables. Put in something extra. Make everything you do “extra special” and clients will take notice. Not only will they come back for more, they’ll tell their friends.

4. Don’t Be Afraid to Tell Your “Neighbors” (Network!)

One of the first things my son did when he opened his stand was run next door and tell the neighbor. After getting his vegetables, he called two other neighbors to tell them about the vegetable stand – both of whom came right over with “donations”. Don’t be afraid to tell friends and colleagues about your services. You never know, they may talk to your next big client later that day.

5. Do What You Need to Do to Be Seen

It wasn’t enough to just put up a sign. My son’s advertising consisted of jumping up and down screaming “free vegetables” at passing cars. While it might seem extreme, it worked. How are you “screaming” about your business?

6. Be Persistent

Even though most of the cars passed by, my son didn’t give up. Finally, after many failed attempts, one of them did stop—doubling his income for the day.

7. Build Anticipation

My son’s first customer knew about his project and was there as soon as it opened. Don’t just launch your new web site, let people know it’s coming. Drop hints, show them screen shots, make them look forward to the big day.

8. Find Good Partners

My son’s little sister kept eating the vegetables – not the best partner. However, his friend from down the street was out there with him jumping up and down screaming, doubling their advertising efforts.

9. Advertise Your Popularity

Once my son’s cup started filling with coins, people were more likely to “donate”. Don’t be afraid to advertise your popularity. Place download counters, comment counts and subscriber numbers in prominent places. Just make sure the stats are high enough to warrant a little bragging.

Today's Best Crazy Word...at the grocery store, no less.

My local Jewel-Osco....but, wait, what's that on the sign?

 

 I was at my local market [a large Midwestern super market chain] this morning to pick up a couple things when I looked up at the aisle marker and saw "Powder Drink." Check. "Bottled Juice" Check. "Aseptics" Huh? What? What the bejeebers is that. I looked around the shelves for a clue. Nothing. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I asked the checkout clerk, "Hey, what's Aseptics? What's supposed to be in the Aseptics aisle?" He said, boy, you got me, I have no idea what that is. But, just a minute, let me call the manager. He put her on the phone with me at the checkout counter. When I asked her, she said, "I have no idea." with a chuckle. But she asked if I would show her where it was. So, we walked down the aisle and I pointed up. Puzzled, she said she really didn't know what 'Aseptics' were or are. But she called over another store person who was in the aisle who solved the mystery. It's juice boxes! Oh yeah, sure, that's......huh? Juice boxes?                                                                                                                                                         I went home and looked up "aseptics" and sure enough, it means sterile box often used for juice or milk. But I asked over 8 people at the grocery store and not one had any idea what the sign meant. The closest guess was, "....maybe something to do with bandages?"  THE LESSON. The words you use everyplace, anyplace, make a difference. They must make sense to your customers. You should avoid industry jargon on you website, in your marketing pieces and in your signage.   I wonder if the sign at my Jewel-Osco store will change. They are huge company. Probably not....very soon. But, I am smiling thinking about the big-wig marketing guy who came up with that sign thinking, "Oh yeah, everybody knows Cereal, Fruit, Soup, Soap and Aseptics.

Lessons from the Shoe Store

I am always looking for great examples of customer service sales and terrible examples of customer service. I am sorry to say that this is a terrific example of a small business making some classic missteps.

I received a coupon at a local trade show for a discount on tennis shoes at a store that specializes in tennis shoes about 16 miles from my house. I wore out my shoes so I went online to check on their hours and directions.

Their website was down. I figured it would probably be up the next day...but no such luck. So I called the shop. The lady who answered said, "I am very sorry but that coupon has expired." Ah nuts. I thought about it for a day and called the shop again and this time got the owner. She was very nice and said, "Oh we'll honor that; but actually there's a new one in your association magazine this month so you can use that one." Hooray.

It took a week before I had time to get up there but I made the trip on Tuesday. By then one of my shoes had a hole in it so I was desperate since it's unsafe to play with shoes that worn.

Off I go to the store. Jessica is the lady who greeted me and waited on me. It turned out she's a college student and although she wears a badge that says "Certified Fitter XXX" something or other, she has only worked there 2 weeks. She did know how to properly size my feet and had some good advice about the proper fit. Although she did not know much about tennis shoes. Fortunately, there's lots of good information about the pros and cons of different brands and models within brands on the various online shoe websites; and I checked it before I went to the shop.

I choose the latest model of New Balance shoes and went to the counter with Jessica to pay for my shoes. As I opened my bag, I found that I'd lost my magazine coupon! I explained to Jessica that I had a coupon; that I had talked to the store owner on the phone; and that I lived a 30 mile round trip away and had come to their store purposely. She offered to hold the shoes for me to come back.

What do you think I did? Remember, I really believe in supporting local businesses....when it makes sense.

I went home and got online and found that the retail price on the shoes on the New Balance website and on other sites was $10 less than the regular price at the store and that the 10% discount would make them the regular price. Strike one.

I also found that shipping was less than the sales tax and gas I would have to pay to travel back to the store. Strike two.

I called the store back and let them know not to hold the shoes because I intended to purchase them online since I was at their store and forgot my coupon and did not want to drive back there again. The lady who answered was very nice and said thanks for letting us know but asked no further questions and did not offer anything. Strike three.


So here's the lesson:

1. Affinity group marketing can be very powerful if you manage it properly. Perhaps a single discount or incentive program for a group is a wiser choice than a series of discounts and dates. 
2. Never, ever let a customer walk out of your store because they "forgot the coupon." I've even negotiated discounts at big box stores with no coupon in hand. 
3. Make sure that your prices are legitimate. Don't assume that customers are not Internet savvy. 
4. Assume that if a customer walks out of your store without making a purchase or without a great experience, they will not be back again. 
5. It's likely that a customer who has either a great purchasing experience or a very poor purchasing experience will tell other people. I told one of my tennis partners yesterday, in fact. Although, research shows that a negative shopping experience story is likely to be retold many more times. 
6. Train your staff. It's not just about the speeds and feeds on your product line or services, it's about how to handle customer service situations. 
7. I got the coupon at a trade show from the store owner but she never asked my email address and therefore missed an opportunity to email me information about shoes and sales and special events at her store. 
8. Check on your website regularly. I talked to store personnel twice and they did not know that their website was down. And, three weeks later it's still down. Their web address is on everything they publish so this is a major fault.

Home Loans & Cars

I had an eye-opening exchange with my friend, Dean Loux, from Wells Fargo Bank last week. Here's the bottom line for you:

• The media is very poorly explaining what is going on with home loans today.
• If you have good credit and even a modest...and sometimes limited...down payment, you can still get a home loan easily.
• With interest rates at almost record lows, it's a great time to either build a new home or buy an  existing home. 
• This opportunity is not going to last. 

Another interesting tidbit from the auto industry:

• Car loans are also very loan and deals abound on payment plans.
• Because of the past auto stimulus, there is a shortage of used cars which has driven up the cost of used cars. 
• Great if you want to sell a used car. Bad if you want to buy a used car.
• The good news is there are some great deals on new cars. And some surprises. A leading consumer publication rated a Hyundai model as the best car under $20,000 that gets at least 35mpg. 
• "Green" [hybrid] cars are not selling as well as expected. Guess why? Regular ol' gas cars are now getting really good gas mileage. 
• Still...run the numbers as I did. It may not pay to get rid of your already-paid-for gas guzzler and get a new one. Unless the gas guzzler is in old age ready for the retirement home.  

Toll Interview is Telling

This morning's USAToday Money section featured an interview with Robert Toll, founder of Toll Bros., on of the largest home builders in the U.S.

No matter what industry you are in, the interview had implications and lessons for you.

Here's the take away from that interview:

• We know that interest rates are at historic lows but he believes that they may go up to the 7% range. 
• It's a great time to buy a house if you have decent credit and 20% down payment. You will not have any problem financing a purchase.
• "If the housing market stays stagnant, will the rest of the economy stagnate or even worsen?" His answer was, Yes, yes and yes. 
• The housing market employs probably more people than any other industry. Think about where people work that are affected by the poor housing market: finance, all building materials, building trades, furniture and decor, appliances, real estate. Everything from the people making and selling drapery and carpets to the folks making paint to the carpenters, the sewer contractor, cement plant and light switch manufacturer, sales person and distributor. 

What does it mean? My opinion:

• Business will likely remain soft for at least another year. 
• Whatever you do, whether you own a restaurant, car company, party rentals or build houses: be aggressive and smart. 
• You need to out maneuver and out market your competitors and get the business that does exist. 
• Whatever business you are in, there are customers albeit, in some cases, fewer. 
• Only spend money on what makes you money!

Different Browsers

OK, it's not a very sexy subject for sure. But it might be worth a few minutes of your time. You might consider a different 'browser.'


Microsoft Internet Explorer - This is the de facto browser with any Windows installation. It does work pretty well and the new Version 8 has better security built into it. It is bloated and not all that fast or clean as far as the screen goes.

FireFox [from Mozilla] - It's free and it faster and very easy to set up with more security than most. Plus there are lots of 'plug-ins'...if you care about tweaking it. I would not recommend Version 4.0. I would stick with, only only download, 3.6. It does not play nice with a few apps; although they'll probably fix it at some point.

Chrome [from Google] - I believe is the fastest of the bunch; has a very uncluttered screen; plays nice with most applications; and since it's from Google has lots of support and configuration options if you want to customize it a bit.

I believe that most people who would consider themselves as knowledgeable computer users are using either FireFox or Chrome simply because they are better browsers. I tend to bonce back and forth between both of them. But, I rarely...to never...use IE.

If your not stuck in a rut, look at the advantages to switching. All of your favorites and bookmarks are easily and automatically ported over so no worries there.

Oh, if you do also use an iPad, as I do, Firefox is pretty ugly there. Probably the gatekeeper, Apple, sees to that. So Safari is your best option. But, Flash doesn't work on the iPhone or iPad anyway....a real downer for sure. But that's the price you pay for the very nice iPad.