Trade Show Booth Staff Training Expert, Susan Friedmann, CSP, The Tradeshow Coach

I was inspired to write this blog today after reading a chapter in Carmine Gallo’s book “Fire Them Up!.” In it he talks about three types of communicators, “the blah, the mediocre and the inspirational.”

The first thing that popped into my mind was how this was the exact way to describe exhibitors – blah, mediocre and inspirational. Of these three types of tradeshow exhibitors, only one of should represent your company on the tradeshow floor.

You’ve all seen the “blah” exhibitors who have zero drive and enthusiasm or energy to be in the booth.  They’re on their computer, or cell phone most of the day. They’re convinced that exhibiting is a total waste of their time, and they just want to go and do their “real job” – whatever that is.

The “mediocre” exhibitor is one step better than the “blah” exhibitor. They take care of being in the booth, but aren’t really clear about what to do, and they just wing it in robotic fashion.

Finally, there’s the “inspirational” exhibitor who is energizing, engaging and electric!

What makes the difference between the three types? In a nutshell, the inspirational exhibitor wants to be at the show, knows what he or she wants to accomplish, and enjoys interacting with visitors. This person is also proud to be a company ambassador at the show, and finds real meaning (and fun) in the role they play.

If your have blah or mediocre people representing you, consider finding substitutes – people should consider it a privilege to be a company representative at the show. Plus, make sure that you provide some tradeshow training, so they are well-prepared with the essential exhibiting skills before they step foot in your booth.

Remember, it’s your people who can make or break relationships on the show floor, so prepare them well!

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What’s ahead for trade shows and other marketing efforts in 2010?

Last week, I referred you to the StrongMail “2010 Marketing Trends” survey which polled more than 1,000 business leaders across a wide range of industries about their marketing plans for the upcoming year. This week I’ll continue reviewing the trends.

Trend: Everybody is jumping on the social media bandwagon. A whopping 59% of surveyed companies will be increasing their social-media budgets. How many will be spending less? A mere 3%.

Social media has become the new essential tool for marketing.

3 things this means to you:

1.  Choose the right social networks. Twitter covers almost every audience. Facebook and Myspace pages work best for products with consumer appeal. LinkedIn groups are most appropriate for BtoB marketing.

2. Stay on message. The speed and flexibility of social media can be a huge advantage, but it can also be a pitfall. Set clear guidelines for all communications, and review the messages and results regularly.

3. Use social media to support trade show exhibits. Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn can allow you to increase the effectiveness of your trade show appearances. You’ll reap great benefits when you integrate social media into your overall marketing strategy.

In November the StrongMail “2010 Marketing Trends” survey polled more than  1,000 business leaders across a wide range of industries about their marketing plans for the upcoming year. For the next few weeks, we’ll be discussing those trends and giving you tips to make them work for you and your company.
Trend: For almost everyone, marketing budgets (particularly tradeshow budgets) should hold steady or increase. At 48%, more companies will be boosting their budgets than just keeping them the same (41%). A mere 11% of executives said they were allocating less money for marketing. With the economy on the upswing, marketing efforts can make a huge difference now.

What this means to you:
•    Spend smarter, not harder. Make the most of the budget you have by careful targeting. Invest in the trade shows that are likely to give you the best return.
•    Make new friends, but keep the old. In terms of profit, an established customer is worth from five to seven times what a new customer is worth. Send your current customers special invitations to come to your booth. Show them how much you appreciate their loyalty.
•    Out of sight doesn’t have to be out of mind. Maintain the connections you make at trade shows with targeted emails, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media.

In the fraught atmosphere of a trade show, your booth staff may not always remember to thank service people or complaining customers. According to a recent study through the American Marketing Assn., it states that customer gratitude enhances trust in business relationships which leads to ongoing positive results. When you start a cycle of thanks, you can even transform those difficult business relationships.

Train your booth staff to offer sincere thanks – and offer them yourself – to these five kinds of people, and your trade shows will run more smoothly.

1. The trade show organizers, maintenance workers, and staff.

Even when you arrive and find half your arrangements awry, thank them for their effort and for the half that was done correctly. They will remember your courtesy and do their best for you.

2. Your returning customers.

Existing customers are your company’s most important asset. Show your gratitude with smiles, gifts of useful information, and, don’t forget to give them some VIP treatment.

3. Complaining customers.

It can be hard to thank someone who has just pointed out your company’s flaws, but the complaining customer has just given you the priceless gift of honest feedback so that you can improve in the future.

4. Booth co-workers.

In the tight space and pressure-cooker atmosphere of a trade show booth, tensions can flare. A habit of gratitude instead of growling makes work more pleasant and strengthens working relationships.

5. The sales department.

When you hand over the precious trade show leads, thank Sales for following up. Show them you appreciate their hard work, and they are more likely to care about your hard work.

At the holiday season, we tend to express gratitude more freely than at other times of year. But, why wait, at any time of the year, sincere thanks acts as a powerful  relationship marketing tool.

Thanks to all of you who read this newsletter!

Send me your physical address and I’ll send you a personal thank you card!

In the meantime, if you would like to send someone a card, here’s a complimentary way for you to do that.

In the end-of-year summations, the one statistic that rankles most is the lead not followed. You developed the lead at a trade show, handed off the information to the Sales department, and they did nothing with it. According to trade show research, as many as 80% of all trade-show leads meet this fate.

With these three tips, you can take control of this statistic and even turn it around. Use these ways to get back in touch with hot prospects.

1. Add them to your social network.
Google and other search engines make it easy to track down leads and discover which networks they use: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or any of the other social sites. Send them a quick message and a friend request.

2. Send holiday greetings.
Reopen negotiations with a simple non-denominational email or greeting card. Mention where you met, and let the recipient know how to get in touch with you.

3. Offer a holiday gift.
Cases of Scotch are out. According to Chris Brogan, “information is in.” Give them a taste of the services your company can provide. Offer them a free white paper to download and perhaps a discount on the first order. Your generosity might well be repaid.

And don’t forget to track the success of these strategies, so next year sales will take your trade show leads more seriously!

Did you find these tips useful?

If so, please forward the link to someone you think can benefit!