Marketing Expert Series: 3 Killer Tips to Trade Show Success

Recently I had the distinct pleasure of speaking with trade show expert and author John A. Hill, Founder and CEO of John A. Hill & Associates, Inc. I have to say John is simply a fountain of incredible information regarding trade shows. This presented a challenge for me as I simply could have spoken to him for hours and hours on the subject however I was able to pull from my conversation with him 3 simple yet incredible tips that in and of themselves could explode your trade show success. So without further adieu, here you go:

Dean:  John, in your book “Tips and Tales from the Booth” you break down trade shows into three distinct parts:

1. the pre-show effort,
2. the show effort itself, and
3. the post-show effort.

If you could give only one tip for each one of those, what would they be?

John:  Well, as far as the pre-show effort is concerned, I would say, know the show that you are going to.  So many people go to a show and they don’t know their audience, they don’t know the profile of the attendees.  Therefore, if you’re selling toys, and you go to a show that has people 60 years old and above, I don’t think it’s a good show for you.

In the same way, I think that it’s important that you know the show you are going to.  In fact, I recommend to all my clients that they go to the show first before they actually exhibit so that they can see what they are getting into.

Dean:  And I agree with that.  I see that often myself where, number one, a lot of people don’t even know who their target market really is, let alone match it to a specific show that caters to that target market.  Does that seem to be the case?

John:  Absolutely, they don’t do enough investigation regarding the trade show to know exactly who is going to be there and the type of clients, the type of attendees that are going to be at the show, and would it be a show that they would invite their clients to.

Dean:  Fantastic, that’s a great tip.  Now how about the show itself?  What would be the one tip there?

John:  As far as the show itself, everybody in the booth should tell the same story.  So I recommend that they have a script.  There’s only so many questions that you are going to be asked at a trade show and if you have a script everybody should be able to say the same thing.  And with the script you should have a good qualification form.  Those two things go hand in hand.  Not just one that will give you your name, your address and your telephone number, but to really qualify you because if you’re at that booth, you’re there for a reason.  If an attendee comes to your booth, he or she is there for a reason.  They want to do business; they want to find out about your product.  So if you have a good qualification form and you answer the right questions from your script and so forth, there’s no reason why they won’t stay with you and want to give you as much information as possible.

Dean:  Now that’s fantastic.  Whether it’s the marketing process, the sales process we see it all the time.  A lot of times we get the same exact questions over and over again.  So what you’re suggesting is basically have answers to those, is that correct?

John:  Absolutely.

Dean:  That’s a huge tip.  Now the third element that I wanted to ask was the post-show effort.  What would be the one tip there?

John:  Follow up; follow up; follow up.  You have to continue to follow up because those are qualified leads and if you’re not taking advantage of them and so forth, I think you’re missing out on a major opportunity to close good business for your company.

Dean:  Fantastic, fantastic.  So in closing, I just want to add onto this, first thank you John for these tips, they were fantastic.  And if anyone listening to this or reading this would like to get more information or more tips such as these, John has recently released a fantastic book, a very comprehensive book, but an easy read and a fun read called, “Tips and Tales from the Booth, Avoiding Trade Show Mistakes.”  My guest again today was John A. Hill from John A. Hill and Associates and thank you very much.

John:  It was a pleasure to be here, thank you.

© 2008 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article in your newsletter, blog or web site? You have my blessing so long as you include the following complete blurb with it (including links).

Liked this article? -- Then check out Long Island-based marketing consultant, coach, and entrepreneur Dean Mercado’s highly acclaimed marketing blog 'The Motivational Marketer’s Journal' at http://www.MotivationalMarketer.com. Additionally, for even more small business marketing and success tips, sample the latest edition of his FREE marketing tips newsletter the 'Marketing Minute', -- a weekly multimedia e-zine designed to give you a jolt of marketing wisdom in less than 5 minutes.

Dean Mercado, Online Marketing Muscle, marketing articles, trade shows, John A. Hill, John Hill, John A. Hill & Associates, tips and tales from the booth

5 Ways to Leverage Your Voice to Market Yourself and Your Small Business

Have the gift of gab? Well lucky you because in the world of marketing, the gift of gab can be a huge asset for your small business -- that is so long as you leverage it properly.

To plant some seeds on how you can do this, here are 5 of my favorite ways to leverage your voice to market yourself and your small business:

1. Public Speaking

There are not many ways that will unequivocally set you apart from the pack as well as public speaking does. It immediately lends credibility and positions you in the mind of your target market as the obvious expert in your field.

2. Teleseminars and Webinars

If either the face-to-face of public speaking is too uncomfortable for you, or if you just want to supplement you public speaking efforts, conducting teleseminars and webinars may be the way the go. These are best used in marketing to inexpensively leverage your voice talents to both educate and allow prospects to test drive what you bring to the table for them.

3. Podcasting

Using audio to educate your target market on a regular basis via podcasts is a fantastic way to build credibility and top-of-mind awareness with your target market. Podcasting holds a certain attraction for its rather large community of enthusiasts -- almost cult-like in terms of their passion for it. And that passion can potentially be leveraged into major success for you.

4. Radio

Becoming a guest expert on business radio talk shows both on traditional radio stations as well as Internet-based ones can have a huge impact on exploding your business quickly. If you are finding it difficult getting on radio shows as an expert, start building relationships with the show hosts by calling in regularly as a listener in an attempt to add value to the show.

5. Networking

This is the forum for flexing you gab muscles. Whether it’s in person at networking events, seminars, or trade shows, or online in forums or social networking sites such as MySpace, Ryze, or LinkedIn, your ability to chat it up with your target market will definitely set you apart from the competition.

So in closing, if you happen to have the gift of gab, go with it. Continually nurture and leverage it so it can serve as a means to get you where you want to go. Typically, the marketing strategies and tactics that are based on this gift are inexpensive yet extremely effective.

© 2007 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article in your newsletter, blog or web site? You have my blessing so long as you include the following complete blurb with it (including links).

Liked this article? -- Then you won’t want to miss Long Island-based marketing consultant, coach, and entrepreneur Dean Mercado’s highly acclaimed marketing blog 'The Motivational Marketer’s Journal'. Additionally, for even more small business marketing and success tips, sample the latest edition of his FREE marketing tips newsletter the 'Marketing Minute', -- a weekly multimedia e-zine designed to give you a jolt of marketing wisdom in less than 5 minutes.

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2 Types of Marketing Strategies Every Small Business Must Have To Not Only Survive but Thrive

Let’s face it. There are an endless number of marketing strategies and tactics that a small business can employ. And when you factor in all the different combinations of these, the task at hand of choosing which ones to use can be both daunting and overwhelming. Do I join a networking group? Should we advertise in the local newspaper? Should we participate in a trade show? Do we need a web site? All these choices can confuse you if you let them and simply put, a confused mind typically does nothing, it tends to lock up, and worse yet it typically doesn’t take the actions necessary to grow -- actions such as marketing your small business.

So what I’ve done for you here is identify 2 types of marketing strategies that every small business must have to not only survive but thrive. So here goes:

1. A “Lead Generation” Type of Strategy

This type of marketing strategy at a minimum brings awareness to your target market of who you are, what you do, and why they should listen to you. It should help you generate interest amongst your target market in what you bring to the table -- enough interest where they inquire about your products and services -- they become a prospect for you.

Some examples of “Lead Generation” strategies and tactics are:

• Advertising in trade magazines
• Submitting articles to online article directories
• Joint venture arrangements with others who serve your target market
• Endorsements from others who have an influence over your target market
• Referrals from others who have an influence over your target market
• Ethical bribes -- in other words offering something of value for free in exchange for contact information
• Public speaking to position yourself as an authority in your field
• Trade shows
• Networking events to meet and greet your target market

And we can go on an on and on here. However as you are probably starting to see your choices are endless so where do you start? Well how about choosing one or two that resonate immediately with you and work those for a while. If they seem to be working, continue, if not try a different one. In other words do more of what’s working and less of what’s not. The point is get into action!

2. A “Keep-In-Touch” Type of Strategy

Once you’ve acquired leads using any combination of “Lead Generation” strategies and tactics, it’s critical that you find ways to stay in front of them -- stay in front of them long and effectively enough to persuade them to respond positively to your call to action -- eventually becoming paying clients.

Some examples of “Keep-In-Touch” strategies and tactics are:

• Sending out a weekly newsletter
• Participating in online forums and social networks
• Making phone calls to share something your prospects may deem valuable
• Attending regular networking events to reconnect with prospects
• Emailing prospects an article that they may find useful
• Send holiday and birthday greeting cards
• Refer business to your prospects
• Invite prospects to events
• Be a connector by introducing one prospect to another that you feel they should know

And once again, we can go on an on and on here.

So in closing, keep it simple. Choose one or two from each type of marketing strategy and work them diligently. Yes you will definitely find that some are better than others for you however, I firmly believe that any one of them, if diligently applied, will bear fruit -- you just need to take massive action.

© 2007 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article in your newsletter, blog or web site? You have my blessing so long as you include the following complete blurb with it (including links).

Liked this article? -- Then you won’t want to miss Long Island-based marketing consultant, coach, and entrepreneur Dean Mercado’s highly acclaimed marketing blog 'The Motivational Marketer’s Journal'. Additionally, for even more small business marketing and success tips, sample the latest edition of his FREE marketing tips newsletter the 'Marketing Minute', -- a weekly multimedia e-zine designed to give you a jolt of marketing wisdom in less than 5 minutes.

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