Archive For: Exhibiting

Are You Adding Value?

Headshot
Are You Adding Value?

As I type this I am on the lovely Gold Coast of Australia. I am here for a client’s conference and Expo. They have asked me to host the expo floor and work closely with the exhibitors. Naturally I said yes.

Then they said, “Would you mind dressing up for the welcoming function?” I thought they meant dressing up into a formal outfit. But no, my job was to be outside the confessional (photo booth) and absolve people of their sins dressed as a religious figure.

I am sure I could have said no. But my theory is always to look for how I can add value to my clients. What can I do that is one step further? Not only does it make them happy, it also means I am more likely to get the gig again next year.

So how are you adding value? It doesn’t mean simply dressing up or working longer hours. What are the things you are doing for your customers (both internal and external) that add value to them and make their experience more enjoyable?

Photobooth

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Best Advice EVER!

This is THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF BUSINESS ADVICE EVER!!!

Whatever your business is, you have to have fun.

The Minister of Fun once told me the secret. If it’s not fun, don’t do it. If you have to do it, make it fun.

Too many business owners lose track of this. I constantly come across WAHMs (work at home mums/work at home men) who decide that now the kids have grown a bit, they want to start a business.
The business starts and is low key for awhile. Then it starts to grow. All of a sudden they don’t have time for the stuff they used to do. Coffee with friends falls by the wayside. They start working late into the night. Weekends become a distant memory. The business is doing ok but still needs a lot of hands on work to keep it going. It is becoming a real burden and the fun left months ago!!

Familiar?

It MUST be fun!

When I am working with my Exhibiting clients, they seem to think that when exhibiting it is all about business and you have to be serious because I am spending serious money, doing serious marketing and seriously wanting this to work. The best thing to do when exhibiting? Smile!! It is so attractive. Have fun with the visitors, have a bit of a joke and they will relax a bit and be open to your offering.

How can you make your office, your business, your life have more fun? We all know what it’s like. Sometimes we are hit by such challenges that if we didn’t laugh we would burst into tears. Most of these challenges, when reflected back on 6, 12 or 18 months later were not as important as we thought. So have a chuckle and look for the fun side. We are only human after all.

Too many business owners don’t give themselves permission to relax, enjoy and have fun. It is like they are waiting for some authority to majestically grant them permission. Well if that is you, then here it is:

I, Warwick Merry – The Get More Guy, by the power granted to me by the Minister of Fun do solemnly, seriously and sillily give you the everlasting permission to have fun, laugh and play in all that you do. Should anyone question your permission, simply state that the Minister for Fun and the Get More Guy said you had to Get More Fun.

Whew!! Now it is safe to have fun. I am yet to find a situation where it is not ok to have a little fun. Think about a funeral. As you are at the wake chatting to others and reflecting on your friend, what is better for you? The time you are all serious, considering how sad it is or when you are laughing as you recollect the silly things that they said, did or enjoyed? It doesn’t mean it is not sad or tragic but you can shift your perspective to the blessings they brought into your life.

Ooops, that’s a little dark, but you get the point.

So how can you make your work fun? One of my business partners sends frog lollies with all of her invoices (her customers now fight over who gets to open the invoice). Others put one liner jokes in their news letters. Some share their stunning photos with their business network. Others simply smile as much as they can. When I am chatting to people and they ask “How are you?” I reply, “Delightful!” These are only little things but they make a huge difference.

I am committed to having fun in all that I do and I tell you, it makes things so much more bearable and enjoyable. What will you do?

Enjoy the day


Warwick


PS Did you know that smiling releases endorphins into the body? Did you know that endorphins are essentially human made morphine? Did you know that the body cannot tell the difference between a fake smile and a real one? So basically, if you start smiling (real or fake) your body will start to feel happy and your mind can only follow it. 
Here are a few smiles if you need them :D 8-) :lol:

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Can you Make It Easy?

Arrrrr me hearties, its International Talk Like A Pirate Day www.talklikeapirate.com/

To get in to the spirits me buccaneers, Oi have put on me pirates gear so’s I have.

Aaaaany way, to prevent further pain I will stop typing like a pirate!!

Today’s method to Get More Clients is to Make It Easy

I am stunned by the way so many stores make it hard to be a client. 
Myer seems to have fewer and fewer service assistants. It is not uncommon to have to walk a big chunk of the floor to find someone to help you, let alone a person at a register to help you buy the item.
Coles and Woolworths have put in new self serve checkouts all over the place. It saves them a lot of staffing costs. While some of us techno friendly people love it, I have seen non-techno people tormented by them and the assistant not be able to tolerate the customer not getting it.

What about for us as home based businesses, how do we make it hard for people to be our customers?

I love to buy resources off the internet but if it is a multi-stage process, it just gets too hard. If I have to re-enter the same information over and over again, I have cancelled sales. I find it very annoying to enter all my details and then be sent to PayPal or some other payment gateway and have to enter them again. It is a lost sale if I like what you have and then have to ring between the hours of 10am and 2pm to order it over the phone. At Trade Shows, if we make people fill out forms to enter a prize rather than just put their business card in a bowl, we can miss a prospect.

Are you getting the idea?

Too many sales are lost or prospects missed because we are considering what makes things easy for me and not for you.

The cracker in my mind at the moment is ordering movie tickets on-line from Village. They spend a lot of effort telling everyone how easy it is to order on-line or on your phone. No waiting in line, pick your own seat, all nice and easy. Yet when you go to do it, there is an additional fee of around $2 for each ticket you buy on-line. Why would you do that? To my mind, having people order on line or on the phone will save staff costs, paper cost (no issue of tickets) and increase customer satisfaction. I would make it $1 cheaper and people will flock to it. Plus you then get all of their ordering details as they have to sign in to order. You can then do direct marketing to them. Surely that is worth something?

So how can you make it easy for your customers to deal with you?  Here are some thoughts:

  • Accept credit cards
  • Give a rock solid guarantee (mine is a 200%, money back guarantee)
  • Have a single step check out
  • Smile when dealing with customers
  • Have accurate signage (don’t laugh, some business signage is ridiculous)
  • Under promise and Over deliver 
  • You pay the postage (increase the price to cover it if you need)


What will you do?

Arrrr…. enjoy talk like a pirate day ye land lubbers and Oi will see you on the ocean of business

Warwick One Eye Merry
Arrr

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What Promotional Product Is Best?

One of the questions I get asked frequently by exhibitors is “What is the best promotional product to give away at Trade Shows?” Of course the answer is “It Depends.” Massive amounts of money are wasted on poorly thought out, poorly made and even pointless promotional products every year.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of promotional products. Like all business decisions, a little bit of strategy makes all the difference on the return that you get. As with a great deal of marketing, businesses seem to forget that the promotional product is not about them or about what they think is “cool” but it is all about their customer and their prospect. It has to meet their needs and be something that they want and will use.

Here are five of the key factors to consider when planning promotional products:

1 – What is the Outcome you want?

If you are just giving your visitors a gift then you will give them something different than if you want them to buy from you. Too often exhibitors tell me “Oh it’s just for branding purposes”. Unless you are a massive firm like Coca Cola, Apple or Ford, let go

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of the “branding” band wagon.

The outcome maybe that you want your existing customer to feel appreciated and show them you value their patronage. If that’s the case a branded Frisbee is not for you! Another outcome you may want is that that prospect see’s your logo frequently and is reminded of your services so that when the time is right they come to you.

Understanding the outcome or purpose of the promotional product is essential. So what is the Outcome you are after?

2 – What is the Value of the Gift?

What is the perceived value of the gift? This is different to what you have spent; it is what the gift means for the recipient. For example, elegant cufflinks with no branding may be seen to be far more valuable than a branded drink bottle. For others who may be in to exercise, the drink bottle will be of more value.

To understand the best value, you need to first consider who is your target market and how will they perceive the gift. Everyone will place a difference value on the gift but it is your target market or gift target and the purpose of the gift that will best define its value.

3 – Do you need Two Tier Gifting?

Some of the most cost effective use of promotional product that I have seen is two tier gifting. That is, depending on the quality of the visitor you determine their gift. Trade Show visitors are renowned for their lust for “freebies” and many of them seem to arrive early and run around collecting anything that is free. They can be managed using the Two Tier approach.

The first tier is a relatively inexpensive gift that meets your outcome needs and that you don’t mind sacrificing for low quality leads. These items are given freely to any who ask for them.

The second tier is for a high quality lead. The conversation may start when they claim a first tier gift and as your continue the discussion you find out that they are exactly the customer you are after. In return for getting further information about them you can then give them the second tier gift. A higher valued object suited to your ideal prospect.

The two tier approach ensures you are financially responsible with your marketing spend and getting the best return on that spend.

4 – What is the Cost per Impression?

This is one of the least considered but most important factors when choosing a promotional product. Too often companies spend significant money on funky items that are either single use or their prospect then turn around and give the gift to their kids, never to be seen again.

If you are putting your logo or contact details on an item, make sure it is an item that your client will see time and time again. Give your details a chance to really embed into their psyche. This is why items such as branded shirts and office equipment are so effective.

For example, if you give a prospect a branded polo shirt they may wear it on many different occasions, and then as it starts to show wear and tear, continue to wear it around the house or garden. Over a prolonged period, your cost per impression or cost every time they see your brand is very low.

Another good item for this is a branded USB key. The continual use of the key with your brand on it can work out to a low cost per impression. But if you are giving out a USB key, maximise the opportunity and load it with a PDF detailing your products and services, a short video or even a personalised message saying thanks for coming to that particular show.

What is the cost per impression of your gift?

5 – Brief your Booth Attendants on How to Distribute the Gifts

You have spent thousands of dollars on promotional items, you have a strategy for distribution, you have a specific outcome you are after when they are given out and if you don’t brief your team on what you are after, you have just wasted all of that time, effort and money. It is heart breaking to see people on the stand just distributing the products at random.

Some of the most important time you will spend on the booth is the time you spend briefing your team on what you want from the stand, your objectives for the day, how you will measure your success and how they are to use the promotional items as a marketing edge.

If you consider these five factors you are well on the way to maximising the value of promotional products when you next exhibit.

Warwick Merry is the Get More Guy, an expert in how to Get More results. He is also the Co-Founder of The Exhibiting and Sponsorship Institute.

For further information visit www.warwickmerry.com or www.EASInstitute.com

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How Can You Stretch Yourself?

Rap Jump
I have just completed the three day “Bucket List Xperience” with The Bucket List Guy – Trav Bell.
As part of the Xperience we Rap Jumped down the side of a six storey building. While I had abseiled before, going face first down the side of a building was incredibly confronting! Yet after the third time, it was far less so.

This was part of the message from Trav. How can we step

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up from an “ordinary life” and stretch ourself. Not just in fun adventures but in all aspects of our life.

The Bucket List we create builds a driver for what we do and what we want to achieve so large that it can’t be ignored. It also allows us to stretch ourselves to live a waaaay beyond ordinary life.

So how will you stretch yourself?

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Can You Turn a Fault into a Feature?



Screen
I got a message from a friend on Facebook on Friday regarding a conference I was the opening keynote for today. She said:
Eeek! My 3 year old sat on my laptop and cracked the screen…. not great for anyone but esp an editing photographer!! I will give up my EXPO table for Monday…..I was reliant on my laptop for that! I will just come and network and listen instead!
I quickly got in touch with her and insisted that she still exhibit. When things like this happen, you MUST use them as a feature. How much more attention would she get with a printed picture of her child sitting on her

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laptop stuck to the laptop than the same old boring image. Most of the guests could relate to something similar happening. She would be far more memorable as “The woman whose kid sat on her laptop”. We came up with several different solutions she could use and still take advantage of this event.

Too often we take these setbacks and try and hide them from our prospects. It is a great way to show your humanity and show that things happen to everyone. It is also a great way to stand out. Can you turn a fault into a feature?


PS Email me your story of an Exhibiting tragedy and go in to the draw to win a ticket to the Exhibit Like A Pro Intensive on 1 September – valued at $495. Details on the day at www.ExhibitLikeAPro.com

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Share the Reading Love

In Australia (as with a lot of the world) our newspapers are either speakers for corporates, so low brow they are not worth reading, or severely lacking in journalistic integrity. In fact, it’s fair to say that I have not purchased a news paper in years.
I am certain that this situation is contributing to the rise and rise of the humble blogger. The issue becomes, with so many bloggers out there, which ones are worth reading. Which ones have intellectual stimulation balanced with the right amount of humour and entertrainment?

Personally, I read a couple of different blogs in my industry. But there is one Australian Made blog I suggest you look at. It is divacultura. 

The lovely Tanya writes daily and shares her thoughts, observations and photos from her experiences. If you want to keep in touch with the real world, I can highly recommend it.


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What Just Happened?

New Website
I love the John Lennon quote “Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans”.
That is exactly what happened to me this morning. I had plans all ready to face the day, write the Get More Goer, write some web copy for the new websites, finalise visa details for my China gig (which is very exciting) and many other things on the to do list. Well that all went out the window when I received an email

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from a colleague saying that it looked like my website was hacked.


I don’t understand hacking least of all hacking my site, but it was important to get it fixed. Three hours and lots of phone calls later it was. It has also added quite a few things to my to do list.
Throughout it all, I knew the important thing was to stay focussed on the job at hand and keep a good attitude about it, maybe even have fun with it (have a look at the replacement website I built above). This is just a typical day in our life. The joy of having a plan is now I can change it and keep moving forward.
Maybe the better question is not “What Just Happened?” but “How will I deal with What Just Happened?” So how will you deal with it?


PS Registrations have started rolling in for the Exhibit Like A Pro Intensive on 1 Sept in Melbourne. If you want to learn how to dramatically increase sales by Exhibiting and Sponsorship, register here now.

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Are You Consistent?

Queen
Who would have thought it?

Just one little day late because we had a public holiday and I got several emails wondering where the Get More Goer was.

The reason for this is consistency. Typically (and my apologies for my tardiness this week) the Get More Goer hits your inbox every Monday and it has been doing this for almost 5 years. Naturally some people have come to expect it and

get distressed when it is not there.

The same is true for any business. Consistency is part of the service. You know what will happen, there are no unpleasant surprises. McDonalds is a great example. You know the food will not be of the highest quality and presentation, but it is consistent. So consistent that it is the foundation of its own international economic index.

With it being the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the monarchy is another organisation that has a foundation of consistency, as evidenced in the photo. Years in between photos but the pose is the same.

What about you?

Are you consistent in what you do? Do you make sure that your colleagues, suppliers and customers get no nasty surprises?



PS Consistency of sales is another thing that is important. Join Danielle Storey and Me on Sat 1st September for the Exhibit Like A Pro intensive. You will learn the secrets to Exhibiting and Sponsorship that will bring you extra sales. More information is here at www.ExhibitLikeAPro.com


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What’s the One Thing?

Sleep at ExpoWhat’s The One Thing?

A colleague of mine sent me this photo last week. It seems this gent was a bit tired at the expo stand so thought he would take a nap. I think I need to add this to my list of “Things not to do when exhibiting” – fall asleep! Although, maybe he was just modelling for the coffins you see in the background!

I am often asked by people, what’s the one thing that you can do at an Expo that makes the biggest difference. There is one thing that comes to my mind straight away. It makes the biggest difference when Exhibiting, Sponsoring or even attending to the everyday aspects of your work and your social life. That one thing is to smile more.

You would think it would be obvious but too often the expression on your face is different to what you think or want. A smile can relax you, relax your guest, put you in a better mood, release endorphins, create a better environment and quite simply, power up your attitude.

Your mission today, should you accept it, is to smile more. Are you up to it?




PS If you want to learn other tips tools and techniques for exhibiting, join me today at 3pm Melbourne time for the Exhibit Like A Pro webinar. Even if you can’t make that time, register and you can access the recording. Click here to register.

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How Often Do You Touch Them?


PointHow Often Do You Touch Them?
Too often I see sales people, internet marketers, and people working the expo booth expecting the next person they talk to or who reads their stuff to instantly buy from them. The reality is it probably won’t happen.

I believe you need to touch people several times before they become a prospect or become more interested in what you have to offer. By the way, I am using the term “Touch” as in connect with them on some level. I am a huge fan of client and prospect Touch Points. The more quality touch points you have, the more likely they are to engage you or retain you as a supplier.

For example, I spoke at a conference recently. There were a few people in the audience who had seen me speak before, they also had received my Get More Goer on a regular basis. So it was no surprise to me that at the end of the session when I was offering my new Get More Business Success 12 CD Pack, it was the attendees who I had previously “Touched” who purchased it.

With the many Touch Points, you are allowing the prospect to Know You, Like You and then Trust You. So what can you do to provide quality Touch Points and when it comes to your clients and prospects, how often do you touch them?

PS Want to learn some more tips for Exhibiting and increase your Exhibiting ROI? Join Danielle Storey and Me on our next Exhibit Like A Pro Webinar. 
Details and registration are here.

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How Is Your Community?

CleftHow Is Your Community?

I had the pleasure of speaking at the Rotary Club of Box Hill Central during the week. My grandfather was a Rotarian and I always enjoy being able to contribute to my community.

What about your community? Do you contribute? That doesn’t mean you buy chocolates for the local Kindergarten fundraiser or give money to the tin rattlers at the traffic lights, but do you give some kind of significant contribution of time, energy or resources to those around you?

At Rotary I was talking about the 7 Secrets of Success and one of them is contribution. It is amazing what Rotary and Rotarians do. The Box Hill Central Club is the home of Operation Cleft. It is this group of people who arrange for cleft palate surgery and speech therapy for those in need in Bangladesh. Basically, they are giving a smile for life!

If you are looking to contribute to your

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at the very least a donation to Operation Cleft to get a year end tax deduction!



Click here to find out more about Operation Cleft and what they do.

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What Are Your Team Doing?

Last week I had an unannounced visitor. I was working in my home office and there was a timid knock at the door. So timid I was not even sure it was a knock. When I got to the door there was Malcolm*.

Malcolm was walking the street for a company and giving away “Stand By Power” boards as part of a government initiative. So his company would get paid by the government for the 1 per household board they installed. Anything else they sold was theirs.

It was obvious to me that Malcolm was massively undertrained. It seemed like his company just scooped up uni students who needed cash and said. “Walk the streets, give these away and fill out the paperwork.”

With the right recruitment and the right training, Malcolm could have done these things too:

  • Engaged with me so I cared about what he was selling
  • Questioned me about other rooms in the house that may have needed another board
  • Offered an energy audit to be done at a mutually agreeable time
  • Offered LED globes (Malcolm would have seen at least 9 globes that could have been replaced with them at my place)
  • Asked me if I have family or friends in the area who may be interested so he could get a warm referral

These things may have added five minutes to the time with me but over the course of a day, it would add hundreds to his sales figure.

So what are your team doing? Do they have the training to do their job correctly? Are you checking that they are following the training? What about you, do you have the training you need? 

If not, take the action and get it.

* Names have been changed to protect the innocent


PS If you Exhibit, there is a 2 hour training session on tonight in Mulgrave on how to Exhibit Like A Pro. Details are here 

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What Does Great Service Cost?

Steak
What Does Great Service Cost?
When it comes to Customer Service, I don’t need Outstanding Service, I don’t need Great Service, I would settle for Good service!
As you know from last week, it was my birthday on Thursday (by the way, thanks for all the birthday wishes!) Wifey took me to Number 8, an upmarket restaurant in the Crown casino complex. It had great reviews and seemed suitable for a posh night of celebration. It’s not cheap (about $50 for a steak) but I am happy to pay for “an experience”.

The summary is that the food was good (presentation was a bit ordinary) but the service was atrocious for what I expected from such a high quality establishment.

Simple things like:

  • They were advised this booking was for my birthday, but made no reference to it
  • The waiter did not engage with us at all – merely asked if we had finished when he took plates
  • The waiter offered to get another drink when we had 2/3 of a glass (when we didn’t need it) and did not offer when it was empty
  • We waited so long to give our dessert order that we left and bought ice cream as we walked along the Yarra River

Notice how these things are incredibly minor? As I said, customers do not expect a great deal. Get the basics right and they will be impressed. All they had to do was listen to what we said, and be observant for our needs.

What about in your business? Do you listen to what your customer wants? Are you observant to what you think they will need next? It could be an internal customer (you know, your colleagues) or an external one. Great Service does not cost much extra effort to provide but it pays off big time. Can you afford not to provide great service?


PS For more tips on Great Service when Exhibiting, check out our 2 hr, $29 Exhibit Like a Pro session on next Monday in Melbourne.

PPS Don’t get me wrong. I get that this situation is a real “First World Problem”. Can’t get good service for my $50 steak – really! The idea is what small thing can you do to improve your service?

Image: Flikr TinyApartmentCrafts – This image is a vegetarian friendly steak. I didn’t want to upset anyone!

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