The Secret Weapon Every Savvy Exhibitor Should Use Marketing Articles | November 27 Darius Leonard Colts Jersey , 2006 Exhibitors spend a tremendous amount of time & energy attempting to spread their marketing message to more & more people. Word of mouth marketing is one of the most vital marketing tools which should be used by every savvy exhibitor in order to boost ROI.
It's time for a visualization exercise. Are you ready? Picture this:
You're standing, with your booth staff, in your exhibit at a large tradeshow. This is one of the best shows you regularly participate in as it attracts a sizeable number of your target audience. Your team is prepared. Your display looks terrific. You've got interactive demonstrations, you've sponsored a speaker, and your giveaway items convey your marketing message, appeal to your target audience Andrew Luck Colts Jersey , and are in plentiful supply.
Looks good, right? There's something in this scene, something I haven't mentioned yet, that could make it all even better. Something that will not only boost your ROI, but will create that most vital of marketing tools. What is it? It?s a secret weapon that?s more than come of age. In fact, it?s been around since the beginning of time but only now is it realizing its full potential. This build up and suspense is all about ?word of mouth marketing? and how you can use it to your advantage on the tradeshow floor.
I've recently read Seth Godin's Flipping the Funnel Peyton Manning Colts Jersey , and it really brought home the concept of how underutilized tradeshow attendees are as a marketing tool. Attendees are more than prospects and contacts: they're a potential sales force, just waiting to be tapped on your behalf.
According to Godin, we should:
Turn strangers into friends.
Turn friends into customers.
Turn then ... do the most important jobTurn your customers into sales people.
Why? Why would you want to recruit a whole bunch of amateur salespeople, you might ask, when you already have a perfectly competent, fully trained professional sales team? After all Khari Willis Youth Jersey , you've spent considerable resources recruiting, training, and retaining your current team. Isn't that enough? Frankly, no. Regardless of how big your sales force is, there's no way they're going to be able to connect with every person who might be interested in your products and services. Even working flat out, as Godin suggests Bobby Okereke Youth Jersey , they're not selling as much as you'd like.
This is where your friends and customers enter the picture. If you view them as assets, as allies in the world of sales, you've already expanded your potential marketplace. When more people are working on your behalf, you'll reach more customers. It's simple mathematics.
There's another benefit as well. When your friends and customers recommend your products and services, their words carry far more weight than anything your sales team can say. People value the opinions of colleagues, peers and relatives far more than they do the assurances of a salesperson. It's the difference between editorial speech and advertising Parris Campbell Youth Jersey , played out in a face-to-face setting.
So Now What? Being convinced that recruiting tradeshow attendees to act on your behalf is one thing, convincing them to do it is another. According to Godin, we continually spend a tremendous amount of time and energy attempting to spread our marketing message to more and more people. This particularly holds true at tradeshows, where the focus is often on how to attract more people to your exhibit. As well as talk several people at once.
A slight shift in the priorities might be in order. While starting new business relationships will always be important, a new emphasis has been placed on strengthening and maintaining existing relationships.
Consider your current customers. Ask yourself -- or even better, ask them Ben Banogu Youth Jersey , how they feel about your products and services. How about your customer service? What makes doing business with your orga