| |
| |
|
Sales Information |
|
|
|
EXHIBITORS - Check Your URL
How many of you have a corporate web site? Everybody says "Yes". How many of you know its proper URL? OK, most of you. How many of you have read everything on the web site? Numbers are dropping like stones here. How many of you contributed information on the web site? Anybody there? When was the last time you looked at the section related to your business segment? A year ago when it first went up? Has your business progressed since then? Does anybody know it? Why am I asking so many questions? Because serious exhibit attendees can answer all of these questions about your business. I'm seeing more sophisticated prospects and buyers at shows - and where did they get the information - those questions that stump you? From your very own web site. How Do You Shop on the Web? Think about how you get info off the web and what you do with it. Do you buy a car directly (a few) or do you "shop" for information, and then go kick the tires, dicker and deal. Generally, you'll buy based on these three levels of comfort 1. You've done business with its brick-and-mortar or mail order operation (The Gap, Lands End). 2. You have faith in the legitimacy of the site based on reputation (i.e., Amazon.com). 3. The site is clear, the product meets your need and you feel it's a fair deal. Same thing with attendees. Except thatat a trade show, they're not walking the aisles to just unexpectedly happen upon you. They have an agenda, and it's often because of the Internet. They have the list of exhibitors and have evaluated your firm by its web site. Now, at the show, they have the opportunity to meet with you first hand, to review literature, see demonstrations, sample product, test your knowledge, and be steps closer to closing a deal with you. First Appearances Count What happens if you don't know what's on your web site and the attendee does? 1. You appear uninformed about your own firm. Attendees consider that you are not a serious player 2. Your company appears to take the trade show lightly because you are not properly trained by your firm. It's a waste of the attendee's time and effort. In essence, if I - as the attendee - take the time to narrow down my list of potential partners, including your firm, and you - as the company's representative - don't know as much about your firm as I do - well, Bubba, I think I'll pass. You have to have very compelling reasons for me to do business with a firm that is less informed about itself than I am about it. Why is this critical? As trade shows draw more international clients, I see foreign firms sending high-level decision-makers who have spent time to evaluate firms based on web information. They come with a preselected list of potential partners. And, I see US firms still sending Junior Execs who think "being cute" or "knowing the buzzwords" or having a "great booth" or "super prize" will win a deal. Words to the Wise So, when you select your staff for the next show, make sure one of the requirements is familiarity with your own web site. Often, it's the first and most critical step an attendee has to evaluate your firm before actually meeting you on the show floor. Julia O'Connor - Speaker, Author, Consultant - writes about practical aspects of trade shows. As president of Trade Show Training, inc,, now celebrating its 10th year, she works with companies in a variety of industries to improve their bottom line and marketing opportunities at trade shows. Julia is an expert in the psychology of the trade show environment and uses this expertise in sales training and management seminars.
MORE RESOURCES:
Sales - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Focus on a Trade - Not a Discount Smart buyers will always ask for a better price. Unfortunately, too many sales people and business owners automatically think that reducing their price is the most effective way to respond to this request. Sales Training from the Ghostbusters Picture this scene from the 1984 smash comedy movie from Columbia Pictures, Ghostbusters: Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray, aka? the Ghostbusters, are involved in a heated meeting with the Mayor and the Head of the local environmental agency. The city is in shambles because a legion of evil spirits has invaded and is currently wreaking havoc and chaos throughout the land. 15 Ways To Get Really Motivated First, recognize that motivation is an inside job. The word motivate means to impel, inspire, hope, stimulate, incite, propel, spur, goad, move, induce, prompt, instigate, fire, provoke, actuate, cause, egg on, drive, excite, and to trigger. Breaking the Ice and Winning Over the Client Wherever you turn these days you'll find articles covering every business strategy and tactic available to man from how to make a great presentation to strategies for success all the way to negotiations and prospecting and getting a client to commit. But hardly anyone touches on the subject of breaking the ice with a new client and winning them over. 9 Ways to Keep Clients Coming Back For More A lot of effort is put into getting new clients. We all know our client base will change. What is a Pitch? I've been training in countries outside the U.S. A Quick and Simple Tip For Gaining Customers In the course of my career, I've had to deal with a lot of vendors-software companies, sensor manufacturers, electronics distributors and more. Some of them have left lasting impressions on me, whereas others have been eminently forgettable. How To Get Rich Giving Away Something Free The best of all worlds is to have a product you can give away free and still make money. That world exists. What Should I Charge? People ask me, "What should I charge?"I say, "Ask your clients."If they are respectable professionals you want as clients, they will be honest with you and give you a fair price based on their experience, their need, and their ability to pay. Peak Performance - What You See Is What You Get! Would you like an easy way to track the performance of your sales SuperStars? Will a large sales activity board really make a difference? You bet! This article will give you three easy ways to improve the performance of your sales team because what you see is what you get!Setting up your sales activity board: Start by ordering a large erasable board from your local office supply store, the bigger the better (hint, a big board = assumed big results!) and mount this board on a wall easily seen by your sales team but not visible to your current or prospective clients. Use this sales activity board to track the performance of your company, highlighting the "critical" factors for your sales success. The Trusted Advisor Relationship: What Is It, and What Should It Be? For the past months, maybe a year, I've been hearing sales groups talk about the need to become Trusted Advisors (I'll call them TAs). I suspect that the problems cropping up in the sales arena these days - the increased length of the sales cycle, the increased levels of competition - are leading sales management to base their initiatives on being of true service to prospects, as a way to seem different from the competition. Losing the Big-One: Salvaging Lost Accounts After careful consideration, we have chosen our vendor, and it's not you."Hard words to hear. Business is Great; I'm Just Not Selling Anything! Awhile back you had a great idea. An idea that you thought could make you a decent income, with very little effort. The Prejudging Predicament There's a direct correlation between sales experience and prejudging. The more sales and marketing experience you have the greater the tendency to prejudge your customers and prospects. Selling -abilities : Part 2 In the last article I talked about different strategies for selling the 'reliability' aspect of your software or hardware. I mentioned how most high tech salespeople love to talk about their "-abilities": Reliability, Upgradeability, Compatibility and Expandability. How to Write Testimonials that Sell CDs Like Magic "Which is your best CD?"Ever get that question? My band has five CDs that we sell at shows, and I get that question all the time. People rely on the suggestions of others to determine what they are going to buy. Value-added Selling? "Value-added." That word is used so much it has become a cliché in business circles. Create a Magic Connection with Clients, Leads, and Business Associates Part II Part I of this article explored how strategies of Neuro-Linguistic Programing (NLP) can be used to gain instant rapport with clients, leads, and business associates, and more specifically, how to use physiology, matching and mirroring, to create instant magic communications.Now, how can tonality and words establish rapport?TONALITYWhile physiology accounts for 55% of communication among humans, tonality accounts for 38%. Selling the Difficult: How to Sell What People Dont Understand How to Buy I'll play a seller, using conventional selling methods, selling something difficult to understand; you be the prospective buyer. As we go through the process together, note your reactions, how your beliefs are being challenged, what 'objections' and emotions come up for you as I try to 'sell' you. Lead Generation Sins - 7 Of Them! I really just don't get it.How can so many businesses be missing the lead generation boat by such a long country mile?Billions of dollars in profits, flushed away!Just because of 7 innocent, yet deadly, tactical lead generation errors.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
