5 Top Tips to Recession Proof your Business?

No-one likes the “R” word but there is no getting away from it; business is very hard right now as financial markets collapse, the Wall Street credit woes have hit Main Street and everyone is looking for ways to save money, make more and keep their bottom line intact.

The big question is how we keep our businesses safe and go forward through to the recovery that will inevitably follow?

Take a look at these business tips for recession proofing your company.

Tip #1 – See the people!

One seasoned salesman explained that there are only three rules to selling:

1. See the people;
2. See the people; and
3. See the People!!!!!!!!!!

You get the point I’m sure; sending out your message again and again is not business spamming, it is a good business sense. On average it takes someone at least a dozen instances of your name or message being put before them before it reaches high level consciousness. Take every opportunity to get you name and message before people you do business with or intend doing business with; there is no mileage in hiding your light under a bush here so get the blow horn out and start spreading the word.

Regular mailings, emails, newsletters, marketing and promotional campaigns, business events, networking, trade shows and seminars, sponsorship, press releases, business awards, public service…whatever it takes to get yourself known and kept in the mind’s eye of your business community and customer base is essential.

Never stop broadcasting what you do and who you are.

Tip #2 – Free Trials

This was picked up in at a sales seminar for a car dealer in

90% of the Marketing Work Goes in Before the Show, Right?

WRONG!!

Many people think that marketing work is mostly done before you even get to the trade show but we’re going to take a look at this popular misconception and take a good, hard look at this commercial myth.

Before we get into the detail, think about this.

Remember the Kentucky Derby and the Big Brown fiasco with the Triple Crown at stake? This wonder horse was all set for a rare and historic horse racing triumph and there was a great deal of pre-race hype about how this huge, very strong horse was just going to push its way through to victory.

In any event Big Brown came home a long way at the back of the pack but it would not have mattered if he had romped home in second place and lost by a nose.

All that pre-race preparation and hype was just that – preparation.

Marketing has one essential criterion for being successful and that is summed up simply as PERFORMANCE ON THE DAY!

Sure, being prepared is essential and you definitely need to plan carefully, but no matter how much support you have got on the day you have got to deliver the goods.

When you open at a trade show, you will be presenting your company and yourself to the world and many attendees may already know you, your products and your company but there will always be a host of new prospects to turn into customers too. You should never presume that old customers are going to remain loyal either; do not take them for granted.

What you do on exhibition and trade show days is more important to your success than all of the effort that has gone into preparation and planning; a signature on a new contract or repeat order is the prize for performance on the day.

Here are some simple tips for helping you achieve winning performance on the day.

Prospects and Customers Like to Touch Stuff

It doesn’t matter if you are the CEO or a big or little kid – people like to play with stuff.

It’s part of human nature to want to know how things work, so use scale models and mock-ups to let them look at and dismantle so they can see how a thing works.

Detachable Graphics OR Graphic Murals for my Displays

You’ve been to trade shows and seen the face of a display with literally dozens of 8″ x 10″ photographs OR small text signs. Believe me this is NOT the way to graphically display your goods and services. Detachables or Individual Graphics need to be much larger, bolder and limited to no more than four or, five at most. AND these should be a minimum of 20″ x 30″ in size. Think about it: when you saw the display with dozens of small photographs on it, did it entice you to go and see what they were or did you walk on by? Chances are you walked right on by.

Graphic Mural for your Display

The case for Graphic Murals is a strong one. A Pop-Up display is nothing more than a carrier of your message to your target market. And the face of your display can be a compelling billboard or a dog; whichever you choose.

The ingredients for an effective graphic mural are: Your Logo and name as bold as possible at the top of the mural, an absolutely “knock your socks off” photograph for your background [must be germane to your industry] AND a features and benefits panel on the right facing side of the mural.

NOTE: A features and benefits panel is three, perhaps four, bulleted features that highlight the capabilities of your organization, followed by no more than five or six words that turn that feature into a benefit to the prospect, suspect or customer attending the show.

Example: Efficient (Feature) - Delivered within 24 Hours (Benefit). This features and benefit panel text formula should be on a vertical rectangle (preferably 20″-25″ wide by 40″-45″ high and have a screened background to set it off from rest of the mural). It should be positioned ergonomically so any visitor to your display can read it in two minutes or less without straining to see the uppermost or lowest portion.

So what if I want to change my message for different shows?

Great Question and here’s the answer. When designing the Graphic Mural leave what are called ‘windows’ or ‘blank spaces’ on the face of the mural (don’t worry if the blank spaces cross over the panel separations). The position of these ‘windows’ can be wherever you desire but should probably not be more than two or, three at most. A high preponderance of companies who use ‘windows’, use them for the features and benefits panels and let that be that. Others use them for the F & B Panel AND another space on the left facing side of the mural to highlight a new product or service.

Then, when using ‘windows’ you simply develop a new graphic the same size as the ‘window’ and affix female or loop Velcro tape to the face of the display around the periphery of the ‘window’ and affix male or hook Velcro tape around the back edge of the new graphic and marry the two.

This is how the ‘big boys’ look professional, crisp and relevant at every show and save money doing it. Detachables OR Graphic Murals? Graphic Murals get my vote every time. Remember the exhibitor who gets the most visitors AND understands the needs of each - WINS!

Choosing the Right Tradeshow(s)

Let’s face it, everybody has exhibited at a trade show and at the end of the show said, “I’ll never do this show again”. With the proliferation of trade shows these days, which show do you choose? Well, first of all you don’t just choose one show and let that be your agenda for the year; you plan your schedule strategically. I would suggest, depending on your industry, let’s take manufacturing for example, you choose no fewer than two shows per year and more, if warranted (more on that in a minute). Two shows, one in the spring and one in the fall, allows your organization the benefit from any sales cycles that may exist. More to the point it allows your sales force to interface with prospects and suspects, not to mention customers, which may only get perfunctory attention during the rest of the year. And, it provides excellent momentum for introduction of new products and services. More than two shows? Absolutely, if your organization has opportunities in sectors of large market categories.

But which shows? Here are some suggestions to consider: If the show is National, where can your space be positioned and what is the trend in exhibitors? Can your space be positioned near the entrance or are you going to relegated to some obscure space in the back of the hall? When the call to entry comes in, are the same number of exhibitors signed up this year as last OR is it negative gain? Is the show manager, your industry association? And, if so, are they offering symposia on meaningful industry issues (or maybe no round tables or topics at all)? If so, can your sales manager be a speaker or at least on a round table discussion panel? If not, chances are your customers will feel the same and skip the show. I would poll your ten top customers and ask what show(s) they attend. And, if there are several new prospects or suspects that have high potential, ask them as well. A blinding glimpse of the obvious? Probably. Good marketing? You bet.

What if the shows your organization is considering are simply Regional or Local in scope? I would call the show manager and ask about attendance over the last several years. If it’s up or steady; it’s definitely worth considering. If not, what’s the point?

If it’s Regional, I would definitely ask the same set of questions but I would look for the participation of my competition as well. If your competition is there, you may be conspicuous by your absence. If not, it may be a golden opportunity, especially if the attendance is up from one year to the next. If your competition has been there but not recently, you may want to ask some more questions and see if the right set of prospects and suspects fits your goals.

If it’s Local, I would definitely check the venue. If the venue is a hotel or motel, it may be OK but only if you are offered adequate space (definitely not a hallway). If it’s a convention center or exhibition hall, definitely worth considering – the venue is right around the corner and you can rotate manning the booth throughout the show so it’s convenient for everybody.

Remember, NO MATTER WHAT THE SHOW, the organization that ends up with the most visitors to its space is the organization that wins.

Compelling Displays Make Compelling Companies

Trade shows are key to increasing awareness about your products, showcasing your services and enhancing your image among your competitors and potential customers, in all a very powerful way to increase your sales. It is critical you arm yourself with the most compelling trade show display you can. In an event where your booth is one of hundreds, an attractive display opens the door for a worthwhile discussion of your company.

Compelling is a relative term. But, keep in mind; the graphics on a trade show display are what is going to compel prospects, suspects and customers into your booth as opposed to allowing them to walk right on by. The goal of these graphics is not to be the most informative or the most colorful. You don’t have to have millions of photos, or so many products descriptions that your booth looks like alphabet soup.

Good Graphics consists of three ingredients:

1) Excellent (not good, excellent) Photography of your product(s), or Excellent Photography of what I call ‘men and women in motion’,

2) Your Logo or Company Name across the top and/or large enough to be seen from across the hall, and

3) A Features and Benefits Panel - A screened-back vertical rectangle containing at least three or four bullets with cryptic copy that translates the most important features of your product(s) into benefits.

Lets begin with photography. The standard approach to product photography at trade shows has always been as many photos as possible, typically several dozen images, all 8” x 10” mounted on foam board and Velcro taped to the display.

It’s a time-honored tradition that couldn’t be more wrong. Instead, like so much other advertising, in the trade show booth less is more. Try using only four or five images that are at least 20” x 30”. Studies show you have about seven seconds to attract a customer walking past a trade show booth and making them squint at 20 photos in seven seconds will get you nowhere.

Larger photos are more compelling, more colorful and, when taken and displayed correctly, they will stop people in their tracks. I recommend working with a professional photographer for these images and taking advantage of a mural. While it will likely end up costing more than those product shots you took in the warehouse with your new digital camera, but you will see a noticeable difference in the traffic to your booth. And when finishing off your photos, mount them with pliable plastic coverings, not foam board, so they can be used over and over again with damage. Foam board ages quickly and there is nothing worse than a booth that looks like it’s seen one to many tradeshows

Like good photography, displaying your company’s name and logo is a simple and easy to do correctly, but often overlooked by first time and seasoned exhibitors alike. The name/logo should be the uppermost addition of the display, running laterally and spanning the length of your booth (at least 10 feet wide). It should be able to be seen from far enough away that passers-by are not left wondering which booth their about to happen across.

A Features and Benefits Panel is a chance for you to herald your goods and services. Like photography, your goal is to be compelling, not overwhelming.

So why do first-time trade show exhibitors make so many mistakes when preparing for their first day behind a booth? The message should be three or four cryptic descriptions of the foremost benefits of the company. You need to connect with your potential customer, but leave them wanting more. A successful panel message brings customers to you seeking more information and excited about getting it right away. In that single instance, you’ve branded your organization by your uniqueness and your product’s intrigue.

A key stumbling block for first time exhibitors is the selection of the display itself. Too many young companies attempt to build their own displays, which look unprofessional and can cause more than a few headaches to transport and set up. In general, a pop-up display is the best option for budding exhibitors. The displays are affordable, easy to maintain and set-up and with compelling graphics and a keen salesman, can make any company look like IBM while on the trade show floor.

A 10′ Pop-Up trade show display is a good choice. It’s lightweight, easy to install (if it takes more than 15 minutes, you’ve done something wrong) and it comports wonderfully well with the “Get-Home-Syndrome” at the end of the show. The “Get-Home-Syndrome” says all you really care about at the end of a trade show is: easily dismantling the display, putting all the components into the case and exiting the exhibit hall.

If you can afford it, reserve 20′ instead of the customary 10′. Why? Have you ever tried to talk to a prospect or suspect while your colleague was talking to another prospect or suspect in a 10′ booth? There’s no more room for anything else. I don’t care if you’re a Fortune 500 company or a mom and pop. It’s all about room. If the demand is so great, you need more space.

Here are some other easy rules of thumb when buying, setting up and utilizing a display of any kind.

• Again, the simpler the better. Good, clean design and presentation speaks volumes about an exhibitor.
• Keep background colors neutral if you have individual graphics. Bright photos/logos/benefits panels leap off neutral backgrounds. Grey and black are the most common colors used in trade show booths.
• If you have a mural, gravitate to a darker colors, imperial and black. Frame the graphics with blue, black to help them standout.
• If it takes you more than 15 minutes to set up a booth, you have the wrong booth, too much display information or are otherwise making your display too complicated.
• Never, let me repeat that, never place your display table parallel to your display. It’s a mistake that the vast majority of boothsmen make. They set up a long table, stand behind it, blockading themselves from their customers and blockading their customers from their display.

Now that you have your booth organized and you’ve learned how to attract prospective customers to it, remember that attending a trade show is just one step in the process. It is critical that you not limit yourself to one show. You and your management team (Or you, if you’re it) should determine to go to a minimum of three shows annually. Choose ones that are attended by the decision-makers in your industry and find something new and exciting for your display each and every time your in the booth.

Trade shows are excellent sales builders and the company that ends up with the most leads at the end of the show … WINS!