Many times when a trade show is planned for there isn’t someone who watches the budget and tracks where the money goes. But, if you do want to know where your trade show marketing dollar goes and want to do better, this article is for you.
You should track each expense and when you show is over hold a quick review to discover how much you spent. You might be surprised at how things add up.
Here are four simple ways to make your trade show marketing budget count. If you can reduce your show spending a losing show might suddenly be worthwhile.
1. Track your deadlines and discounts.
Look at your show agreement and see where you get discounts for making early commitments. A better way to look at this is the premium you pay for not being well planned. You’ll see a deadline and a price before the date and an increased price after the date. You’ll see yet a higher premium for getting a service on the day of the show.
Keep good records of the discount deadlines and don’t’ miss any. That will ensure you minimize your surcharges.
Keep special track of your shipping costs and ensure you have time to ship ground and still make your setup deadline.
Good planning will really be worth your while and can save you easily 25%
2. Review your booth size.
As your company grows its trade show strategy you may be tempted to move up to a larger booth. You may even be tempted to take the show discount (see point number 1) and take a bigger space next year. Event managers will encourage you to do this but beware!
Take a look at your show results. Then consider what happens if you had two times more space. Would you get twice the traffic to the booth? Would there two times as many qualified prospects than if you had a 10 x 10 space? If the bigger booth doesn’t deliver a bigger result, you could skip the expense and focus on the marketing program instead.
3. Be ruthless on your giveaway budget.
Show giveaways can really eat up a show budget is short order. Often you will be focused on the item selection and not the role the item plays in your sales process.
Consider the difference in cost between a thousand items you give freely to people passing by your booth and the cost of an item given to your top one hundred prospects.
By focusing in on giving quality to your prospects your will remove the risk of overspending on your giveaway budget.
Make it pay.
4. Skip the expensive brochure or handout.
One common error is to simply bring along a large quantity of your current color brochure stock. There will be no loss of people willing to take a $4.00 brochure from your hand as they walk by.
You see, they are being polite. What happens if you meet a thousand polite people?
Keep your corporate brochure at home and work with a small product brochure or a custom postcard with a show special and a reason for them to keep it after the show.
(Custom access to a website or a product discount works pretty well)
You’ll spend less and get better results.
Bonus tip. Review your shows.
If you attend more than one show in a year, list your shows, (with your results) and look really hard at the lowest performer.
It’s possible that the show may not be as relevant but you stay in regardless. If you are not getting the results from the show, you can let it go. You’re not giving anything up.
Spend your time to replace this show with another, more targeted, higher performing show or just use this trade show marketing money on another marketing project.
None of these concepts are revolutionary or will change the face of trade show marketing. You will however do better by demanding a better accounting of your trade show dollar.
Mitch Tarr is a Vancouver BC based trade show consultant who helps companies focus on getting more leads and better sales from trade show marketing programs.
Go to http://www.tradeshow-marketing.com to sign up for a FREE Report on the SIX Big Trade Show Marketing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them.
Part 4 of 5 - How “Pipe Dreams” Can Become Realities!
© 2004, Jon Kogan, All Rights Reserved.
http://www.zivomarketing.com
TIPS ON ATTAINING WEALTH
Many people want money as a primary goal. And there certainly
is nothing wrong with desiring money. But first, be sure that
your true goal is money. Can you live, breathe, eat, and sleep
money? Do you dream about money, and want it more than anything?
For true money-seekers, you must be your own boss. The great
money-makers all started and ran their own businesses. And,
even though it seems as though all the good ideas have already
been taken, there are plenty out there.
The secret of the wealthiest people is to find a special need
and fill it. Like quick-food chains; like supermarkets; like
electronic games. Whether you invent a new toy or gadget, or
see a spot to market special items in a new way, the world is
open to true entrepreneurs. And they do make it.
LEARN YOUR TRADE
Almost any goal you choose - whether riches and material
abundance or spiritual attainment - requires learning. How much
education do you have? Do you want more? Perhaps your goal is
to get another degree or to secure a special license.
There are countless opportunities to learn more about your own
industry or to learn about a new skill. Not only do you have the
colleges and universities, but there are many trade schools,
correspondence schools, and special groups that teach skills -
at very reasonable prices.
KEEP THE END IN MIND
What do you need to know to get to where you want to be? You may
not need a degree, but the actual experience. So you’d need to
change jobs or accept a part-time job at night to develop your
skills.
More than ever, people are leaving their present occupations to
learn a new trade and then starting at the bottom again to be
happy in their work. Maybe you’ll need to put in extra hours at
work now so that you can save money to take the time off next
year.
Even though most entry level positions are offered to the younger
people, you can find many companies willing to give you a chance
to change your occupation. Many times you might find an older
master willing to apprentice you to learn the skill or trade.
Once you’re enrolled to learn new skills, put everything towards
learning. Apply yourself one hundred percent. Take advantage of
asking questions and getting criticism from teachers and fellow
students. Read everything you can study well. It is your
developing expertise that will get you ahead and closer to your
goal.
It’s always a good time to learn more. Even if you are happy in
your job,expanding yourself through education is a very rewarding
activity. Take dancing or tennis, gourmet cooking or sculpture.
Any activity is taught and shared by many enthusiasts.
STOP WASTING TIME
Consider the most important things you need to accomplish.
These are high priorities. Then think about those things that
seem to take up a lot of time and get you nowhere. Those are the
low priorities.
Understand what’s important to achieve and do those things first.
Let go of all the busywork for paperwork that piles up. It’s
better for you to stack those low priorities somewhere else and
finish the important material than to spend time clearing your
desk to get down to the essential things.
You’ll be noticed more quickly for the big things you achieve
than for keeping paper flowing. Don’t let co-workers waste your
time with chitchat if you’ve got things to accomplish. Save that
for lunch hours or for after work social activities.
Handle paper once; decide the action and finish with it. Keep
interruptions to a minimum and delegate responsibilities.
Although you’d like to believe you’re indispensable to the job
and you are the only one to take care of many things, you can
teach someone else and move on to your own goal achievements.
DON’T PROCRASTINATE
What are you waiting for? Few opportunities are thrown at you;
you have to create the right positions and situations to move up.
Make lists of things you want to accomplish and do them.
If you’re busy in an office situation, make daily lists and
reward yourself with praise upon completion. Catch yourself
achieving.
Concentrate on what you’re doing and do one thing at a time.
But do it quickly and handle the next thing. Be efficient in
telephone calls, maybe taking them at appointed times or calling
back at your convenience.
Don’t generate copies or correspondence that make you look like
you are doing things. Your superiors will know what you
accomplish. Be busy doing important things rather than writing
about what you’ve done.
And take the time for physical exercise. It will energize you -
not take away from your effectiveness. It relaxes your mind and
stimulates your capacity to achieve.
About the author:
————————————————————–
Jon Kogan is Founder of ZivoMarketing and Editor of Home
Business Breakthroughs Ezine!
mailto:subscribe@zivomarketing.com
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Jon Kogan was born, raised and educated in Ukraine.
Arriving to the USA in 1975 has been able to focus on the area of his expertise in marketing, sales and management in the corporate world.
In 2002, Jon has made a decision to apply real world marketing concepts to the Internet. His goals are to provide training, education and to show that it’s simple and easy to join the ranks of success-minded people by choosing to start a home business.
Whether you’re just starting your Information Technology career, or wanting to get further ahead in your current IT career, you have probably thought about earning one of the many popular computer certifications such as the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification, or the MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) cert.
A major point of frustration for individuals pursuing one of these certifications is a possible lack of experience with these technologies. Many future CCNAs or MCSEs simply stop trying to earn their certification, feeling that their lack of experience will hold them back.
Adding to this are those in IT who will stop everything they’re doing at the drop of a hat to stomp on the dreams of others. I recently saw a post by an IT newcomer on a popular website where he declared his intention of earning his CCNA. Within minutes, several naysayers popped up and told him that he shouldn’t bother, it wouldn’t do any good due to his lack of experience, etc. (Did you ever notice that people who bash certifications generally don’t have any themselves?)
I am in no way discounting the importance of experience. What I am saying is that every single one of us was a beginner at one point, and a lot of IT professionals forget this. None of us was born knowing everything we know today, and we shouldn’t spend any time dismissing the goals of others in the IT field, or those just breaking in.
I am speaking from experience on this point. I had a tough time breaking into the IT field, and made a lot of calls and knocked on a lot of doors before I got in. I found out later that the reason I got that entry-level job is that I had a professional certification where the other candidates did not.
The pursuit of certification is the pursuit of knowledge, and in our field, you can never have too much knowledge. If your work is strictly on the Local Area Network side, don’t let that stop you from pursuing a CCNA. If you work exclusively on the WAN side, don’t let that stop you from going after your MCSE. If you’re just breaking into Information Technology, don’t let a lack of experience prevent you from studying for your A+, Network+, or even your MCSE or CCNA.
Because one day, opportunity is going to knock - and the more you know, the readier you’ll be to answer that knock! Use your long-range vision to envision the day when you will have both experience and certification - an unbeatable combination.
Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage (www.thebryantadvantage.com), home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages. Video courses and training, binary and subnetting help, and corporate training are also available.
For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, “How To Pass The CCNA” or “How To Pass The CCNP”, send a request to chris@thebryantadvantage.com today !
