Articles Temple
For many businesses, trade shows can provide a great way for them to attract media interest and to find new customers. There is not one specific thing you can to ensure that your trade show experience is a profitable one; there are, however, some steps to take that will improve your odds:
Research the history of the show – Will the show be adequately promoted to your potential customers? Do large crowds usually attend the show? Does the show clash with any other trade shows that are taking place? Is the location of the show easily accessible for people interested in attending? How did participating in the show work out for businesses who participated in previous years? Did their client base increase?
Always set-up a professional looking exhibition stand – To attract convention goers to your display, you do not need the most extravagant display on the floor, but you do need to put some thought and effort into designing a display that entices attendees to stop and check it out. Look for inspiration on the Internet and ensure that signs, photographs, promotional materials, etc all look professionally prepared.
Promote your stand ahead of time – You will need to start discussing your participation in the show well before the show dates. Several weeks before the date of the show, send out promotional information inviting your clients and prospective clients to visit you at the show. A couple of weeks before the main event, phone important customers and prospects and make appointments to meet with them at the show.
Have a gimmick or giveaway – Giveaways or gimmicks do not have to be elaborate or expensive, as even something as simple as a large bowl full of bite-sized chocolates or candies can be enough to bring people to your exhibition stand. Some giveaway ideas include samples of your product or service given away at various times throughout the day, as well as useful items (such as notepads and key rings) imprinted with your company’s vital information.
Follow up – You will have conversations with lots of people during a trade show, many of which can potentially be turned into profitable long term contacts. You need to take notes whilst speaking to each person so that when you later phone them you can refer back to exactly what was said between the two of you at the show. Do not wait more than a couple of weeks to get around to contacting those who stopped by your exhibition stand.
Find Out More – Exhibition Stands
Tags: Business, exhibition stands, Sales, trade shows
Posted in Sales · May 31st, 2010 · Comments (0)
Telemarketing is a huge industry in which millions of people work (4.6 million employed in the United States alone) and which generates billions (an estimated 250 billion dollars) in commerce annually. It is a vital part of economies all over the world and is a great way to market your business. By systematically researching and pre-planning, and making use of the abundant demographics and psychographic data, bottom line profits can be greatly improved.
When correctly done, telemarketing is the perfect complement to other marketing efforts. For example, a telemarketing project is a great way to survey potential clients and understand them better before starting a full marketing campaign. It can be effectively used on itself, and some businesses do operate exclusively by telephone, however, telemarketing is most effective when used as an adjunct to an overarching marketing program that links up with advertising and personal sales.
Studies have repeatedly shown that telemarketing can get companies five times more customer contacts per day than face-to-face selling. For that kind of success though, the right telemarketing system needs to be used. This means moving away from the practice of trying to phone as many people as possible in as short a time as possible. Generally, the higher the volume of call made, the lower the quality they are, and the more unwelcome they are by the recipients. It is companies that take this approach which have caused the telemarketing industry to seen in a bad light.
Before a telemarketing call is made, proper research has to be done, otherwise the time of the recipients will be wasted, as will the money spent on hiring the people to make the calls. It is the research and planning phase of the telemarketing process that sets apart the professional, experienced telemarketing firms from the less reputable, and often illegal, ones. Professional telemarketing services will do their utmost to avoid intentionally annoying customers. Their focus is to call people who, based on the information that they have on them, may be interested in a specific product or service, and to offer them something of value.
If you think that you would like to utilize the services of a telemarketing company, then there are plenty of good ones for you to choose from. Of course, there are a fair few that you need to avoid, but with proper research and background checks then it is not so difficult at all to find a telemarketing service that you can trust. Do some research, come up with a shortlist of companies, and then contact each of them and tell them what your needs and expectations are you. Long term contracts are not necessary, so it is something that you can try and then evaluate the results before deciding whether or not to incorporate it into your long-term marketing strategy.
Find Out More – Telemarketing Services
Tags: Business, Marketing, Sales, telemarketing
Posted in Sales · May 24th, 2010 · Comments (0)