Are You Asking the Right Questions?

by Hiett Ives, Show Dynamics

Your company has a booth at a Business to Business trade show. What questions do YOU ask passing delegates to identify qualified leads?

Three potential approaches to use:

• The Chit-Chat Approach. You smile and ask them, “How’s the show?”

The problem with this approach? It usually nets you a, “Great!” and the delegate walks on without being engaged.

• The YES / NO Approach. You smile at the passing delegate and ask, “Do you use (product)?” or “Do you need (service)?”

A likely response is, “No!” And again you see the delegate walk past your booth.

• The Open Ended Question Approach. As a delegate approaches your booth you ask, “Who’s responsible for (product) in your operation?” or “Where do you use (service) in your operation?”

In the Chit-Chat Approach, there is NO prospect qualifying. You have 2 - 3 seconds to initiate delegate interaction so this approach totally wastes that opportunity.

The Yes / No Approach is better because it makes an effort to qualify the prospect. The YES/NO question is the problem. This gives delegates the opportunity to use the “NO” response and move past your booth. Even if the delegate does need your product or service, your approach gives them the ability to avoid your features and benefits presentation.

The Open Ended Question Approach is your best option. The same open ended question is asked of every delegate passing your booth, whether they acknowledge you or not. You’re targeting them - and if they’re in any way interested in or related to your product or service they’ll stop. That gives you the opportunity to give them a Lead Qualifying Card and wait for them to fill it out.

So, avoid the pleasantries, at least while staffing your B2B trade show booth. In addition, avoid the yes/no questions that let delegates off the hook. For each show and each audience, always develop an open ended question that engages your prospects. That way you’re effectively using those 2 - 3 seconds you have to gain their attention.

Image is Everything! Pt 2

by Trisha Ahlman

You have to know it before you can grow it: It’s an evolutionary process!”

It’s your job to lead your company and visualize its grand future, but defining your brand can sometimes be overwhelming. Is it a contradiction to say you have to know it before you can grow it and it’s an evolutionary process in the same statement? No. Let me explain.

One of the basic principles of branding, according to expert Scott Bedbury, relates to “cracking the genetic code” of your brand. Cracking the code of your brand DNA takes time and patience. The question then becomes, how can I do it if I’m not fully aware of what direction the company will take in three, five, or ten years? The answer is “It’s an evolutionary process”.

Your image is everything as we stated in part one of this series. However, if you are just starting your business, it’s more important to achieve a professional image than it is to think the perfect brand will be born on the first attempt. Don’t distribute poor materials in the beginning because you are waiting to break the magical DNA code.

Let’s look at some very famous cases: BP, Coka Cola, IBM, Payless Shoe Source, and many others have evolved into the brand they are today. BP launched a new look, new logo, and new campaign in the year 2000; amazingly, the company has been around for nearly 138 years and has gone through ‘many’ changes since its inception.

What I’m saying is that you can build and evolve your brand over time. Don’t worry too much that your ground breaking corporate identity, logo, and brand are not perfect from the get go. Focus instead on your image, your presentation, your materials, and your professional appearance.

Remember – Image is everything!

Trisha Ahlman is the CEO of Augment Marketing Group and has nearly 20 years experience in marketing for corporations and small businesses. She sits on several creative and strategic development boards nationwide. “Inspired by growth” from its inception, Augments mission is to inspire growth in all businesses large or small when developing strong brands. We believe in inspiring, learning and growing. She can be reached at
trisha@augmentgroup.com
or visit
http://www.inspiredbygrowth.blogspot.com.

Pick Yer Poison

If you are already operational then I am probably preaching to the choir. If not, now is the time to consider how you are going to structure your microbiz.

The easiest form is the sole proprietorship. No state filings are required. Some states require the filing of a fictitious name certificate or dba, but that can usually be done at a local county courthouse. Cost is minimal.

The Internal Revenue Service offers a good comparison of business entities, their strengths and weaknesses for your vision. You can always open shop as a sole proprietorship and switch later. Either way, take the time to review these entities and think about how they fit into your vision.

Image Is Everything!

“Planting the seeds for long-term success!”
Part 1 of a 2 part series

by Trisha Ahlman

Thinking long-term is the most important choice you make as a small business marketer. Too many just go with quick, cheap solutions and end up missing the mark entirely. Developing an image that will build long-term success is like nurturing a seedling to maturity.

With that said, it’s important to understand that image is everything. It can be the difference between catching a big fish or Nemo. How many businesses start on a whim? That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but handwritten business cards, poorly designed graphics, or poor quality paper stocks are not just bad. . . they’re really bad! In fact, they should be forbidden.

I know what you’re thinking. That’s all I can afford on my budget.

Here are some things you can do on a shoestring budget that will help you improve your image and grab clients a little faster. Your look may change completely in a year or two, but the idea here is to earn business as fast as possible without looking like you are the whole company.

A few “Inspired by Growth” tips:

• Always consider investing in a professional logo with tag line
• Always use a high quality paper stock
• Less is more
• Be consistent with colors, look, and theme
• ONLY give out brochures printed on a quality stock even if you have to print them one at a time at a higher cost
• If you are not a professional and hiring one is not in the budget, use templates and stock imagery
• Find a small business marketing consultant (this can be an affordable option)

Remember, the important thing is to get sales now so you can grow your business. You can always upgrade later when your company is growing beyond your wildest dreams.

Trisha Ahlman is the CEO of Augment Marketing Group and has nearly 20 years experience in marketing for corporations and small businesses. She sits on several creative and strategic development boards nationwide. “Inspired by growth” from its inception, Augments mission is to inspire growth in all businesses large or small when developing strong brands. We believe in inspiring, learning and growing. She can be reached at
trisha@augmentgroup.com
or visit
http://www.inspiredbygrowth.blogspot.com.

A Life Half Lived?

After the third time of encountering this story on the Internet, I felt it was time to share it here. It says much about motivation, desire, productivity, and what we find important in life. Enjoy.

A life half-full, or half-empty?

The businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large fish. The businessman complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied only a little while.

The businessman then asked why he didn’t stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The businessman then asked, but what do you do with the rest of your time? The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos; I have a full and busy life, señor.”
How much is enough?

The businessman scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and I could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats; eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the processor and eventually open your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City where you would run your expanding enterprise.”
When will you be “Done”?

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But señor, how long will this all take?” To which the businessman replied, “15-20 years.” “But what then, señor?” The businessman laughed and said, “That’s the best part! When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions.” “Millions, señor? Then what?” The businessman said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

The fisherman tried to get his head around that and said, “Isn’t that what I’m doing right now?”
Where will you be in 15 years?

Are you like the fisherman right now? With a full and busy life? Or are you looking at your life like the businessman, always seeing greener pastures further along the path?

Ask yourself a couple of questions:

* If you were not worried about money, would you keep doing the things that you are doing today?
* What would you stop doing? And why?
* If you are worried about money, are you at least taking some time to “play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings“? Because your kids won’t be kids in 15-20 years when it’s time to sell your empire.

What is one thing that you are not doing today, that would make your life better right now? Why aren’t you doing it?

Gosh Darn It, People Like You!

I was graced last week with a surprise XXth Birthday Party (and the XX is NOT twenty). I was twice blessed: I was astounded by the number of people who turned out for the celebration and because I got a quirky lesson in the power of positive affirmations. I’ve been told that motivation is where you find it.

My daughter carries a little gift bag in her purse and just had to show it to all of us. When she opens it a recording says, “You’re just fabulous! You’re really super! You look good, you feel good and, gosh darn it, people like you! You go!”

The Yakety-Sak™ is very popular with her friends and she told a story about standing outside church with her friends and all of their daughters and reciting the “fabulous mantra.” They got some rather strange looks.

As the Chief Everything Officer of your company you know how often you are faced with negativity and rejection. If your business requires cold calling, you really know about negativity, rejection and, often, outright rudeness. It’s pretty common to feel tired, deflated and generally unhappy by the end of the day. This is when you need your Yakety-Sak™.

In a company that often has only a solo pratitioner, who ya gonna call? Pardon the Ghost Busters plug, but one of the least recognized and most common problems in a microbiz is: How do I stay motivated?

You start by understanding the power of language. Not just the spoken or written word, but the precursor to all of it — thought. Just as what others tell us can change our lives, our thoughts can change them as well. Much of our self-image is based on what we tell ourselves in relation to external input.

I once had a sales trainer who did a ride along with me after my sales went into a slump. His critique was, “You’re taking this too personally. The no you’re hearing may really mean no for now. Or it may mean no to your product. It is seldom no to you.” His advice was to take a couple of moments after each sales call to either congratulate myself on another sale or to reinforce my feeling of self-worth by reminding myself that I’m still an OK guy even though I didn’t close the sale.

Dr. Judith E Pearson, PhD, has an excellent article on her website that goes into detail about the power of self-talk. She explores both the negative and positive aspects. She also offers tips on getting your self-talk and affirmations shifted into high gear.

Starting now, pay attention to that inner voice. Instead of buying into negativity, open your Yakety-Sak™. Gosh darn it, people like you!

What is Perceptual Mapping?

by Trisha Ahlman

Perceptual mapping is a graphical technique to visually display the perceptions of consumers or potential customers. To be most accurate, a perceptual map is made for all products, brands, attributes, audiences, and product lines.

Why is perceptual mapping important?

It helps you better understand your position in the market, your competitor’s position, and potential gaps and points of differentiation. Once you know where you stand in relation your competitors, you can decide to compete toe-to-toe, to find a ‘niche’ market or to develop something that will differentiate you from the competition.

To create a perceptual map, start by listing your products, product lines, and audiences then draw an (x) and (y) axis. You can add axis points if necessary (looking like a 6-8 point star), but it can create more confusion. I try to stay within six or less to be safe. Each point gets an attribute such as affordable, convenient, practical, etc. Each target audience will have its own perceptual map.

Once you have the map you now need the data to appropriately map your perception. The data can come from an expert marketer who understands the industry, polling (colleagues, friends, and family) of at least 30 or more people, or purchased research. Place a dot for every person who says, for instance, affordable and convenient in that location remembering that more than one dot for each competitor can happen (i.e. a hybrid car might be considered practical and expensive if those were your attributes placing the brand on the map in two locations).The map shows the position of the marketplace based on perceptions.

Confusing? I hope not. This information is invaluable when considering new brands, product lines, or just gaining a better understanding of where you stand against the competition. In order to earn real estate in the mind of consumers, you have to be different. If you see there is a gap after mapping yourself and the competition, you can easily fill a need for consumers and be unique and different in the marketplace.

Example:
Naked Body and Bath of Houston is a bath and body company that learned consumers want an ‘experience’, are allergic to fragrances, and like organic natural choices. Unlike its competitors with pre-manufactured and packaged products, NBB blends and customizes all of its products on the premises. Now, NBB is contending strongly in a very competitive market with a very unique brand.

Homework: 1) List attributes, product lines, and target audiences and begin mapping. 2) Poll 30-40 people for each map. 3) Find the gaps and note differentiating points. 4) Expand your business.

Trisha Ahlman is the CEO of Augment Marketing Group and has nearly 20 years experience in marketing for corporations and small businesses. She sits on several creative and strategic development boards nationwide. “Inspired by growth” from its inception, Augments mission is to inspire growth in all businesses large or small when developing strong brands. We believe in inspiring, learning and growing. She can be reached at
trisha@augmentgroup.com
or visit
http://www.inspiredbygrowth.blogspot.com.

Exhibitor Success: It’s All In the Details!

by Hiett Ives

I recently attended an international Wind Power trade show. As I visited the exhibits I noticed two very common – and easily remedied – problems.

Case Study #1 – Problem

This exhibitor had a corner booth with no side rail on the aisle side. The two open sides gave the booth the perception of being 30% larger than those of the vendors with inline booths.

The problem with this premium space was that the product display was on a countertop kiosk right on the front aisle corner of the booth, with open space behind it. Anyone wanting to view the product had to stand in the aisle and be subjected to the buffeting of the moving crowd. The problem was compounded because visitors were making NO COMMITMENT to the exhibitor because they were not IN his booth.

Solution

– Move the kiosk back into the booth approximately two feet from both aisles. Anyone interested in the product has to ENTER THE BOOTH. This changes the encounter to the exhibitor’s advantage. The mindset of a visitor IN YOUR BOOTH is entirely different than one standing in the aisle. It is much the same as window shoppers compared to customers inside a store.

This small move resulted higher traffic into the booth and more qualified contacts.

Case Study #2 – Problem

The second exhibitor had a six foot table across front of a 10′ inline booth. A professional 2′x3′ color photo of their product was in the middle of the table. There were four similar size photos on easels flanking the table.

The problem with this booth was that NONE of the photos gave any indication of what they represented. The vendor gave no indication of who they were or what they did. Just 5 great photos in an uninviting booth.

Solution

– Move the table well back into the booth and put each pair of side photos to the front of the booth and flanking the featured photo. Then CAPTION each photo.

This small move brought visitors INTO the booth so the vendor could elaborate on the features in the captioned photos.

SIMPLE changes allowed both exhibitors to enjoy significantly higher traffic and better qualified booth visitors than their fellow exhibitors.

Hiett Ives is the owner of Show Dynamics, a tradeshow consulting firm. He has more than thirty years experience in the industry and has worked with regional, national and international clients. If you have questions, give him a call at (832) 372-6900 or email him at HiettIves@ShowDynamics.com. You can visit his website at www.ShowDynamics.com.

Three Tips to Focus Your Networking

When we changed focus from studio photography to on-site commercial work, we had to change our marketing strategy. In the past we had a calendar of promotions for holidays, seasons, senior portraits, babies & bellies, and sports. Networking played only a small part in our program.

Our new emphasis on architectural and custom home photography required a drastic change in marketing. We decided that the best way to penetrate the new market quickly was by face-to-face contact and trust building. A few stumbles and false starts taught us the following lessons.

• Identify your ideal customer. If yours is an established business, review your sales for the past two years.What type of business has consistently purchased your services or has purchased in the largest quantities? For a new business, what type of customer do you most want to service?
• Identify the customer’s industry association. Your local public or college library reference section if a good place to find directories of industry associations. Another good starting place is the Weddle’s website. The association website usually gives contact information for local chapters.
• Research association events and functions. Most associations host meetings, mixers, trade shows and happy hours for the membership. These are all great opportunities to make yourself known.

Networking is an important part of any marketing mix. Always keep your eyes and ears open for chances to teach others about what you do. We’ve had some great jobs come to us from unexpected places. But to make sure you get the most return for your time, focus your program.

How do you use networking to promote your business?

Seven Myths About Branding

by Trisha Ahlman

1. Branding is a fad. Rest assured the concept of “branding” is here to stay. Branding is not a fad and it’s not a mysterious involuntary action just ask Coke, Kodak, Disney, or Jack-in-the-Box. In order to build a brand that lasts, you have to understand the principals of branding. The best place to start building your brand is with the vision, mission, and core values. Once you understand where you are, where you want to go, and what is important to the growth of your business, your brand will flourish.
   
2. Spending a lot of money on advertising will brand my company. If this were true, all of the dot com companies that launched years ago would not have gone belly up. They poured millions into branding, marketing, and advertising yet many of them are non-existent today. If you want to build a solid corporate identity and brand, you have to start with who you want to be in the world and what your brand represents. What is your brand DNA? This isn’t always easy to figure out. Just like DNA, brands evolve overtime.
   
3. Seeing a logo over and over will brand my business. Design of a logo is important obviously; however, it takes more than a cute design to build a brand. Everything matters when it comes to building the foundation of your brand. Do the colors make sense? Does the design fit well with other imagery? Is the imagery consistent to your long-term goals? Does your brand tell a story? It’s most important to have a brand that stands for something. With an appropriate marketing and advertising plan to grow the business, branding will begin to take shape.
   
4. The uniqueness of my brand is the design. Remember, it’s not just the uniqueness that counts when building a brand. Yes, your design is important but a clear understanding of who you are is ‘critical’. What is your long-term strategy? Have you developed a strategic plan not just a business and marketing plan? Uniqueness can come from many aspects including design, strategy, clever copywriting, and consumer experience.
   
5. Over time I will involuntarily build a brand. If branding happened involuntary there would be even ‘more’ brands than there are now. How could consumers grasp brands if it were easy? In order to gain a little piece of real estate in consumers’ minds, we have to be proactive. Becoming a brand manager is critical for an entrepreneur. We wear many hats when starting a company and building a brand. Start with the end in mind and work your way back. Vision is important for the overall brand concept. Create a brand manual (extensive or to the point) and consider all aspects of the brand. How it looks? How it feels? How it should be used? What it means to the company and to the world?
   
6. Branding just happens. Unfortunately, branding doesn’t just happen and it takes a lot of hard work to develop. If you want to compete in a global economy, you have to begin managing your brand actively. Take charge of the brand and understand that branding takes time. Be patient.
   
7. My brand has to be complicated to be interesting enough to brand. On the contrary. Your brand should be simple and make sense. Be consistent and innovative. Delight your customers and make a strong presence with your brand. It’s not an easy task but it can be done with determination and tenacity.
   

Homework: 1) Align your vision, mission, and core values. 2) Assess your imagery, colors, and design. Do they make sense for your brand? 3) Start a strategic plan. 4) Start a brand manual and think through the brand from A-Z.

Lesson Learned: Does your brand tell a story?

Trisha Ahlman is the CEO of Augment Marketing Group and has nearly 20 years experience in marketing for corporations and small businesses. She sits on several creative and strategic development boards nationwide. “Inspired by growth” from its inception, Augment’s mission is to inspire growth in all businesses large or small when developing strong brands. We believe in inspiring, learning and growing. She can be reached at trisha@augmentgroup.com for more branding tips visit: http://inspiredbygrowth.blogspot.com/search/label/Branding%20Tips%20Online