For those of use who have spend a considerable amount of time at Trade Shows either as a guest or presenter know that usually hey are crammed events with a sea of booths. So what can be done to stand out from the crowd?

I have put together a short list of suggestions that have proven to work well for me. Weather you’re new to the Trade Shows bandwagon or a veteran, we could all use a little grease on the wheels.

•  Be a Trade Show Exhibitor, NOT an Attendee.
• Create a relevant atmosphere around your booth, using displays that depict what you do and expresses the benefits to the patrons of the event.
• Be exciting! Plan out some interaction ideas with your visitors. The more they become involved in your booth, the more likely they are to remember you. You have less than 30 seconds to catch the attention of your visitor. How are you going to do it?
• Have a prize Fish Bowl. This is a great way collect leads. Make sure you follow up on your leads promptly and professionally
• Have some gifts or promotional giveaways to draw from the bowl and award a new winner each hour as incentive for prospects to share their business card. 

Believe it or not… the point of a Trade Show is to catch the attention of a prospect and get to know them. This is how your sale is made. So don’t be afraid to chat it up with people and make a scene.

Nobody, and I do mean nobody, likes to catch a cold or the flu. But like it or not, these maladies are contagious and can often be caught by associating with others. While a cold or the flu are some of the “not so good” things that we can catch from people around us, there are some really good things that we can catch — or give to others as well.

For example, attitudes are contagious. In fact, they can be highly contagious. Regardless of whether your attitude is good or bad, happy or sad or somewhere in between, others can catch your attitude.

Think about it for a moment. When you are feeling down and out, can your negative attitude drag those around you down as well? Of course it can. And can others catch your lazy, halfhearted approach to a task around you as well? You bet.

On the other hand, when you are feeling positive and upbeat, can your self-assured attitude make others around you feel better too? Absolutely!

A negative attitude or sour disposition turns people off, while a positive attitude and optimistic outlook turns people on. People absolutely love to associate with positively charged individuals who possess a great attitude day in and day out. Conversely, nobody likes being around anyone who regularly exhibits a sour, negative, down in the dump attitude daily. NOBODY!

What kinds of attitude do you consistently put on display? More importantly, is your attitude worth catching? If your attitude doesn’t lift you and those around you to a higher altitude, maybe an attitude adjustment is in order. You will discover that the moment you trade in your lousy attitude for a positive “I can do it” approach to life, some amazing changes are in store for you – and those around you as well.

You can get the ball rolling by energetically infusing some good old-fashioned enthusiasm into your life. You’ll find that getting excited and forcefully pumping some fire back into your daily activities is just what the doctor ordered.

There is very little that you are incapable of achieving with enthusiasm on your side and yet there is very little you can achieve without it. The moment you unleash your contagious enthusiasm and infectious good humor on those around you, it will immediately spread to others like an uncontrollable wild fire.

People love being around others who are super charged and super fired up. They find a winner’s positive attitude and upbeat personality simply irresistible.

There’s no doubt about it, an irrepressible will to win and courageous “can do” spirit can excite and ignite those around you. Once you have experienced the energy, excitement and enthusiasm that come with possessing a positively charged attitude, you will never want to waste another moment of your life being negative or pessimistic.

Where your attitude is concerned, you had better make absolutely certain that you have something worth catching – and keeping. You need to grab a super positive attitude every day and then spread it around so that others can catch it as well.

The title of this post sounds simply…and it is, but almost too simply. Companies often carry assumptions about their customers and the interests of their buyers. Assuming that they understand the needs of their consumers, businesses often forget to ask the important questions of their clients to really understand their needs at that moment. Asking these questions not only gives your company a clear idea of your customer’s needs, but also shows them that you are concerned, proactive, and invested in their interests. There are also times where a company will be so concerned with their product and efficiency of their business, that they forgot who their interest should truly be invested in….their customer. All of this sounds so logical and simple, but is often lost in the day to day of the business world.

Taking the time to ask the important questions of your clients keeps your business on track with your consumer’s needs. It also shows a vested interest in their changing buying interests and well-being. A healthy reminder of this care and concern can also be delivered through a clever promotional product. Along with great questions, promo products remind your client/consumers where your interest as a business truly lies.

Trends are a big part of business. If a company can accurately identify a current or future trend of their market, they can be strides ahead of their competition in terms of marketing and sales. This is something recent blogs have touched on. One trend that is often over-looked it the trend of youth. It may seem a little outrageous or too far into the future, but when you think about it, the future of business lies in the minds of those who are up and coming….the youth. The future decision-makers, marketers, buyers, etc. are all up and coming business people.

This a trend that inevitable, it’s not commonly thought of, but it makes sense. That’s why it’s important to begin the pick the brains of this market. Discovering their interests, ambitions, goals, ideas, etc. could be a great investment for the future. It’s not to say that you need to reconfigure your business plan based on this research, but it’s certainly worthy of interest.  The future of your company lays in the hands of your younger employees, just as the future of your buyers and competitors lay in the hands of youth.  If you can get a head start with this trend, begin to formulate ideas for the future, then your bottom-line will be secure for years to come.

As a supplier, you want your clients to trust your product. When they order from you they expect an on time, creative, satisfying product. Obviously this sort of relationship can be built with clients with continual client satisfaction, but how do you obtain this sort of relationship quickly with new clients? One way you can gain this trust, as a supplier, is to provide new customers with a preview of the kind of quality and creativity you’re all about. And what’s the secret? Promo Products…

Promo products are a great way to give potential clients a preview or a small example of the kind of quality and creative your company’s all about. I know some of you are thinking, we’re talking about pens, key chains, golf tees, etc. But can’t you tell a lot about a company based on the quality and creativity of these products? I mean, if a company’s will to put the time and effort into designing, creating, and executing a great promo product, or at least take the time to acquire a great promo item; doesn’t this show an attention to detail and commitment that you’re looking for in a supplier? Of course it does, this is exactly what you look for in a supplier.

When you need to get product to a customer, you need to rely on a great supplier.  You need people who are committed to every detail and take pride in all aspects of their craft.  Great promotional items can be a great indication of these traits!

Promo products are marketing food….there are several ways that you can look at this idea. The first being that promo products are things that consumers/clients will eat up. They can be very good at getting a company’s name out to the buying public and also serve as an added incentive/bonus to company clients. Promo products are so good in fact that clients/customers/consumers will always way more and different kinds. They’re novel, unique, clever, and people like getting them and seeing them.

A different interpretation of this saying could be the idea the food is fuel. Food provides our body’s with energy and drive. Promo products can work in a very similar way. If used correctly and effectively, promo products can give a lot of fuel to a good marketing plan. They can add some extra fire to a struggling promotional strategy and give an extra punch to an otherwise dull marketing plan. Promo products can keep your image and brand viewable and marketable to the public where other advertising or marketing might fall short. This is the idea of promo products adding fuel to a good marketing plan.

Whichever idea you and your company focus on can help drive a good marketing and promotional strategy. It can be trying to provide good “food” for the buying public to eat up, or it could be adding a little fuel and strength to your marketing plan. Regardless, adding a little marketing food to your company’s diet will always help the bottom-line.

In several recent posts we’ve talked about how the sales process can be very difficult. We discussed how competitive industry markets are these days and how important it is to get a leg up on your competition through any means. To get in edge in the business world you need to go above and beyond, you need to offer your client something, outside of a great product, that your competitors don’t. In the case, we’re talking about promo products. Promo products are a great way to attract your client or customer to your business and ultimately push them over th edge into buying your product.

A key chain, designer pen, anything that can appeal to the customer and also get your brand image out to the public is a good way to win over your customer/client. Such a small gift is still a gift in the consumer’s eyes. It’s seen as a kind gesture and a way of thanking them on the side for doing business with them. This small gift and gesture can often times be enough to get them to buy into the bigger product you can offer. Call it a bribe, call it a gift, gestures like these can mean the difference between a healthy bottom-line and struggling sales numbers.

In business, is image really everything? Does it need to be stronger and more positive compared to your competitors? I guess I can only answer this in one way….ABSOLUTELY. When people say that in business image is everything, they’re saying this for a reason. Let’s take a look…

Let’s take for example Company A, who has a history of bad business ethics, often is receiving bad publicity in the news, and basically carries a negative vibe with buyers. Now take Company B, who has a proven history of ethical business, strong customer satisfaction, and great publicity. As a buyer/client/customer who’s looking to buy a product, in small or large scale, what company will you immediately be most inclined to do business with? Obviously Company B. If you don’t know much about a product created by Company A, what kind of assumptions will you have and will you be able to trust this product without knowing a lot about it? Whereas, if you are in the dark about a product from Company B, won’t you have a margin of trust because of the company’s background? ABSOLUTELY!

The image your company carries is everything. It allows your customer to be comfortable with your track record, have a positive feeling in the sales process, and also feel confident in going into business with your company. Having a strong company image and give your business an advantage over your competitors before you even offer your product.  If you feel like your company already has a great image, then promotional items are a great way to get your positive image to more of the public. Creating a positive image can mean everything and getting that positive image out there, can be just as important!

In the previous post we covered how to make the sales process more efficient, how it’s vital to facilitate to the clients needs, and make it a smooth and comfortable transaction. Now it’s important to cover how you can “load your sales gun.” The more you “ammo” you provide for your sales people, the more success they’ll find. What I’m talking about here are promotional products and promotional marketing items. Whether it’s pens with a company logo, key chains, or any sort of relevant logo marketing merchandise, these are things that your client can use to get their brand name and image to its buyers. Besides being a gift and kind gesture to your clients/customers, they act as a reminder to anyone they decide to give it to, or anyone who sees them. The more people see your brand name or your logo, the more they’ll think about your company and this is great for your business. Getting your image out to the public through any means possible only equates for a larger bottom-line.

So remember, next time you send your sales rep out on the road, or to an important client meeting, give them a loaded gun. Give them an opportunity to wow the client with a way to increase their brand recognition.  Any little thing can make a difference and promotional items can be great marketing ammunition.

So what exactly does this clever little phrase mean? What does it mean to “grease your wheels” and how can this be applied to the sales world? Hopefully by the end of this post it will be clear. To “grease your wheels” simply means to make something run smoother, more efficient. When you grease up a chain on a bike, it’s to allow the chain work smoother. When you put WD-40 on a squeaking door, the door opens and closes easier, any resistance is eliminated. This same idea can be applied to the sales process. The easier you can make the sales process for the client/customer, the more willing they’ll be to do business with you. If, however, the transaction is full of hassles, hang-ups and run-arounds then the client will have serious regrets about dealing with you or your company. It’s simple: The easier, smoother and, well, better you can make this process for them, the more they’re going to want to do business with you.

Here are some easy ways to grease your sales wheels:

• Do Your Homework: know your product, know your company, and know your client
• Be Accommodating and Accessible: put your clients’ needs as a priority and always try to be available if the client needs to reach you
• Learn From Mistakes: analyze positive sales processes and negative ones as well and apply the things you learn to future transactions

The last thing a client wants is a painful sales process and the more you can do to facilitate their needs, the more business the client will want to do with you. Greasing your wheels may be a strange analogy, but a smooth ride for your clients is a key to great business!