Why you should replace 20% of your sales staff – NOW
I have strong opinions about sales staffs, having managed them in some shape or form since 1996. As I’ve previously written, I believe only 20% of salespeople are more than order takers. Given that assertion, I was asked recently, “What about the other 80% of our sales staff? How should I manage them so that I can […]
Have We Failed to Innovate in Our Events? An Insider’s Perspective from David Saef
I met David Saef at the recent Exhibit Sales Roundtable and was impressed both by his presentation (though not necessarily agreeing with everything) as well as his overall point of view about our industry. David is the SVP of Strategy at Freeman. In that role he helps Freeman’s many clients with their marketing strategies, including […]
Will your lack of respect for your customers come back to bite you?
A colleague advised me when I started in the business that I should “do as little as possible while trying to get the maximum out of others.” Left unsaid, but understood, was the presumption that as long as I got mine, making the minimum effort was OK.Fortunately for my bosses and my clients, I rejected that […]
How to Get More Revenue When Your Customer Budgets Are Shrinking
Times are tight. Even though ‘events are back’ your exhibitors are cutting back, as evidenced by their smaller budgets. They are returning neither your calls nor your emails. How do you reverse this trend and accelerate the process needed to increase your sales? You CAN increase sales year over year, even though times remain tough. As […]
Downturn Strategies from an Event Industry Sales Expert
One of my long-term industry friends is Dan Cole, whom I first met in 2007 at a Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO) event. Then serving as the Vice President of Sales for the Consumer Electronics Show, Dan moderated a SISO panel about exhibit sales strategies and tactics that wowed me with its insights and recommendations. […]
Does Your Event Have a Reason for Being?
Does this sound like a quesion with an obvious answer? It’s not, and I can prove it. One clue to possible problems is the core messaging. Is the tagline for your event something along the lines of: “It’s all about networking” “It’s all about action!” “Be ingenious!” Some other similarly trite, vacuous slogan? If so, […]
Only 20% of Sales Staff are Truly Salespeople.
The Rest? Order-Takers
At SuperNiche in Washington DC last week, I attended a session by Ryan Dohrn during which he asserted that prospects that contact you are already 2/3 of the way through the buying process. They’ve already researched who you are, have looked at the prospectus for your event, and know what they want to buy. Given that scenario, do you […]
A Ride on the Roller Coaster with Someone Who’s Seen It All: Jason McGraw
Jason McGraw, a Group Vice President at Emerald, is a good guy and a friend within the industry. From his roles with such well-known shows as InfoComm, the Trade Show Executive Gold 100, and, more recently, CEDIA Expo, and KBIS, Jason has seen it all. I met with him recently at an industry event and, given […]
Strategic and Tactical: Chat with an Event Marketing Agency Star: Shauna Peters
I’ve gotten so much positive response from my recent interview articles that I’ve decided to continue them for a while. Next up is Shauna Peters, vice president and marketing strategist for mdg, a Freeman Company. I’ve known Shauna for many years, and I’ve watched her excel at a variety of roles within the industry. Given that she’s […]
Resilience Under Fire: An Event Organizer Chat with Sean Guerre
Recently I’ve had the chance to re-connect with a number of people who I’ve known and respected for many years. Among them is Sean Guerre, who I first met at the 2008 SISO (Society of Independent Show Organizers) CEO Summit where he took me under his wing and introduced me to C-Suite life in the tradeshow […]