The Art of the Quick Phone Call

1. You can start informally with banter - If I’m calling somebody I know a bit I usually try to start with a little friendly banter. If I know they like a sports team that might be a good start. If I saw their company in the press, heard that they saw somebody at an event that I know, they live in a town where a storm just rolled through – whatever. I think trying to humanize the call from the outset is good. When you jump straight into “sales pitch mode” it feels a bit strange.

Two things to watch for: 1) if you’re trying banter to build rapport but not “feeling it” then quickly shift to business. Some people just aren’t “chit chatters” and prefer to get on with things. I find that kinda boring, but I know some people are just wired that way. 2) some callers take this banter too far It starts to border on disrespectful of the person’s time or wasteful of your 15 minutes. Don’t be that person. Link from Both sides of the Table

Is Your Trade Show Exhibit a Good Investment?

Many marketing executives can’t completely answer this question. They basically repeat what was done in previous years with slight variations in execution. Taking a moment to analyze your trade show goals and results can help you find new ways to acquire more customers and make your trade show investment really pay off.

Trade shows are expensive but they can also be one of the best sales and marketing investments your company makes. Trade show exhibits provide unparalleled opportunities to forge stronger customer relationships, win-back old customers and acquire new, high-value customers. But you should expect this effort to deliver more. Full Article.

EXHIBITOR Magazine Releases Findings from its 2010 Marketing Technology Survey

11/24/2010 - Technology has taken over our world, but how is that tech takeover impacting the exhibit and event industry? To find out, EXHIBITOR fielded the 2010 Marketing Technology Survey. According to the results, exhibit- and event-related technologies can help marketers build brand awareness, improve client relationships, increase sales leads, and encourage trade show and event attendees to linger longer. Full article.

50 Free Apps We're Most Thankful For

As we prepare to give thanks for our delicious Thanksgiving meals (and impending food comas), let's not forget to pay tribute to the wonderful developers who bring us our favorite free apps. More from Lifehacker.

The Seven Deadly Sins Of Poor Boothmanship

How many times have you seen booth staffers make it tough for attendees to engage with them by standing in closed circles with their colleagues, talking on their cell phones, eating in the corner of the booth, or being otherwise engaged in anything but attending to the needs of show attendees? Full article.

CEIR Research Indicates Booth Personnel and Product Demonstrations Grow in Exhibit Booth Recall Effectiveness

DALLAS, 16 November 2010 - Today, research released by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) provides insights into the recall factors of attendees being able to remember a particular exhibit on the show floor. The study is an update to a report Most Memorable Exhibits: An Analysis of the Factors Affecting Exhibit Recall, published in 2000.

Memorability is important to an exhibitor because studies have shown that it can influence purchasing decisions that are initiated at a later time, and it builds long-term brand awareness equities as well. Serious buyers also appear to depend on booth recall as a valuable information base. The size of the booth, as might be expected, continues to be an automatic recall factor for several reasons: Continue.

18 Hidden Rules of Trade Shows

Trade shows also are governed by hidden, yet immutable rules. You may have already run up against them without realizing it, or discovered them through arduous experience. Since forewarned is forearmed, here are 18 hidden rules of trade shows:

1. The more words you put on your trade show display, the fewer times they will be read.
2. The larger the crowd of people already in your booth, the more other people will want to visit your booth.
3. The person who complains the most about the value of trade shows is usually the one who knows (and tries) the least.
4. The more fun trade show attendees have in your booth during the show, the more serious business you will do after the show.
5. More from Skyline Trade Show Tips