Trade Show Contests: A Great Tool in Trade Show Marketing

Trade show contests should play a huge role in trade show marketing; after all, it will drive visitors directly to your trade show exhibit. An effective trade show contest produces brand recognition and adds to the visibility of your company at a trade show. It is vital to plan your trade show contest well to ensure it brings about success from your trade show marketing efforts.

Consider a Theme for Your Trade Show Contest

The first step in your trade show marketing is to decide on a theme for your trade show contest. Select a theme that fits in with your company's products and services. For instance, if your company makes power tools, a water park theme is not as enticing to targeted do-it-yourselfers as a home renovation and construction theme. You should include your theme in all of your trade show marketing and in your booth decor, so select your trade show contest theme wisely.

Select Your Prizes

As with your trade show contest theme, the prizes you give away should be a good representation of your products and services. For example, a great prize for the power tool manufacturer may be a selection of power tools or a home improvement store gift certificate.

Money is often the trade show contest prize that will bring attendees running to your booth. Cash cube money machines that swirl money around for people to catch is always a fun draw for any business. Massages, spa gift certificates, and vacations can usually be made to fit nicely into trade show marketing themes.

Make Sure Your Contest Does Not Break Any Rules

You may have an incredible contest idea, but if it violates the rules of the trade show, your incredible idea will not fly. It is essential that you understand the rules of the trade show and double check with the staff before advertising your trade show contest in your trade show marketing. If you fail to do this, you could end up with a worthless contest and a show full of angry attendees who came especially for you.

Hire Enough Staff Members

You should have one person in your staff that does nothing but manage the running of the trade show contest. You do not want people visiting your booth with the purpose of participating in your contest, just to turn away because everyone is busy and no one is responsible for the contest. By having one person dedicated to managing the contest, you have the chance for that person to talk about your products and services with a person who may have only come for the contest. Do not just put out slips of paper and a drop box. You do not want to lose the valuable conversations with potential customers because you were understaffed.

Market Your Trade Show Contest

Make the effort to market your trade show contest before the show so that people know about it and can arrange to come by your booth. Add information about your trade show contest on your company website and send trade show marketing materials to customers containing the same information. Sending out personal invitations to participate in your trade show contest also usually produces nice results.

Continue marketing your trade show contest at the trade show and even at locations near the trade show. Place flyers about your trade show contest at the airport, hotels, outside the venue, and anywhere else you think possible attendees may be lurking. Make sure you clearly provide directions and list your booth number in your trade show marketing materials so attendees can easily find you.

Trade show contests are a fun and efficient tool in trade show marketing. A well-planned trade show contest will always draw new contacts and potential customers.


About the Author

Christine OKelly is an author for trade show marketing consultant Jonathan Edelman. Jonathan is the founder of Ideas 4 Now, a trade show marketing company offering promotional products such as video game attractions that drive traffic to trade show booths. Edelman is also the founder of the trade show vendors directory Trade Show Vendors.com.

Relaited Links:

• How to write book reviews for your target audience.

Telesales Techniques You Must Learn

Nowadays, almost every business employs telesales personnel in order to boost their sales and do a world of good to their business. From newspapers to Advertising Agencies to Manufacturing Houses and even Charitable Institutions every one is employing telesales techniques for sales.

In fact, there are numerous companies around the world that exist solely for contacting individuals over the telephone! The numbers indicate that there are thousands of people working for the telesales industry just in the United Kingdom. However, these telesales personnel strive hard to get good commissions owing to the fact that the basic pay of these firms is generally insufficient.

With the change in the world economy market and the nations all plunging ahead towards a fuel crisis, the number of sales men and women on the road is decreasing incredibly. This is also aided by the fact that communication through the telephone is becoming easier and cheaper, which makes telesales techniques very important.

Even postage costs are rather high and although the email is a good idea for communication, it lacks the element of personal contact. This is yet another reason behind the booming of telephone sales.

The sales persons included in the telemarketing firms have the drive to earn more money and thus work dedicatedly.
The individuals working for telesales also make their best attempt to make the most of their talent.

Read on to know more about how you will make the most of telemarketing with great telesales techniques:

Openers
The most important aspect of the entire call that your telesales executives makes is the opening. Generally, the individuals who receive the call run on a busy schedule, thus the person who is called might not be in a receptive mood. What happens often is that the calls irritate the person. Thus, the most vital part of the conversation is the opening where the telesales department worker needs to make an impact. If the initial moments of the conversation are able to interest the person called, the telephone call becomes a success. The opening, therefore, that makes the call or breaks the call. So follow the tips given below to ensure that the opening moment of your call strikes the right chord:

A good telesales caller will begin by politely introducing himself or herself and then the company on behalf of which they are making the call. This is one of the fundamentals of telesales techniques.

Try to say something that will immediately grab the attention of the person and engross him in a conversation. In fact, if the person can be convinced that he will benefit from the conversation, the telephone call is likely to become a success.
Try to imagine yourself in the position of the customer. What would you like to hear? Once you can get this clear in your head, you will immediately know what the prospective client wants and how to make a call that will make your business a success.

Remember to make some impact with the opening line because it is the part that will determine whether the call will become a success or a failure. You need to construct the initial line such that it attracts the person being called. At the same time, it should be brief because the person on the other end will not give you a lot of time.


About the Author

James Copper is a writer for http://www.bigstrategies.co.uk

Relaited Links:

• Website Marketing Fundamentals and Your Look and Feel Upgrade