Go Ahead, Raise Your Hand

Yep, get it up there, because you too are probably guilty of going to a conference and leaving literature that you received from vendors on the expo floor in your hotel room.

It is a shame, a crying shame and we all know the drill. You go to the expo floor with the bag that you get when you check in to the conference. You gather brochures (approximately .15 each to print), and gather promotional items (70% of which end up in the dump) and you take them back to your room. The bag sits there, full until it is crunch time, time to pack your bags and run out the door for you flight. Inevitably, at the last minute, you end up rummaging through the bag grabbing the cool goodies for the kids and everything else stays on the bed, in your hotel room. By the time 3:00 PM rolls around, your bag is on its way home with a hotel employee (not a bad program) but all of that literature is heading for trash dump!

So, is there a solution? Yes, but it starts with the expo vendors. So if you are a vendor, here are a couple of thoughts and solutions. First of all, consider this. Handing a brochure to a person that is visiting your booth is like handing them a license to leave. The mind set is simply this “oh sure, I will review and give you a call” and they rarely do. Chances are, that brochure ends up on the bed, in the bag that goes home with the hotel employee. Always have the people working your booth end with, we don’t have literature, as we know people don’t like to travel with access baggage so can I forward you some information about our product, or give you a call next week and I can review it personally with you”. How about that, a post event touch point!

Next, if you feel compelled to give out information about your products and services, hand out a small credit card piece of collateral that is branded with your company, or product logo. People will more than likely put it in their wallet, but at least you spend a better chance of it leaving the hotel! Include an incentive like a contest (think “register to win”) or give a donation to your non-profit organization du jour if they activate the card. Be sure that during the activation process you are asking pertinent questions such as buying patterns, if they would like someone to contact them, or even if they are using your competitor’s solutions. The card should direct them to a landing page that is all about your solutions and products. Be sure to include any special messaging you may have had for the conference.

Bottom line, it isn’t all about saving the trees, but it sure helps. It is all about post event touch points and another opportunity for your organization to get in touch with potential clients.

Classroom Seating is for Students, Not for Prospects and Clients

Here is how it goes. You call the venue, and they say “how would you like the meeting room formatted?”. Then you say “well we are giving a presentation, so how about classroom style?”. How about NO. Classroom style is for students, not for the folks that sign the PO’s .

The art of networking has been eliminated from sales events over the years. The meeting agendas, locations, and formats do not lend to people talking to one another and sharing ideas. This is critical as nothing is better than one of your best customers talking to one of your potential customers about the success they are having with your products. Even better than that is your salespeople talking to the customers. Hey, now there is a concept.

Enabling your guests to network is key, and the best way is to have them seated so they are facing each other. They can always turn to face the presentation. One alternative option is popping up at many of the boutique hotels. Rent a boardroom. . A great example of this type of venue can be found at The Umstead Resort in Cary, North Carolina. This room is nicely appointed with an executive feel. True, not every one is facing one another, but at least no one is looking at someone’s back.

Another option is to have your room seating placed into a “U” shape. This allows each of your guests to see each other, and for your presenter to get closer to the guests. If this is not an option, use 6 or 8 inch rounds. Strategically place your sales team with the seats that face the presentation so they have to turn around, not the client or prospect.

It is the little details that count when hosting a successful event. Seating formats are just one more detail that can help you with your return on your event investment.

Warning: Excessive Power Point Slides Can Cause Drowsiness

It has been dubbed, “death by Power Point”. The drip, drip, drip of too many PowerPoint slides can sink your event in a hurry. Your future events may be casualties as well. No one ever forgets a painful presentation, so your clients and prospects will think twice about showing up to your future events.So how do you avoid the pitfalls of a painful PowerPoint? Limit the number of slides, and make sure each slide is effective. Bracket your presentation with an introduction slide that includes an agenda (so your audience knows what to expect) and a closing slide that acts as a commercial for your company. No one slide should last longer than five minutes, or your audience will mentally beg to move on.How do you fill the void between the first and the final slide? First, make sure the right person is presenting. Your presenter should be knowledgeable, comfortable, engaging and entertaining. If the presenter is likable, the audience will transfer their fondness for the presenter onto your company.

Find a story teller who is well versed on your product and familiar with your industry.
Have the speaker break up the presentation by going to a white board. People pay more attention to a human drawing a diagram, than to a diagram shown via PowerPoint.Make sure your presenter involves the audience. This takes practice to manage. You want the audience to feel involved, but too much involvement can cause the presentation to seem interminable. Encourage questions, but if someone from the audience starts giving their own lecture, your presenter should offer to talk with them after the presentation. Your audience came to hear from your company, after all. A good presenter will strike a balance, presenting the material while letting the right amount of peer-to-peer interaction happen in the audience

For presentations focused around a concrete product, incorporate product samples into the presentation. But don’t bore the guests with the nitpicky details of a product demonstration. Use broad brush strokes to get the point across—don’t get bogged down in details. The worst demonstrations happen when the presenter gets confused by the product. Make sure the presenter has had enough practice to head off this kind of catastrophe.

If you can manage the logistics, try to have two projection systems, one for the PowerPoint and another for the product samples. This is a great way to drive home your point. Product samples or demos should be available to the guests on their way out. Make sure they are visible and accessible along the path of the exit foot traffic.Another great way to break up the presentation and show the value of your product is to have a customer give a success story. This is a great way to make believers of your prospects. Video testimonials are perfect presentation solutions, or invite a customer to speak. Make sure to review the customer’s story ahead of time, and keep the story brief—you don’t want to lose control of the presentation. Bottom line: If you’re spending budget and staff time on a sales presentation, make sure it’s a good one that leaves your customers wanting more