Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

Rethinking Trade Show Strategies

I had the distinct pleasure to hang with a DMO Board this morning in Chicago...the day after many of them walked the floor at ASAE, often called the Super Bowl of Meetings and Conventions oriented Trade Shows. As one could imagine, this was the first time many have ever experienced such an event...and I asked what their primary takeaway was.

With as much one-upmanship technology and swag that is on display at the show, one shouldn't be surprised if the glitz was what turned heads. But it wasn't.

The first-timers came away pointing to the booths in which the destination representatives actively engaged in conversation with them. Yeah...pure old-time salespersonship (which, as Jack Carroll once wrote "is the absence of salesmanship - characterized by a quiet, relaxed, well-prepared salesperson who forgets every aspect of technique and just listens and reacts in real time").

Just people who love their town encouraging those passing by to consider a visit. Even from a 10x10 booth.

As one Board member opined, "I was surprised at how competitive it was out there on the floor...because any size budget can compete if they have the right personnel out front."

Refreshing.

 

 

The Thought Process Behind Placement

Don't get me wrong...I think that making condoms available for sale in hotels is a good idea. It was just the way that such a service was offered during a recent stay that made me chuckle.

If you click on the image and look on the sixth line down of the very colorful products board, you'll see "Condoms" nestled between "Soda" and "Hoodie."

Though I'm giggling, I'm not sure I can suggest a better location. It probably doesn't fit next to "Pop-Tarts." Does it match up more effectively with "Batteries," "Shotglass" or "Bath Bomb?" I don't know.

I do know that I love how random this sign is...and would love to know the thought process that went into an obviously carefully considered piece of chalk art.

Investigative Reporting 101

You want to be an "investigative reporter" (isn't that redundant?)?

No need to go to some high powered university to get a degree. These 4 simple steps are all you need to know to wow a prospective employer. In the interview, just tell them that you are willing and able to:

1) Pick a prospective target.

2) Find a morsel of information that could be misconstrued by an unsophisticated audience.

3) Make it sound as incriminating as possible.

4) Include the true facts behind the perceived wrong (showing that there was no foul, after all) at the end of the story.

Need an example? Look no further than the "inspired" work of David Barer, Kylie McGivern and Josh Hinkle at KXAN-TV.

The innuendo is an attempted hatchet job of Visit Austin so thick that Jabba the Hutt would be impressed.

Tens of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money spent on alcohol, dinners, travel and concert tickets! Oh, the humanity!

Except the tax money being utilized was specifically collected and designated for exactly this purpose...to encourage convention and event planners to choose (and bring hundreds of thousands of dollars to) Austin, supporting the region's economy and reducing the need to tax residents at an even higher rate than they presently are. And, it is a tax not paid by residents. One wonders whether David, Kylie and Josh stopped to think that their personal taxes could easily go up if this "investigative report" resulted in the Visit Austin not being able to compete with other national and international destinations. Y'all think Austin sells itself because you're so cool? That's just hubris talking.

My two favorite pieces of "unsophisticated" innuendo were these: The breathless breakout fact that Visit Austin paid a $976 tip at a client dinner event. Joe and Jill Public should be outraged! Except, the bill was $6,500. THAT'S 15%, PEOPLE; the bare minimum that a professional in the travel industry (or anybody, frankly) should tip at a meal.

But, to Joe and Jill (that clench up at a $7 tip at Applebee's)...this sounds spectacularly egregious.

The other is even better. Our intrepid band of reporters unearthed that Visit Austin spent a collective $24,000 for former CEO Bob Lander's retirement party and new CEO Tom Noonan's welcome party. Simply shocking.

Except that those events were paid out of the DMO's private sector account (not public tax revenue). Just a minor nuance, there, eh?

And that, dear student of investigative reporting, brings us to the coup de grace of your desired path in life: the ability to set off a bomb in a public space, get everyone to look...and then say, "but, then again."

The close of the article (well beyond where mere mortals would have abandoned the story) says: "KXAN found Visit Austin’s spending on entertainment and meals does fall in line with other major Texas cities." And then, reveals comparable numbers from Dallas and Houston and Las Vegas.

So...if this is the norm, where is the story? Where is the foul? And, why have you three chosen to sully the name of one of the most transparent and thoughtfully run Destination Marketing Organizations in the country?

But that, dear student, is how to find fleeting fame and marginal fortune in the investigative reporting field.

Good luck with that.

What the Laziest Sales People Do

They cold call.

It takes no effort (other than punching in the numbers)...and it produces precious little result.

The smart sales professional, according to Frank Rumbauskas (author of Never Cold Call Again), seeks out new and innovative ways to generate leads. Like using prospect's clicks in e-mail messages to identify warm prospects, as suggested by Tom Martin in The Invisible Sale (trust me, it's worth the purchase price).

As Henry Ford famously said, “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it.”

If you sell...taking the lazy way out is not a long-term solution.

Think.

Black Friday No More

I've never really understood the concept of Black Friday, the nickname for the day after Thanksgiving...a day when holiday shoppers collectively lose their shit and swarm America's major retailers. Regardless of the purported savings, it doesn't sound like fun in the least.

Experts are now saying that Black Friday is losing it's status as the biggest shopping day of the year.

Indeed, half of American consumers believe their holiday shopping will be complete by Thanksgiving. Then there's the reality of the calendar. Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, meaning Christmas Eve shopping will likely end for most by mid-afternoon.

Thus, the biggest shopping day of 2016 is expected to be Friday, December 23rd.

As it should be. 

Smart Enough to Know Just Enough...

The cookies, tags and pixels that marketers use to track online behavior can be a pretty sensational way to remind a potential customer that they stumbled upon (or were actively researching) your product, service or experience. We've all been served up ads from companies and destinations the day after visiting their site. Sometimes it's a welcome reminder. Sometimes not.

Etsy falls into the "not" category. Two years ago, I researched and purchased a hand-painted mailbox as a Christmas present. And, every couple of days since (for two years, now), I have received an e-mail showing me more hand-painted mailboxes.

Now...Etsy knows that I purchased a hand-painted mailbox either for myself or as a gift. And, unless Etsy believes I have a hand-painted mailbox fetish (which is less likely than me purchasing one for myself or a friend) or live in a neighborhood where mailboxes often fall prey to baseball bats and M80s, one would think that Etsy would start serving up something besides hand-painted mailboxes. N'est-ce pas?

A little information in the wrong hands, my friends, is a terrible thing to waste...as you can see from the selection I was served up the other day (click image to enlarge). 

They are clearly smart enough to know I once showed an interest in a product...but not smart enough to avoid pissing me off every other day.

Qualifying Prospects

Qualifying leads is crucial to the longevity of every salesperson (regardless of sector) if that individual expects to be successful. And, taking a cold database of 2000 contacts can be a daunting task...if addressed with old school tactics.

Tom Martin (author of The Invisible Sale) offers up a stunningly smart process for turning blind leads warm without a single cold call in his latest blog post.

And, if you haven't...be sure to grab a copy of his The Invisible Sale for even more insightful concepts to make your sales efforts rock.