Talk It Up!

Being fully present

My buddy Vicki Austin has been writing about being fully present and the power of listening when your customers answer your qualifying questions. Nowhere is this more challenging than at a trade show, when hundreds of people are trooping past your booth, and you only have a few minutes to:

1. find out their needs
2. determine if your product or service is a match
3. explain the benefits of your product or service
4. get contact information from them

In fact, most of the time, we have to go through those four steps in fewer than two minutes. Two minutes.  And then we go through them again. And again. And again and again, dozens of times in one afternoon. How to you stay engaged? How do you really listen when your feet are killing you, you've only had some bad coffee since 9:00 a.m., you seem to be having the same conversation over and over and badges and faces have become a blur?

This week, I've had the pleasure of working with an exceptional team of people. The company is growing, and everyone there seems to be young, energetic, and focused on the goal of helping the clients. They seem to combat the trade show blahs by (crazy idea) actually caring about their potential customers and by having a genuine desire to help and a sincere belief in their product and company. Even in two-minute conversations, it's clear that they are focusing on long-term relationships, not the immediate sale.

In fact, the overall attitude after scanning a lead seems to be "I can't wait to get home and call that guy again!" Viewing customers as people you want to talk to instead of as a lead to be categorized and (let's face it) lost in the post-trade show shuffle is what makes the difference. After all, every one of those "leads" is a potential customer that you will one day send holiday cards to, call for a birthday and check up on after her foot surgery.

So, the power of full engagement? Hmm. Well, truly, I don't have my typical bulleted list here. I don't really think that I have any snappy tips, either! It does seem very simple, doesn't it? Care. Just care. If the idea of helping your customers doesn't excite you, then you're probably in the wrong line of business and should do yourself a favor and go find something that you are excited about.

Aching feet and grumbling stomachs aside, these are things that we do to help our customers and build relationships. We listen. We pay attention. We care. We find solutions, not just because it's our job but because we genuinely want to help. That's how we become fully present and engaged.

Heidi Miller talks trade shows on Blog Talk Radio

Thanks to Wayne Hurlbut for arranging the interview for Blog Talk Radio! On Friday, we spent an hour talking about trade shows, presentation skills, booth flow and crowd-gathering. The whole talk is available online here: Heidi Miller talks trade shows on Blog Talk Radio

Since I was calling from the car on the way to a conference, there is one spot where my cell dropped the call, but for the rest, it was pretty smooth!

[Edit: Here is the summary post and the text:]

Entrepreneur, trade show marketing expert, and blogger Heidi Miller (photo left), of Heidi Miller Presentations and the Talk It Up! blog, shares ideas for powerful trade show attendance as an exhibitor, a presenter, and a participant, can boost your business, as my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on Blog Talk Radio.

The show airs live on Thursday, April 19, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Heidi Miller discusses how to improve your trade show effectiveness, whether you are an exhibitor, a presenter, or as an attendee. You will learn:

* How to make more business contacts while at trade shows

* How to attract more visitors to your company show booth

* How to avoid mistakes that can cost you sales and customers

* How to follow up with prospects after the show is over



Heidi Miller (photo left) is a trade show spokesperson who has given hundreds of presentations and product demonstrations at trade shows all over the world in industries as diverse as medical, manufacturing, plastics, restaurant, housewares and education.

Clients report increased booth traffic and sales lead generation with Heidi’s presentations. Heidi has over eight years experience giving hundreds of presentations worldwide.

In her own words:

My philosophy: your products are my products! A presenter is a sales rep, the face and voice of your company. 

Heidi is a former teacher and corporate trainer with a concise delivery and warm, personable style.
She is a technology friendly blogger and podcaster, trade show geek, and the author of Free Trade Show Tips.

Revenge of the booth babes

Thanks to Sallie Goetsch for John Geoghegan's tongue-in-cheek gem on the dissing of "booth babes" at E3. In particular, we all remember this kerfuffle with E3 banning scantily-clad women on the floor:

Now to recap for those of you living in Basra, there was a dust up earlier this year when the ESA announced it was cracking down on inappropriately dressed booth babes by threatening to fine companies $5,000 for employing women of the female persuasion sporting anything less than what Britney Spears might wear to a human sacrifice.

This was immediately followed by the ESA revoking Janet Jackson's invitation to give E3's keynote and Christina Aguilera having to look up what "clothing" meant in the dictionary.

Ah, yes. The demise of the "booth babe." He goes on to blame E3's demise on the lack of "booth babes." But wait... what of this new E3? How are they going to "create a more intimate climate for personalized meetings"? Could it be the return of the scantily-clad women?

Not unless some Princeton professor finds a correlation between a lack of inappropriately dressed women and this year's decline in video game sales. (But don't worry, somebody's working on it.) But hey, maybe we should cut the ESA some slack. After all, it can't be easy policing an industry that makes it anatomically impossible to defibrillate a female video game character.

And besides, who am I to poke fun? I'm from Connecticut. We take showers with our clothes on.

But before you get to feeling too sympathetic, there's one important thing the ESA hasn't told you. No, there won't be booth babes in the traditional sense at next year's E3.

However, there has been a slight bending of the rules.

Next year, publishers and developers will be required to wear booth babe outfits. And the booth babes? They'll be running the ESA.

John, thanks for bringing a giggle to my weekend. The very idea of code monkeys dressed like Britney Spears had me rolling around laughing!

And if you'll recall, I wrote about this earlier--that while sex usually actually doesn't sell, at shows like E3 where the exhibitors ARE selling sex in the form of video games laden with sexual content, hey, it IS appropriate to use scantily-clad women to sell it. Truth in advertising, yes?

Now, using scantily-clad women to sell, say, can openers at the Home and Garden Show... hmmm. Not so much.

 

 

The Queen of Passion Strikes Again

Kathy Sierra, the Queen of Passion, has done it again. In her recent post on how to create employees who are passionate about the company (you can't; you can only hire people who are passionate about their work), she provides a four-item Passion Checklist:

1. When was the last time you read a trade/professional journal or book related to your work? (can substitute "attended an industry conference or took a course")

2. Name at least two of the key people in your field.

3. If you had to, would you spend your own money to buy tools or other materials that would improve the quality of your work?

4. If you did not do this for work, would you still do it (or something related to it) as a hobby?

Just because it's fun, here are my answers. Why not blog your responses and track back here, or give your responses in a comment here?

1. Book: last month, I finished The Cluetrain Manifesto. Yesterday, I read Exhibit City News.
2. Mark and Mim Goldberg of StaffTraining.com, trade show veterans; Elaine Cohen, founder of Live Marketing and pioneer of crowd-gathering techniques
3. Yes, I have and I do, every month! And it's not money "spent" in my opinion; it's money invested in making me the best presenter, spokesperson and trade show sales rep I can be
4. Yes, I already do! I frequently speak at conferences and local events on topics I'm passionate about--public speaking, trade show presentation strategy, hiring a spokesperson and of course, since I'm the Podcasting Geekess Extraordinaire, on the wonders and joys of podcasting!

What about you? How do you score on the four-question test?

Listen to Heidi on the Lounge

The smooth-voiced Tim Gordon has let me know that our interview is up on the IE Listener's Lounge, a podcast devoted exclusively to trade shows. Click here for a direct download.

In this episode, we discuss how and why you might need a spokesperson at your next trade show, how to make your presentation effective and funniest/most disconcerting moments during a trade show presentation! (Of course, I was supremely professional through all of them, really!)

If you're in the biz, a few of his other podcast episodes include:

What's an Impact Movie?
Mike Marchev gives public speaking advice
How to Qualify Your Audience
Are You Approachable?
What Does it Take to Be "Good in a Room"?

Trade Show Podcast!

It's about darn time!

Congratulations to Interpretive Exhibit's Listeners' Lounge, the first podcast devoted exclusively to trade shows! Interpretive Exhibit is a booth design company, and on the podcast, they cover topics from "are you approachable?" to "what's the best way to qualify your audience?"

Welcome to the podosphere!

CES spokesperson

Thanks to Chris Brogan for his recognition (disgust?) with respect to hostesses at trade shows (CES in particular) who don't have enough product information to be really useful to their clients. Yes, of course, absolutely everyone should use me instead! :-)

OK, to be fair, hostesses and crowd-gatherers do serve a specific and useful purpose--to spark interest and get people inside the booth. Period. Their job is to be friendly and engaging and to at most give a two-second product statement. That's it. Once those attendees are in the booth, it's the job of your spokesperson to give an informative and engaging presentation to get them motivated enough to actually agree to a badge scan and (even better!) start asking questions about your product.  (For more information on how to use crowd-gatherers and spokespeople most effectively, check out the video I just posted here: The Breadcrumb Approach: Four Keys to a Crowded Trade Show Presentation.)

No spokesperson? Hmm. Well, then, you'd better have a darn compelling, self-explanatory product and excited, energized sales staff who don't mind giving the same demo 30 times a day!

On that note, I've decided to set a goal for the next year:

Heidi Miller is going to present in a client's booth at next year's CES!

Why this show in particular? Because my favorite product to present is software--I like taking things that sound difficult or complicated and making them sound blissfully simple, fun and useful. Also because while Las Vegas does already have a substantial talent pool, they don't really do the electronics field justice--an impassioned spokesperson is almost always better than a flashy one. That is, this show needs me!

Why am I blogging this? Well, (a) because making a goal public gives it a much higher chance of being reached and (b) I need your help in reaching it! Give me your ideas, your brainstorms or braintrickles on how I could accomplish this goal. If you have contact names, I promise I'll email or call every single one, even if I think it's a silly idea.  And I'll keep you updated on the goal's progress. And I promise to post pictures from my client's booth at the show next year!

My First Trade Show Vidcast!

Remember that vidcast that I promised back in December? Well, after stuggling with my first attempts at creating and editing video, voila! Welcome to the first vidcast of HMP, The Breadcrumb Approach: Four Keys to a Crowded Trade Show Presentation.

A bit of background... the inspiration for this vidcast came at RSNA. Me, I'm generally better in front of the camera than playing director or editor. But at RSNA, my client's booth was enormously popular, and we gathered full crowds for every one of the presentations, even when the show itself was a bit slow. In contrast, the booth right next to ours had an excellent speaker presenting an innovative product... and every chair was empty for the majority of the presentations. Ouch. What were they doing wrong?

Well, four things that I could think of. And these are classic mistakes that I've seen in many other booths with first-time presentations or demonstrations. So I considered calling this "Heidi's Tips So Your Presentation Won't Flop." Nyaaaaah. This is better, right?

Click To Play

The video will be posted to the DSSP feed... just as soon as I figure out how. In the meantime, feedback on content, editing and tech are welcome!

Goodbye to RSNA

Another great RSNA with my wonderful client, Foresight Imaging. I love the way they incorporate me so seamlessly into the team for the week; I feel like I actually work for this great company for the whole week of RSNA.

And what a lot I learn each year about DICOM conversion! Mark Mariotti and Tony Molinari, you're the best!

Saturday tidbits

A few Saturday tidbits, as I ramp up for the RSNA show here in Chicago.

First, a great blog is over at Exhibitors Journal. If you're looking for more down-and-dirty trade show practica (lighting, budget, etc.), this blog has a wealth of information for research and for daily reading. If you are responsible for your company's trade show presence, this is a must-read!

And second, a random tidbit from the life of a presenter. No, that's not me, but it is the client during today's rehearsal as we wrestled with the sound system to keep the sound clear without any popping. And of course, we'll reset everything tomorrow morning, as the show noise level is always different with thousands of people humming around. :-) But I can't wait! Every time I hit the show floor, I'm reminded of just how much I love being a spokesperson.

Not enough booth staff?

Need to staff a booth but have no staff? Check out Julia O'Connor's most recent article with tips for trade show staffing when your own staff is a bit slim.

In particular, I like her idea of hiring retirees, especially recent ones. When I was a sales rep and had to do all my own trade shows, it took me far too long to figure out that I could call retired or semi-retired teachers to help staff the booth. They knew the business (secondary-school education), knew the crowd (their fellow teachers) and were happy for their knowledge to be valued for a juicy day rate.

Will "Booth Babes" ever go out of style?

We've all seen them. Heck, in my younger days, I’ve been one—the statuesque, perfectly coiffed woman perched at the edge of the booth, greeting attendees and drawing them into the booth. She usually sports impossibly high heels and a French manicure and somehow manages to make that company shirt look good. She flashes tireless smiles to attendees all day long but never seems to have any company information apart from the brochure and pen she’ll help you stow in your Big Bag o’ Trade Show Schwag. She is far too attractive to actually work for the company, you reason, so you conclude:

She must be a “booth babe.”

Let me begin by saying how much I hate the term “booth babe.” And this is just not because I’ve been a hostess and crowd-gatherer (yes, those are the correct terms) myself, but because the term is demeaning and pejorative. However, I understand how it came about—when companies hire women that are so obviously models and use their beauty and sex appeal to attract attendees into the booth, well, it’s pretty obvious that the hostesses have been hired to be “babes”—to sell the company’s message based on their higher-than-usual level of physical attractiveness.

Oh, let’s just call it what it is—their sex appeal.

But does it work? Does sex sell?

The answer is a steady “it depends.” Personally, I rarely suggest that clients use blatant sex to sell at trade shows. Why? Because every person in your booth, from your company-shirted sales reps to your greeters to your presenter to your CEO is acting as the face and voice that is delivering your company message. Put another way, your people are your message. So unless your message is sex and you are actually promoting marital aids, attendees may be missing the point of your product and/or service.

So why do companies keep using “booth babes” and other sex techniques to sell at trade shows? Well, it’s sexy. Sex is eye-catching. It’s gimmicky. It will make you stop in the aisle and take note of that booth. At Print ’05, I was walking the show floor when I was mesmerized by a woman giving a software demo. She was stunningly beautiful, and her suit was cut to show a substantial amount of generous cleavage. I stopped to listen. A few minutes later, I wandered away. Did she catch my eye? Yes. Did I stop by the booth? Yes. Do I have any idea what she was promoting? Not a clue.

Sex is great for grabbing attention. But is it effective at delivering a message?

In January of this year, Wired magazine published an article about E3, the gaming industry trade show, banning scantily-clad women in booths. From the January 24 article:

Rules prohibiting the use of scantily clad young women to peddle video games are nothing new, but the handbook for this year's show in May outlines tough new penalties, including a $5,000 fine on the spot for the booth owner if the "booth babe" is semi-clad.

Oddly enough, this is one industry (well, perhaps apart from the adult film industry) in which scantily-clad women would be an effective advertising tool. That is, if your product is promoting video games full of scantily-clad women, then yes, the best way to promote that game would be to hire sexy women to push it—the advertising promise matches the message. The message is “this is a sexy, violent game. Buy it and you’ll get to see half-naked chicks.” So using half-naked chicks to promote the game is appropriate.

However, before your software, medical supply or plastics company opts to use sex as a marketing technique, take time to clarify your company message. What is it that you want attendees to know walking into the booth? What is the one thing you want them to walk away with? What is your company message for the show?

Now that that’s settled, go about the task of choosing your booth staff. For more detailed criteria, check out Choosing a spokesperson: looks.The key to keep in mind is that your staff, from your own sales staff to your hired spokesperson and/or hostesses, are delivering your company message every second of that trade show. The question is, are they delivering your message or just the message that sex sells?

If it seems that I’m coming down hard on companies that use hostesses, I’m not. For the record, I almost always recommend that companies use hostesses or experienced crowd-gatherers in their booths. Hiring hostesses is an excellent way to provide a friendly face when your own sales staff is tired, to make the booth more inviting and to make sure that all attendees badges get scanned when the booth gets really busy. And in-booth presentations are infinitely less effective without experienced crowd-gatherers to garner an audience and create an atmosphere of excitement and expectation. And yes, both of those positions are better filled by professionals than by your own staff; and yes, those professionals are typically quite attractive.

So what’s the difference between hiring a hostess or crowd-gatherer and a booth babe? It’s up to you. Keep these directives in mind:

1. First, choose your company image for the show.
2. Second, choose your company message for the show. If your message isn’t related to scantily-clad women, don’t have scantily-clad women in the booth.
3. Third, hire staff whom you believe can effectively reflect that company image and deliver that company message.
4. Fourth, keep attire to suits, company shirts or business casual.

Make a conscious choice as to how much you want to use sex to sell at your trade show booth. There is nothing wrong with hiring an energetic, attractive hostess whom you believe can appropriately reflect your company’s image—just make sure your message doesn’t get lost. So consider your message, and choose wisely.

Trade Show Press Kits

EDIT: The link has been fixed; it was a cut and paste error!

I'm in California and on the road to Podcast Expo, but here are some useful tips from the always-scrappy Angie Pedersen on creating press kits for trade shows: click here.

Choosing a spokesperson: price

Welcome to the third installment in this series on how to choose a spokesperson for your company trade show, user conference, video or promotion. And now we get down to the nitty-gritty: price. Budget is always a concern, of course; you don't want your manager breathing down your neck about overspending. But neither do you want to go with the cheapest option, in which case your manager might breathe down your neck for ruining the entire event.

How do you choose based on price?

1. First, your primary concern is always, ALWAYS choosing a spokesperson who can effectively be the face and voice of your company and deliver your company message. As we've talked about in Choosing a spokesperson: looks and Choosing a spokesperson: qualifications, price shouldn't be your biggest concern. If you choose based on the image your company's needs, then your image, sales leads and bottom line will ultimately be enhanced and enriched--in short, you'll get a value return on your investment.
2. Second, create a budget. Many first-time clients don't do this and end up with an underbudgeted, underqualified spokesperson, thereby minimizing their trade show experience. Don't fall into this trap! If you simply choose a number out of the sky, you might end up with an underqualified spokesperson who can sap time, money and effectiveness from your budget. For example, if you budget $1,000 a day for a spkesperson but the going rate is $1,750, what kind of spokesperson do you think you'll get in comparison to other exhibitors?
3. Third, do a little market research. Ask around to determine what to expect. I'm always happy to put people in contact with my agent, who can give the run-down of all rates from the simplest to the most involved presentations. She has her finger on the pulse of the industry and will even make calls for you to determine what other talent and agencies are offering. And she won't even lean on you too heavily to engage me. :-)
4. Last, be honest about your budget. Most of us are willing to work within your budget to make sure you have the best experience possible, so be up front with concerns and limitations. A good spokesperson will be creative and flexible and work with you so that you have a profitable trade show and get a good return on your investment.

In short, the best way to get the most out of your spokesperson is to first choose one that can best represent your company and then create a realistic budget with a little wiggle room.

Choosing a spokesperson: qualifications

OK, you've looked at a few headshots and have narrowed down your spokesperson search to a handful of appropriate candidates. Now we get to the substance: what qualifications do you look for to make your final choice?

First, keep in mind once again that this person will be the face and voice of your company for the duration of the trade show. Ideally, she should be indistinguishable from one of your own sales reps. In fact, if attendees come up after her presentation and ask technical questions about the products, then you know you made the right choice!

But I'm getting ahead of myself. What should you look for in a resume/website/video of a potential spokesperson? Here are a few things to consider:

1. Length of experience. She must have done at least ten trade shows, preferably more than fifteen. There is an ease that comes with having done hundreds of presentations; an experienced spokesperson will find it easier to go with the flow when technical difficulties or other obstacles occur. You don't want a newbie, who will be more likely to panic when conditions change.
2. Diversity of experience. Has she worked in just one industry or across a variety of fields? If the one industry is yours, that specialized experience might be a plus. But a diverse resume showing adeptness across industries indicates a level of adaptability and flexibility, two qualities that separate the great presenters from the just-OK ones. My clients often worry that their scripts and products will be too technical and too specialized for a spokesperson to learn quickly and present credibly. That is exactly why diversity of experience is so important--if a spokesperson can learn everything there is to know about cranberries one week and laser neurosurgery the next, then she can undoubtedly handle your product confidently as well!
3. Testimonials. If she doesn't have testimonials, you might ask yourself why. Clients who are willing to endorse a spokesperson indicate that they have a stake in her success. Check out her testimonials--what characteristics are they stressing? Reliability? Increased revenue? Flexibility? Energy? And which criteria are most important to you?
4. Video. It still amazes me that many spokespeople try to get work without a video. Now, having gone through this process myself, I realize that it's a bit of a catch-22--you need a video of yourself presenting for clients to get work, but you can't get work without a video of you presenting for clients! Still, this goes under the "you don't want a newbie" rule. While I'm quite thrilled that some clients took a chance on me before I had my video, there is no excuse for a spokesperson who has done at least three trade shows not to have a video. So, what do you look for in a demo video?

• First, what not to look for: expert video production. Worry less about the quality of the video--most spokespeople aren't video experts, so the tape may be low quality. Focus instead on the presenter's presence, presentation style and capacity to engage an audience.
• Presence. When you see her on stage, how does she come across? Authoritative? Warm? Engaging? Confident? Which of these characteristics is most important to you and will best represent your company message?
• Presentation style. Is her talk formal and perfect, like a commercial, or down-to-earth and personal, like a one-on-one talk? Or can she do both? Which style is most appropriate for you and your company?
• Audience engagement. Does her video show how she interacts with an audience? Does she talk, laugh and hand out prizes or deliver the message straight? Is she comfortable interacting personally with an audience?

So a good general rule is as you skim over a resume and watch a demo video, know what kind of characteristics you need in a sales rep to deliver your message effectively. Consider what kind of presence your customers would respond to best, and narrow down your search with those criteria in mind.