brilliant results september 2012

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Cover Story8 how many lives does a brand have?

Departments6 publisher’s letter

7 contributors: who’s who in the industry

7 foresight: but wait, there’s more

12 tactics: essence of message

16 new ideas: customer retention advice you should be giving your sales managers

18 travel: using tourism strategies to develop your marketing plan

19 ideals: moving up - become a driving force— and an indispensable employee

20 exhibit: reducing exhibit costs

22 advice: psych yourself out of self-sabotaging

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Vol. 9, No. 09 2012

3M.com/promote

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Go with a note you know and trust.Unlike knock-off notes, genuine Post-it® Notes stick securely, remove cleanly and make a lasting impression for your business. They get your brand seen, not stepped on.

Don’t trash your reputation with a knock-off note

4 Brilliant Results • September 2012

3M.com/promote

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3M

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Go with a note you know and trust.Unlike knock-off notes, genuine Post-it® Notes stick securely, remove cleanly and make a lasting impression for your business. They get your brand seen, not stepped on.

Don’t trash your reputation with a knock-off note

While We Watch the leaves change and move into fall and tradeshow season now is the time to regroup and refocus on what we have done right and not so right. While we

track all that we have done to date this year did we measure up? there is still time to make those goals and budgets! Did you utilize social media to build real sales success? there is simply no need for business without a customer. have you utilized tips in our last issue to grow your bottom line?

again this month we cover some interesting trends on brands and the chinese as well as how to psych yourself up and grow your trade show success.

Our cover story brands and the chinese is both thought provoking and informative. Written by our expert on brands and brand building, Mr. Martin lindstrom…he literally wrote the book on branding! if you want to know the future or what to look for in the future look to him and his advice and you’re sure to be in the know.

Believe that you can and you will…this issue is filled with positive advice from how to succeed on the show floor to how to succeed personally as well as professionally. Read, follow or delete and lose. it’s your choice.

Grab a coffee, sit back and take 15 minutes for your self and your professional growth… you will be glad that you did.

Now turn the page…as you will never know what you are missing if you don’t turn the page!

have Brilliant Day!

publisher’s letter

Brilliant Publishing LLC9034 Joyce Lane

Hummelstown, PA 17036Ph: 717.571.9233Fax: 717.566.5431

PUBLISHER / ADVERTISINGMaureen Williams

[email protected]

EDITORIALEditor in ChiefMaryAnne Morrill

Senior EditorMichelle Donofry

Style EditorCharity Plata

Asst. EditorMolly Anika

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Brandon Balsley, Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D., Martin Lindstrom, Peter LoCascio,

Barry Siskind, Dr. Peter Tarlow, John Tschohl, Steve Woodburn

PRODUCTION / DESIGNArt DirectorJeremy Tingle

Brilliant Results is published monthly by Brilliant Publishing LLC, 9034 Joyce Lane Hummelstown PA 17036 (717) 608-5869; Fax# (717) 566-5431. Copyright © 2012 Brilliant Publishing LLC. All rights reserved. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any advertising or editorial material. Advertisers, and/or their agents, assume the responsibility for any claims against the publisher based on the advertisement. Editorial contributors assume responsibility for their published works and assume responsibility for any claims against the publisher based on published work. No part of this publication can be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher. All items submitted to Brilliant Results become the sole property of Brilliant Publishing LLC. Editorial content does not reflect the views of the publisher. The imprints, logos, trademarks or trade names (Collectively the “Marks”) displayed on the products featured in Brilliant Results are for illustrative purposes only and are not available for sale. The marks do not represent the implied or actual endorsement by the owners of the Marks of the product on which they appear. All of the Marks are the property of the respective owners and is not the property of either the advertisers using the Marks or Brilliant Results.

brilliantresults™

Maureen [email protected] 717-608-5869

Follow us on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@Bresults

6 Brilliant Results • September 2012 www.bri l l iantpubl ishing.com

contributors

a Brandon Balsley Director, Sage ACT! Product Management, Sage North AmericaBrandon Balsley is a small and midsize business technology evangelist with Sage North America. His team builds and supports contact and customer management, Social CRM and mobile sales systems for over 3 million customers worldwide.

b Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D. For more than two decades Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions, and government organizations have relied on Dr. Barton Goldsmith to help them develop creative and balanced leadership. His columns appear in over 500 publications. He may be contacted through his web site www.BartonGoldsmith.com

c Martin Lindstrom, a respected branding and marketing expert, was selected as one of the world’s 100 most influential people by TIME magazine. The founder, CEO and Chairman of the LINDSTROM company (Sydney), Martin speaks to a global audience of approximately one million people every year. His latest book; Buyology – Truth and Lies About Why We Buy – a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling book has been translated into 37 languages and is on almost all major best-seller lists worldwide.

d With more than 35 years of sales, marketing and advertising experience, Peter LoCascio, President of Trade Show Consultants, has successfully developed strategic and tactical sales and marketing programs for trade show exhibitors while creating a finely tuned culture of service, customer support, and effective sales management. For more information please visit WWW.tradeshowconsultants.com.

e John Tschohl, is founder and president of the Service Quality Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Described by USA Today, Time, and Entrepreneur as a “customer service guru,” he has written several books on customer service and has developed more than 26 customer-service training programs—including his latest, Moving Up—that have been distributed throughout the world.

f Barry Siskind is an internationally recognized trade and consumer show expert. He is the author of six bestselling business books including Powerful Exhibit Marketing. Read his newest book, Selling from the Inside Out for an in depth guide to a successful sales career. Visit Barry at www.siskindtraining.com.

g Dr. Peter Tarlow is the founder and president of Tourism & More Inc. Dr. Tarlow has appeared on Nationally televised programs such as Dateline: NBC and on CNBC. Dr. Tarlow organizes conferences around the world dealing with visitor safety and security issues and with the economic importance of tourism and tourism marketing. For additional information visit www.tourismandmore.com

h Steve Woodburn works with clients to develop creative and measurable solutions that solve their marketing needs using promotional products, uniform programs, online company stores, point-of-sale initiatives along with rewards and recognition. He builds long-term relationships and becomes a trusted advisor and consultant his clients can turn to for all their brand extension needs. You can reach him at Staples Promotional Products: [email protected]

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it’s saiD that cats have nine lives, but how many lives does a brand have? the answer, it seems, is definitely more than one.

Recently, in shanghai, a friend took me to one of the city’s most sophisticated luxury malls. she was excited to show me her recent discovery. “check this brand out,” she said, pointing to a meticulously tailored aquascutum trench coat. its label said the brand was founded in 1851, but i had to confess, i’d never heard of it. “And, how cool are these?” she asked as she riffled through a rack of striped Kent & Curwen T-shirts. Kent & Curwen? I wasn’t sure what that was, but Kent & Curwen is another prestigious English brand founded in Surrey in 1926. Here in Shanghai, the capital of new brands, I fell in love with Gieves & Hawkes, another english brand dating back to… 1771!

the irony of the situation blew me away. after all, i’m a man who creates brands, and yet in this salubrious mall in shanghai i was surrounded by a host of them that have been around for at least a century, and i’d never so much as heard of a single one of them.

How Many Lives Does A Brand Have?

By: Martin LinDStroM


i scribbled the names down and immediately began to investigate.

almost all these “classic” brands fell out of favor many years ago, often being reduced to a single retail outlet. Yet in a country like china, where heritage, authenticity, and many things european are highly desirable, their obscurity didn’t matter. the simple fact that they were all founded in europe in another historical time was enough for the brand-obsessed citizens to dig deep into their wallets, and spend big.

But will the brand-obsessed chinese continue to fall in love with anything and everything Western, or is this the beginning of a new brand paradigm shift, a serious turnaround?

i spend around 25% of my time with brand owners and government officials in China and its surrounding regions, and it has become increasingly apparent that the rules of branding are set to change. i can’t help but think there’s a chance (however slim) that chinese brands will take a similar route to the one Japanese brands took in the 1980s. there was a time–predominantly in the 1960s and 1970s–when all kinds of cheap things were made in Japan. however in the 1980s, the government backed a strategic plan to reverse this image, and within a decade, cars, electronic goods and pharmaceuticals with a “Made in Japan” stamp came to symbolize innovation and value for money.

it was not some fortuitous accident. the Japanese conscientiously imitated big-ticket consumer goods in the West and improved on them. they changed their more difficult-to-pronounce names, and succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest imaginings. this could be the very model that chinese brands seek to emulate. certainly china is on a mission to convert their ubiquitous “Made in china” labels that are commonly associated with everything plastic, little fantastic and not much other than low prices to recommend them. they’re in search of quality.

a hunt for Western brands to acquire has begun in earnest, and chinese companies now own some of the West’s most iconic brands. in 2004, iBM sold their Pc brand thinkpad to lenovo for $1.25 billion. in 2004, General Motors’ sold the hummer brand to sichuan tengzhong heavy industrial Machinery company. in 2005, Nanjing automotive took over MG Rover, and in 2010, Zhejiang Geely holding acquired Volvo cars from Ford. Just this year, two separate chinese companies ventured into the luxury yacht business when the Wantong group bought Dalla Pieta, and shandong heavy industry Group bought Ferretti.

it’s just a matter of time before you will see many of the brands which are currently changing hands produce products and services you’ve never associated with them before. When more than 50 copycat apple stores were discovered last year, the well-loved logo adorned washing machines, vacuum cleaners and a range of clothing. all products, i might add, were designed to maintain the stylish look that has endeared so many consumers to the apple brand. as a senior executive from one of the larger car companies in china explained over dinner, “We don’t know a lot about brands yet, so for the time being we’re forced to acquire known companies. Once we get it, i’m sure this trend will stop.”

Behind the scenes, a systematic knowledge transfer is taking place. as each brand expert is called in to consult, so there’s a chinese executive learning whatever there is to be learned. it’s somewhat complicated by the fact that the desire for a specific brand is neither tangible nor quantifiable. in the meantime, new brands are being carefully crafted and targeted at mainland china. after all, there are a billion or so homeland customers to cater to first. Call it the learning phase. that, however, does not mean we will not be seeing chinese brands any time soon. We certainly will, but they won’t be anything we expect.

i asked a chinese client who manufactures one of the largest clothing lines in the country when he thought it would be a good time for the company to adopt an international name. after all, very few people outside of china would be able to read, let alone pronounce the name. he looked at me, and with all seriousness replied, “it’s time for the Westerners to learn some chinese.” his is not an isolated attitude; rather it’s a widely held sentiment

amongst chinese senior management. Furthermore, the chinese business elite prefer to run everything themselves granting only limited input and token ownership to Western companies. they’ll retain their brand-building principles, but that’s about it.

so don’t be surprised if sometime soon you come across brands that you cannot decipher, called names you cannot pronounce. You might just come to learn about them because they’ll be prominent, cheap, and appealing enough for you to buy, despite the obstacles. in the same way that china has spent decades selling cheap non-branded labor to the world, when they decide to focus on creating strong international brands, it will undoubtedly be done the chinese way. When it happens, it will be happening on their terms, regardless of whether you want it or not.

It’s just a matter of time before you will

see many of the brands which are currently changing

hands produce products and

services you’ve never associated with them before.

lONG BeFORe the internet and television, there was P.t. Barnum, arguably the greatest pitchman of all time who famously said, “i don’t care what you say about me, just spell my name right.”

in the 1950’s along came Ron Popiel of Ronco fame who brought us Veg-O-Matic, the Pocket Fisherman, Mr. Microphone and the smokeless ashtray along with the saying, “But wait, there’s more.” he honed his pitch technique at county fairs and in front of his hometown Woolworth’s selling products he found while giving a kickback to the store. so ubiquitous were his products that Dan akroyd did a parody of his advertising style in the famous “Bass-O-Matic” bits on saturday Night live.

in more recent times the late Billy Mays, Vince “schlomi” Offer (sham Wow) and anthony sullivan (“sticky Buddy”) have all made a tidy income pitching products they didn’t invent, but which have become fixtures of the late night television landscape.

so what makes a good pitchman or pitchwomen? is this something you major in at college or are these people born salespeople? here’s my take on what makes these people so good at what they do and why you can be as well.

Believe in what you are selling: if you don’t like or use the products you’re selling, why do you think anyone else would buy them. Billy Mays saw thousands of products, but only pitched those he believed in and was confident people would be pleased with.

Sell the benefits first and the features second: Which of these phrases gets you more interested? These knives are made of the finest steel forged in the hills of Pittsburgh (feature) or these knives never need sharpening (benefit)? The best pitchers innately sell the benefits of their products first with the features supporting the benefit.

everyone loves a deal. Deals don’t have to be smarmy and outrageous, but need to bring added value to the buyer. Buy this… get something extra for the same price. Do this today and you’ll get this added bonus.

limited time offer: it’s easy to procrastinate which is why the best pitchmen give a reason to buy now. this price expires in 24 hours, get double the

Modern thinkingBy: StEVE WooDBUrn

But Wait, There’s More…

quantity if you order now and free freight today only are all calls to action, a reason to buy now. limited time offers work and give people a reason not to procrastinate.

Be Real: ed McMahon, Ron Popeil, suzanne summers, susan luchi and many others have all sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of products over the years and why is that? Because we believe what they have to say. No matter what you’re selling, if you aren’t real people won’t buy.

Use these guidelines to help as you make your pitches to clients, employees, coworkers or even your children and friends. We’re all pitchmen and women on a regular basis, but chances are we don’t wear that goofy microphone like Vince Offer does as he pitches sham Wow. Good thing too!


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tacticsBy: PEtEr LoCaSCio


the tRaDeshOW exhiBit floor is often a collection of sights, sounds, cultures, textures, and emotions experienced as an attendee navigates the carpeted aisles lined with exhibitors in search of knowledge, confirmation and motivation.

although trade show attendance overall has declined over the past few years, the fact remains that those who are selected to travel to an event by their cost conscious organizations represent a higher level of decision maker with a more focused search of important specific information.

The time and money efficiencies offered an attendee at a trade show in researching, identifying, and discussing real solutions to real problems are far above any other form of requesting, evaluating and acquiring required product and service information.

along with an organization’s more careful selection of their trade show attendees, the professionals chosen will often come to the event with detailed assignments and specific goals to research, inquire, and understand critical new products and services.

Additionally, after products and services are identified and tentatively accepted, these super trade show attendees will also want to meet an exhibitor’s management team in

attendance to begin the process of building strong relationships and gaining personal commitments that promise to maintain a high level of quality customer support should they decide to purchase.

Exhibitors’ ChallEngE

in order to become more successful in today’s competitive economic trade show environment, an exhibitor should be prepared to refocus efforts, attention, and energies to more effectively and efficiently attract, communicate and engage today’s new trade show super attendee.

idEntify your targEtEd ProsPECt

the process of improving your trade show exhibiting results begins with identifying and understanding your targeted attendee. how many will attend the show? What specifically will they want to see? What should they learn about your products and services? And who is best qualified in your organization to answer their questions and begin the sales process?

a key to success is to attempt to simplify your product and service messages for quick and direct communications and avoid too many diverse messages that will in the end

Essence of MessageEssence of Message


Essence of MessageEssence of Message

confuse prospects. Multi-divisional corporate exhibitors often compromise their trade show effectiveness by trying to present too many product messages at one time only to lose out to their competitors who present single, powerful more complete messages directed at only targeted super attendees. it might be beneficial for multi-divisional corporate exhibitors to purchase separate exhibit booth spaces for each of their divisions, which adds the ability to better focus on their key products while simplifying their presentation to prospects.

PrE-show CommuniCations

as super attendees plan to travel to a selected trade show, they usually take time to evaluate and select those listed activities of interest to attend in an effort to maximize their time and resources to add value to their experience. any form of communications available to an exhibitor to announce, invite or communicate the benefits of visiting their exhibit, workshops, product presentations, seminars, or social events, should be researched and implemented early enough that super attendees can add them to their schedule as a must-attend activity.

continuity of communications is important for maintaining visual and content synergy from invitations through after-show follow-up, including all other forms of marketing/advertising

and sales support materials that present unified supporting impressions to ensure the success of the campaign.

Exhibit on thE show floor

the enormity of the importance of your exhibit presentation on the trade show floor cannot be overlooked or minimized because it clearly and dramatically demonstrates who you are, what you stand for, and what kind of corporate culture you represent. Virtually all of a super attendee’s senses are stimulated by your entire exhibit presentation and a real image is created in the mind of a super attendee that will influence his/her decision making process.

Comparing Tiffany and Wal-Mart, Mercedes and Kia, diamonds and rhinestones, first class and economy, begins to explain how image and first impressions play a major role in a prospect’s process of developing value and commitment to purchase.

in order for the trade show exhibit to successfully perform in reaching a pre-show objective of communicating from the aisle the essence of your message, its design must incorporate bold graphics displayed at heights not blocked by people visiting the booth or standing in the aisle.

the essence of the message as seen from the aisle should


conform to the pre-show communications campaign. it also needs to invite interested super attendees to enter the exhibit where they should be immediately welcomed and greeted by trained professionals assigned to booth duty.

Product presentations should be intelligent and informative and lead prospects to pre-determined conclusions similar to highly trained sales procedures used by the most successful sales organizations. Next -step activities should be documented with support systems in place to deliver whatever is promised or expected within an accelerated time frame that maintains positive pressure on the selling process.

thE buCk stoPs hErE

President truman’s desk sign clearly stated that he was in charge and accountable for decisions made by his White house. the same today applies more than ever to a trade show exhibitor’s top executive managers pulling booth duty and demonstrating a firm commitment to leadership and excellence. A firm handshake with a super attendee from a president confirming the details of a successful product presentation by one of the professionals on duty might be all that’s needed to capture a sale and keep it from going to a competitor just a few feet away on the exhibit floor.

ted turner’s “lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way” exemplifies how today’s top management can in three days of manning their booth at a trade show so clearly demonstrate a commitment to the business, its prospects and customers and all those who work with and around him/her. Management can say whatever they want, whenever they want, but as we all know, actions speak louder than words. it is a president who rolls up his/her sleeves and learns to support the business on the ground, who dives into the trade show exhibit trenches, that earns respect and admiration.

markEting or salEs

Where the trade show exhibit function lies and whom it reports to in a corporation often determines how effective and accurate the function can be evaluated, supported and gradually improved to achieve maximum desired results.

if the trade show exhibit department is within the sales support function and reports directly to a vice president of sales or sales manager, it has an opportunity to flourish as an important and effective sales producing tool because of its tactical nature and short duration of focused activity. in

most cases, a trade show lasts for three days and provides immediate matter-of-fact results. additionally, a trade show exhibit presentation is live and flexible and during the course of a show, modifications to improve overall performance and results can be easily made.

as long as the highly tactical sales function in a corporation is judged daily on sales performance, the well-managed and highly supportive trade show function that can identify, stimulate and convert new prospects to customers in the shortest amount of time will always find a home in the sales support department.

Unlike the tactical sales function, there are many trade show exhibit departments that are a part of the advertising or public relations functions within a marketing department that uses the trade show exhibit as more of a strategic communications tool for developing new markets, products, competitive analysis and establishing more long-range strategic plans as compared to sales.

the trade show exhibit function can and will do almost anything asked of it, whether strategically or tactically or both, because it represents in most cases an entire, worldwide industry with most all of its components under the roof of a convention center for only three days.

ConClusion

the trade show exhibit function has been an integral part of the world’s industry and business complex since the industrial revolution that began in england in 1750. even before that, its extraordinary heritage goes back to the earliest of times when local merchants set up their tents and tables in the center of ancient market places to sell their handmade wares, farmed produce and traded commodities. With determination, courage, and creativity, today’s trade show exhibit programs can and will succeed. the internet’s social media and web site marketing, public relations schemes, and provocative and clever advertising programs can also add to a trade show exhibit’s ability to deliver real and measurable results.

With the above stimulation programs, products and services that are at least competitive, professionally trained and motivated booth personnel, effectively designed and managed exhibit presentations, and an executive management team ready and able to lead by example, the future of trade show exhibiting is as bright and promising as ever.

Ted Turner’s “Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way” exemplifies how today’s top management can in three days of manning their booth at a trade show so clearly demonstrate a

commitment to the business, its prospects and customers and all those who work with and

around him/her.

new ideasBy: BranDon BaLSLEy

YOUR BUsiNess is nothing without its clients. Whether you provide products or services, you won’t survive unless individuals or other businesses remain interested in your offerings and want to pay for them. In a difficult economy, your sales personnel fight a constant battle with competitors for new customers and to retain current clients – which itself has become a critical aspect of sustaining business.

achieving customer satisfaction that keeps clients coming back entails much more than selling a good product or service or having a good sales process. Following are important tips business owners can share with their sales managers:

Only put your best people on the front line – let’s face it, not everyone is well suited to interact with clients and provide great customer service. Unique personality traits are required – positive attitudes, great listening and problem solving skills – and only people who possess them should be in contact with your customers. assign responsibility based on each employee’s core competencies.

Know what your customers want – Client feedback is one of the keys to successful business. Knowing what customers think about your products and services and making improvements, perhaps based on their suggestions, should be part of your strategy. also, don’t underestimate the value of negative feedback. letting clients know and see you are taking their thoughts into consideration shows you truly care and increases the chances they will stick around to see those improvements. and you don’t have to always go on gut feeling. listen and keep records, track social media and email campaign activity. By taking sincere interest you’ll find what works.

think relationships and sales will follow – When business is slow and the sales team feels pressure to improve numbers it is easy to focus on new sales opportunities that arise and forget about developing true relationships with buyers. customers can sense when a salesperson is impatient to close a sale and, even if they purchase now, they may think twice about returning. concentrating on what’s best for them,

Customer Retention Advice You Should Be Giving Your Sales Managers


even if it means admitting one of your products doesn’t fulfill a need, can make a more lasting impression.

connect without overwhelming – an important aspect of keeping your customers is reminding them you are there when they need you. Keep in touch periodically when you have relevant news for them, just don’t overdo it. Product updates, deals, improvements, and helpful tips for using your products in new ways are several types of applicable news. if you don’t already have these materials consider developing a content marketing plan to support their development.

Track, track and track – Keeping records of your customers – purchase history, call notes, feedback, appointments – and tracking sales trends is vital to customer retention. this information helps you understand customers better and plan how to retain their business. Depending on your size and needs, consider either a contact management or customer relationship management (cRM) tool to track these relationships more effectively. One or two extra sales can often return your technology investment while giving sales managers and field reps a productivity advantage they need.

Be there 24/7 – it’s all about presence. Whether using social media, email or phone, organize your business so you can answer customers’ and partners’ questions and keep processes rolling while out of the office and after business hours. Your team should be able to access client information remotely so they can provide whatever a customer needs asaP. the recent boom in mobile devices and cloud-connected services is helping businesses be available 24/7 for customers – your business should be no exception. american Pool enterprise inc. staffs 5,000 lifeguards each summer for recreation facilities in various U.s. cities with a sage cRM self-service portal lifeguards can log onto, apply by uploading their certifications and, if hired, get their assignments. Data entry and hiring time is reduced, keeping many clients and employees happy in the process.

audit customer experience – lastly, put yourself in your clients’ position and make a list of all the ways their overall experience with you could be more satisfying. Something as simple as noting a specific customer likes their product to be delivered on tuesdays can make a positive difference. cater to your clients in ways that will make their lives easier and their experience more gratifying, and they’ll gladly cater to making your sales processes more successful.

Track, track and track – Keeping records of your customers – purchase

history, call notes, feedback, appointments

– and tracking sales trends is vital to

customer retention.


as NOteD iN the august 2012 edition of Brilliant Results, the tourism industry lives by the way that it markets its products. Tourism officials are keenly aware of the fact that tourism is all about expendable income and that its products are highly perishable. Once the night has passed there is no way to recoup the lost profits on a hotel room, or airplane seat. thus, tourism professionals are keenly aware of the fact that in their industry there are no second chances.

tourism marketers then can teach much to other industries. tourism marketers understand that their strategies must be built around customer service and that they must be customer centric. societal changes in the family, use of personal free time, and new travel tastes mean that a different set of marketing questions must be asked if new areas for profit are to be sought. Present travel trends dictate that customer-oriented and customer-centric service will go a long way in determining successful marketing efforts. innovative marketing means that customers’ priorities take precedence over product, management spends more time with its guests, and qualitative analysis will become as essential in the decision marketing process as quantitative analysis. here then are some of the lessons that we can learn from tourism marketing. apply them to your own industry in order to gain brilliant results.

Determine what are the components in your business where you can make the greatest profit. For example, food is often sold at attractions, airports, and hotel vending machines for a higher price than at in-town supermarkets. analyze these secondary parts of your industry to determine where additional profit can be earned. For example, older travelers will often value service while younger travelers often seek economical prices over good service.

the only competition that counts is today’s competition. travel and tourism have undergone major shifts in the last ten years, yet often tourism professionals are still fighting old wars. For example, your competition of ten years ago may

have been a community that lies a short distance from yours. Due to deregulation and the rise of travel phenomena such as cruises and all inclusive airline packages, your competition may be not the next town, but any place in the world. Your former competitors may become your future allies.

analyze your customers by segmenting them into as many groups as possible. Niche marketing has always been a tourism buzzword. analyze your customer base from not only the traditional socio-statistical categories of: age, gender, and income, but also by looking at behavior models, forms of travel, spending patterns, amounts of time that can be allotted to vacations, and psycho-demographic profiles. Then try to determine what you have to offer and which customers will pay a priority price. For example, many parts of the tourism industry forget that issues of safety are critical. a decision concerning the amount and quality of the security that a hotel or attraction provides must be seen as an integral part of a marketing plan.

Do not be afraid to go international! the days of marketing to the citizens of only one nation are coming to an end. the cheap dollar means that not only will Us citizens tend to consider staying home, but that Europeans find the USA to be a bargain. Make your tourism business fit into the international world of travel. Develop multi-lingual services, information brochures, and advertising. set your hours of operation to the needs of the international traveler. Never translate literally and avoid translation software. Often major faux pas are committed by a literal translation.

Determine if your current customers are the same as those of yesterday. the world has gone through a number of major sociological shifts in the last decade. For example, business hotels now must deal with the fact that single-parent business people often need to travel with their small children. in that case, the “child” is as much the “customer” as is the parent. in a like manner, time is often now more valuable than money.

travelBy: Dr. PEtEr tarLoW

Using Tourism Strategies To Develop Your Marketing Plan


By: John tSChohL

that is tRUe for every organization throughout the world. Unfortunately, most organizations are riddled with complacent employees, those who merely show up and do as they’re told, who lack the drive and the self-confidence to reach higher, do more, and become indispensable to their companies. exceptional employees are those who take chances, are creative, create order out of chaos, generate ideas, figure out what needs to be done and do it—and, in the process, create value for their organizations.

the question becomes: how do you become that exceptional employee, that person who is so valuable to your organization that you not only will have a job for life, you will be promoted beyond your wildest dreams? how do you develop a plan of attack that will take you where you want to go?

i rECommEnd that you takE thEsE stEPs: Believe in yourself. Build your self-confidence with

positive, personal affirmations—positive statements that you make about yourself and that describe what you want to be, what you want to have, what you want to do, and how you want to live your life. Then reaffirm those beliefs over and over, until your unconscious mind accepts them as facts.

Set goals. indispensable and extraordinary employees set goals and work tirelessly to achieve them. those goals should be consistent with your values and should align with your passion. they should be clear and measurable. include target dates for each goal; doing so will keep you on track. Once you reach a desired goal, set a new one.

Overcome self-imposed limitations. those limitations are the biggest barriers to your success. if you think of yourself as a failure, no matter how hard you try to succeed, you will fail. You have it within you to be anything you want to be—and to do anything you want to do. You must believe in yourself. You can’t be afraid to make mistakes, because that

fear will hold you back. challenge yourself, take risks, and reap the resulting rewards.

Improve your deficiencies and develop your strengths. conduct an honest self-assessment. look long and hard at your attitude and work ethic and at how you deal with customers and problems. how would you rate your performance? Do you meet the expectations of your coworkers and superiors? are you dependable and accountable?

Be proactive. a proactive employee is constantly on the lookout for opportunities to stand out. every problem you encounter is an opportunity for you to produce a positive outcome. When you are proactive and confident in your skills, you put yourself on display for your customers and supervisors. You show others that you can handle any situation. You will be free to be extraordinary.

Develop personally and professionally. Your self-assessment will guide you, as you look for areas to strengthen. take online classes, read a book on personal development every month, enroll in a training course, attend seminars and lectures. look for mentoring programs and take advantage of tuition reimbursement programs to further your education.

Associate with winners. associating with successful people, people you respect will help you stay on track. they will ignite your passion and provide support. they will motivate you and challenge you intellectually. they might even funnel stimulating projects your way and help you identify improved career opportunities. stay away from negative people; they will drag you down and hamper your efforts to better yourself.

When you think big—and dream big—you will accomplish great things. When you decide you want to move up to a better position, and a better life, you are making a choice that will drive you to set—and meet—higher standards. You will become an exceptional, and indispensable, employee.

ideals

MOVING UP Become a Driving Force— and an Indispensable Employee

“Exceptional employees are the driving force of the future.”


exhibitBy: Barry SiSkinD

theRe is a common problem that is shared by many exhibit managers: While the exhibit return is either flat-lining or decreasing, costs continue to rise. the past few years have done very little to help this situation which has caused some companies to reduce their exhibit exposure or pull out of important exhibitions all together in the hopes of meeting constricting budget constraints.

hErE arE a numbEr of stratEgiEs that may hElP.

Talk to your show organizer. Running a show has its own challenges but all would be for not if exhibitors, who the organizer depends on, are having difficulty justifying their participation. i am not suggesting your conversation with organizers is one where you are strong-arming

Reducing exhibit costs


them into reducing costs but a collaborative discussion where you tap into their experience to find cost-saving ideas that work for both of you. Your organizer lives and breathes their exhibitions daily – who better to consult with?

Talk to your suppliers. One huge mistake many exhibit managers make with reduced funds is to drop sections of the overall budget plan to make up the shortfall. a better approach is to examine, line by line, each item in your budget and search for meaningful savings. to help, your suppliers can be a great resource. Often they can develop creative ideas that can help you save money while maintaining the integrity of your exhibit plan.

Develop your metrics for success. Much has been written about metrics but without some serious thought into what makes a successful exhibit plan, you are left guessing. Your metrics give you benchmarks to determine which exhibitions work better than others and a method of calculating the effect of changes to your plan.

Talk to your staff. all too often staff is assigned to attend an exhibition without being asked for feedback on how and what you can do to improve the exhibit plan. this process should begin after each exhibition and your staff should be included in the post-show evaluation. this is their formal opportunity to share what they learned. From their vantage point they can often spot mistakes quickly and can be a tremendous source of valuable information to improve the financial bottom line. One example they might mention is the travel cost incurred when staff from distant locations are included in the exhibit plans where local staff could do the job while saving on travel and accommodation.

Buy locally. the internet is a vast resource that can introduce many local vendors. For example: if you are offering hospitality then working with a local supplier may

be less expensive than the official suppliers. Other local businesses may include hotels, restaurants, sign makers, booth builders, ground transportation providers etc.

Design flexibility into your exhibit program. start with a macro-approach. this includes all the exhibitions planned throughout the year. then create the exhibit hardware to ensure that it is flexible enough to accommodate various exhibit challenges by including interchangeable parts and modular sections that can be broken up and reconfigured for smaller shows.

Calculate exhibit size. it’s not always necessary to have as much exhibit space as possible. the size of the exhibit is in direct correlation to the projected return. For each show on the schedule determine if the amount of space booked is necessary to meet your objectives.

Optimize opportunities with partners. chances are that some of the other exhibitors at the show have products and services that compliment your offerings. they may be dealers or distributors or a vertical supplier that connects well with a similar customer or another company that is local to you with whom you can share expenses such as shipping. a quick review of the show’s web site will likely help you spot exhibitors that you can work with. it could be as simple as cross-promoting each other products. Perhaps a local supplier will bring in one of their machines for you to use in your booth that works well with your product.

Saving money at a trade show is rarely a matter of finding one or two big items that can be eliminated. it’s all about spotting smaller changes in each budget item that when added up can produce great affordable results.

i have included a few of my favorite cost saving items in this article. i would be interested in knowing what other ideas you have uncovered. let me know at [email protected], and when i’ve collected a few i’ll publish a follow-up article.

Reducing exhibit costs

The Internet is a vast resource that can introduce many local vendors. For example: if you are offering hospitality then working with a local supplier may be less expensive than

the official suppliers.

WWW


By: Dr. Barry GoLDSMith

advice

WheN YOU’Re DOWN and troubled... and your therapist isn’t there, what the hell are you supposed to do with yourself?

applying coping and self-soothing techniques can return your equilibrium. this is why learning and using these techniques is imperative to leading a balanced lifestyle.

things don’t go the way we want them to some of the time, but even if it’s most of the time, we can still care for ourselves in healthy and unselfish ways.

those who care for others can suffer from caregiver burnout, and the same thing may happen when it comes to caring for ourselves. We become tired of our routines, and sometimes our own emotions can keep us from doing what we know will make us healthy and happier.

For example, you’re feeling a little down, and it might be too hot or too cold to exercise outside, and driving to the gym just takes too much energy to even think about. these rationalizations are normal when you’re not in a great mood. it’s easy to make excuses when you want to find them.

the trick is to psych yourself out of self-sabotaging. When you know that doing certain actions will make you feel better in the long or short term, but you find a way to keep yourself from doing them, part of you may be saying that you don’t deserve to feel better. that critical inner part of your brain needs to be muzzled, and you can do

that by saying to yourself “i do deserve to feel better.”telling yourself to take positive steps, especially when

you are hearing the opposite in your head, is a time-tested self-motivation method. Once you know you can overcome negative internal messages, you can begin to heal what is vexing you.

sometimes it can be helpful to talk with someone about your troubles, and it doesn’t have to be a therapist (but it probably shouldn’t be a bartender). Verbalizing your quandary gives you another perspective, and not only from the other person. hearing yourself say the words out loud can also bring you new perspective. You can even speak aloud to yourself if no one else is available, and no, it doesn’t mean you are crazy if you do.

Positive self-talk has worked for ages to help people psych themselves up for whatever it is they’re facing. some people do it on the golf course; others do it in the courtroom. Where you are makes no difference. self-talk works, so give it a shot.

If you find yourself behaving in unusual ways that make you feel uncomfortable, or if you are unable to do things that help to make you feel good, then you may be stuck in a negative thinking pattern. even if it started from something you feel you have no control over, you do have the power to put yourself in the right frame of mind.

it takes work, but the results are well worth it, so give it a chance and help yourself feel better.

Psych Yourself Out of Self-Sabotaging


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