Grow Your Business Through Events

So you have planned your business event and are preparing what you are going to say at your event. Your brain is telling you to carefully craft your sales pitch in effort to land as many new clients as possible; afterall you planned this event in order to grow your business right? WRONG!

You must resist the urge to pitch your attendees. Let me let you in on a little secret, no one is attending your event so that you can pitch your products or services. You’ve created and marketed some draw that will bring the prospects to you so give prospective customers what they want, information and advice and remove what they don’t want, a sales pitch.

I recommend approaching your event with the mentality of building relationships and not selling products and services. If you listen to your attendees, talk about their needs, and solutions to their problems and skip the features and benefits talks you will actually land more clients in the end.

Get to know prospects as individuals and not revenue streams and share a bit of yourself with them. Attendees will depart feeling they have created a genuine connection with you making them more likely to do business with you or refer you to others.

Popularity: 2% [?]

I absolutely love working with small businesses, it is very rewarding for me to assist a small business in planning their event and then watching them grow and flourish. However, one of my “challenges” with small businesses is the notion that everything can be bartered for or sponsored. And unfortunately, it is unrealistic to think that an event can be properly planned and executed without spending any money.

Let me start by saying that I am not at all against bartering services, sponsorship, or selling vendor/ad space. In fact, I have used each of these funding approaches successfully multiple times and will continue to do so in the future. However, I seek to give small businesses an understanding of how and went these tactics should be used and not abused.

Bartering: Bartering products and services is simply trading one thing for another. If you give me X I will give you Y. No money changes hands and the items or services exchanged should be considered equal. For example, if you are an attorney and wish to barter legal services for event planning the amount of service you offer to provide should be equal or greater than the cost of me planning your event. Businesses barter either because they need the product or service or to gain exposure for their business. If I lived in an apartment offering one year free lawn care service in exchange for planning your event isn’t an appealing trade.

Sponsorship: When a company sponsors an event they do so because the target market for the event is in line with their own and the anticipated return is greater than the requested investment. If these conditions don’t exist it is counterproductive for a company to sponsor an event. When approaching a business you need to be sure that the marketing exposure you are offering is valued higher than the amount you are requesting.

Selling Vendor/Ad Space: Some events are held in large enough venues’s that the host business can sell vendor tables (or booths) to related (non-competing) businesses. Larger events often have a printed program in which ad space can be sold. These funds can be used to help pay for the event or event marketing. The host business needs to be very conscious about the type and number of businesses they allow to set up at their event. If these businesses contradict your brand or there are too many it could detract from your event.

These tactics should be used to ASSIST in planning your event and not as the sole sources of funding. The host business should be prepared to at minimum pay initial deposits and a portion of the cost to host the event. Decisions regarding alternate funding sources should be made carefully and the fact that every company is in business to generate revenue should be taken into account.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Most people don’t do business with people we don’t trust; this is especially true for small businesses. Even if you have the lowest prices, if your prospects don’t trust you, it will be difficult to close the sale. So how do you build trust with people you’ve never met?

1. Company Website: Your website is one of the initial points of contact you have with a prospect and goes a long way in establishing trust. Is your contact information listed prominently on the site? Does your bio or about us page give good insight into you, your company, and what your company stands for? Do you have testimonials available from past clients? Do you have photos or samples of your work posted or available? Does your website give insight into the human behind the company? If you answered no to more than one of these questions your website may be failing to build the trust that prospects need in order to make the initial contact.
2. Knowledge Sharing: The fastest way to build trust with your prospects is to show them you are knowledgeable in your field, articulate, professional, and capable. Writing articles, blogs, conducting teleseminars, write product/article reviews and speaking at industry events are all great ways to demonstrate and share knowledge. If I’m seeing a small business accountant and I see that you have written volumes of articles on small business tax and accounting tips I don’t have to wonder if you are knowledgeable and capable of servicing my business I have proof that you are. Or if you are a consultant and I hear you speak at an industry event about the results you have achieved for other clients I have concrete examples of what you can do for my business.
3. Business Events: Planning an event puts you face-to-face with your prospects. You are able to build report and establish relationships as well as answer your prospects questions and overcome concerns face-to-face. Business events are low pressure encounters for your prospects so they are more likely to let their guard down and get to know more about you.

Build your business and improve your reputation by building trust using these three techniques and watch your business grow. What are you doing to ensure your clients trust you?

Popularity: 1% [?]

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing Business and Entrepreneurs Website and Majon’s Business and Entrepreneurs directory companies on the web. Visit this .

Whether you’re planning an event for 100 or 10,000, wristbands are an invaluable tool in making sure your event runs smoothly. In fact, whether you choose Tyvek wristbands, paper wristbands, custom wristbands, plastic wristbands, or vinyl wristbands, simply using these simple identifiers can alleviate a number of potential problems during your event. The versatility of wristbands means that you can use them anytime you need a visual identifier. Here are some examples of the myriad of ways you can use wristbands:

Age or height identifier: Wristbands can be used at venues to identify minors in order to prevent them from purchasing alcoholic beverages. They can also be used in amusement parks when there are height restrictions to certain rides. Tyvek wristbands have the advantage of being waterproof, and so can be used for water parks.

Admissions: When you use wristbands, you can sell day passes for events or amusements. Guests will appreciate not having to fumble for tickets, and workers will save time by easily identifying those who have paid for a pass. If you are holding a conference that spans several days, you can use wristbands of a different color each day so that registrars can tell at a glance whether the attendee is registered for a given day’s events.

Child-Parent Protection: Twin wristbands are ideal for situations where it’s necessary to identify parents of children. Daycare centers, preschools, and amusement venues for small children all need to ensure that a child is leaving with an adult who is his or her parent or guardian.

Group Day Trips: Whether it’s a school field trip or a day trip to a casino, it’s important to be able to identify those with your group. Being able to check wristbands ensure that the proper individuals are boarding the proper busses, and allow for an easy head count to make sure no one is left behind.

Commemoration: If you’re planning Red Ribbon Week at a school, you can issue wristbands to those students who pledge to participate. Likewise, you can use wristbands as a way for people who have committed to a cause or an ideal to self-identify.

Wristbands are made from a number of different materials, such as Tyvek wristbands, paper wristbands, plastic wristbands, and vinyl wristbands. Which material you choose depends upon your budget and the type of event you’re planning.

Best of all, wristbands can be easily customized. Although there are a number of preprinted wristbands on the market, you can order custom wristbands with the name of your company or event. Custom wristbands can also include bar codes, logos, and other special text.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Wondering what it takes to become a better brand? Then the BBB Network is the place for you! I live and breathe branding, as a freelance marketer and event professional I focus on servicing my clients in a way that helps to establish and promote their brand identity. I am constantly looking for ways to strengthen both my business and personal brand. I have a knack for helping business owners to look at their business image from their client’s eyes allowing them to take deliberate action to mold their brand. I am excited to be a Brand Ambassador for the BBB Network and encourage each of you to join the network and share your experiences, ask your questions, and Become a Better Brand!

In addition the BBB Network is running a contest to develop the logo/banners for the network. If you are interested here are the basics:

1. You must use the Blue and Orange colors from the layout in your banners/logo.
2. You must submit a header-sized banner (like up top), a 125 x 125 button, a 125 x 125 BBB Ambassador Badge, and a logo only file.
3. You can not use images that are copyrighted/trademarked or being used in other logos.

Click Here for full Details

Visit the Become Better Brands Network to Join: http://becomebetterbrands.ning.com/ and don’t forget to add me as a friend http://becomebetterbrands.ning.com/profile/BrandiStarr

Popularity: 4% [?]

Earlier this week my husband forwarded me an article entitled Fake Boston bridal show signs up thousands. The article begins:

“Scammers set up a Web site advertising a fake bridal show billed as the “biggest and most extravagant” and used it to steal from thousands of brides-to-be and their vendors, who were lured by chances to win “fabulous gifts and prizes,” police and FBI experts said Monday.” Click Here to Read the Full Article

Vendors for this event paid up to $4,000 for a booth and the show sold thousands of couples pre-registering to attend the show spending $10 to $15 per ticket. As an event professional I am saddened by the scammers who have left a scarlet letter on the industry and can empathize with the thousands who have been screwed over, especially the vendors.

While I am outraged by this situation, I want to put an optimistic spin on it and use this occurrence as a prime example of a key principle when planning a business event. In order for an event to be successful, you have to have a solid event-marketing plan! These scammers in Boston have proven that the event-marketing plan is more important than the event-plan itself. Thousands of tickets were sold and there was no actual event.

Now I am not encouraging (or suggesting) anyone to plan fake events. However, I am encouraging (and STRONGLY suggesting) that you spend as much time planning your event-marketing efforts as you do planning the event itself. Here are 5 tips to having an effective event-marketing plan:

1. Set SMART Goals: Almost every business owner has heard of the “SMART” method of goal setting. Your goals for your event should be Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic and Timely. The first step in planning an event is determining what you want to achieve by planning the event.
2. Clearly Define Your Target Market: The target market for your event should be specific and well segmented. Selecting your target market requires that you take a close look at who you want to attend your event and how to appeal to them. What demographics will allow you to achieve your results? What mix of each demographic do you need to attend?
3. WIFM Approach: As an event-marketer you have to understand that your “guest” are going to have a “What’s In It For Me” mentality. In order for your event to be a success you have to create a draw for your invited guests. In the case of our scammers they promised attendees that they would “receive a welcome bag of goodies and will be entered for a chance to win fabulous gifts and prizes!” and that is was to be “New England’s biggest and most extravagant Bridal Show!” So what reason do your invited guests have to attend?
4. Timing is Everything: An event marketer walks a thin line between promoting too soon and not soon enough. How early you should start promoting your event will depend on the event itself. For example, and event that requires travel, or carries a high price tag may need more promotion time than a free, local event. You should carefully consider how early to begin promoting your event to maximize attendance.
5. Hindsight is 20/20: Even if this is the first time you are holding this event, it is important to look at past experience as a guide on how to market your event. What have your competitors done, and how successful was it? What marketing tactics have you seen used that produced the desired results? What market research can you find about your intended target market? This questions and others like them will allow you to develop a sound marketing plan for your event.

As you are planning your next event allow ample time to plan and execute your event-marketing plan. You could plan the most elaborate and fabulous event but if no one attends it is all for not; that is time, money, and resources wasted.

Popularity: 2% [?]