Comments on: Why you should fire your Brand Manager

By: tracibrowne

tracibrowne — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 11:55:39 +0000

Thanks for your comments Mike. I love the show and tell aspect of what you did at the show. So many times customers can’t put their finger on what they do or don’t like exactly. You made it easy for them to do it. That and it’s so much easier to criticize other companies’ properties. While they may have been close lipped about what they did or didn’t like in their own booth, it probably felt much less personal when touring others.

By: Michael Thimmesch

Michael Thimmesch — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 01:25:20 +0000

Traci,

Right on target, as usual. In the heart of the bullseye.

You will never get more information first hand about what really matters in your industry and to your clients than working a show. As long as you are open to the experience, ask the right questions, listen, and watch.

I can think of one show in particular when I really, really learned what mattered to our clients. It was a new show about 4 years ago that had a good number of booths but not so much traffic. So I could take as much time with each prospect if they wanted to. Fortunately, about 25% of the booths at the show were ours. I would take visitors to our booth on tours around the show hall, asking them what they thought of each of our clients’ exhibits. Their answers surprised and enlightened me. It was like a two-day focus group, except that we got enough leads to pay for our show, too!

By: tracibrowne

tracibrowne — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 20:01:39 +0000

Thanks for your thoughts and comments Kerry. Yes, we cannot be timid…after all, they pay us the big bucks to give them good solid advice. Perhaps if we work on pitching it more in a tone of this is what’s in it for you and educate them better it will be easier to get them on board. Having cost analysis in our back pocket won’t hurt either.

By: Kerry Smithwick

Kerry Smithwick — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 18:29:32 +0000

Great points Traci! I’ve been to too many trade shows where the exact scenario you painted is played out. As you and Jamie suggested, some of the problem is money. But what’s that old saying about you have to spend money to make money. And, are marketing folks forgetting their job is to support sales?
I think we can’t be too timid when working with our clients. We need to step out there and just ask, ‘who from the marketing department will be at the show?’….and, of course, be prepared to address concerns. Possibly give reasons why marketing should be there before asking the question. Or, explain why and point out marketing could be setting up meetings with folks while at the show to discuss that customer research project or competitive analysis report.
Would love to hear some other thoughts.

By: Jamie Montague

Jamie Montague — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:10:51 +0000

Customers that would dump us for such honesty likely don’t educate themselves via blogs. And the ones that do educate themselves this way hire us for our honestly and insight (I hope!). So I think we are safe.

All kidding aside, you are right that people like us and the eventprofs community have an obligation to help our customers avoid these pitfalls and to get all they can out of their events. But I feel like we are in a way dealing with addicts and that we can “only help them if they want to be helped” as the saying goes.

Do you or anyone else out there have good suggestions as to how to make these exhibitors aware of the missed opportunity. I honestly don’t know how I’d bring it up without being asked.

By: tracibrowne

tracibrowne — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:33:28 +0000

What’s that sound I hear Jamie? Why it’s a bunch of our clients dumping us because we dare talk like this! Now I get that saying, don’t shit where you eat. But perhaps you are right…maybe it’s not just line by line budget cutting. If fear is the real reason, then that I can work with that. I think it is our job to teach best practices as well as new ways of doing and looking at things, to invent new best practices.

By: Jamie Montague

Jamie Montague — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:17:08 +0000

Dead on as usual Traci. Great post! But I feel that this is just a part of a larger problem. The same sentiments and stratagies that have brand managers, marketing directors and VP’s of Marketing cutting and running once a show opens (if they attend in person at all) is the same line of thinking that has these people avoiding social media and other type venues.

Exhibiting/attending a trade show is not only a great way to learn and grow your business but is also a way for people to get to know you better. In other words, you can be exposed. People will see in tangible ways how you present your company. Colleages and competitors can challenge you face to face as to why you do the things you do. Its easy to take suggestions, comments, complaints and new ideas from your toll free hotline or your website. But at these events people can look you in the eye and do it and that scares some people to death. Better to race back to the office to work on a sreadsheet.

Its the same fear that keeps companies off of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and whatever else comes along: What if someone says they don’t like me?Too many businesses are behaving like high school sophomores that don’t want to get dumped.

In my opinion that is the true problem at these firms and the cancer that needs to be cured in order for future growth to be attained. You are certainly right that firing some people isn’t a bad place to start!

Anyway, thats just my opinion……….