March 2021
Get in Gear for the Return of On-Site Meetings
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I’m (Ann) currently reading Carol Dweck’s book, Mindset. In the book, she discusses two types of mindsets: Fixed and Growth, and their impact on everything from business to relationships to succeeding in school.
Simplified, a growth mindset is the belief that you are limited by nothing. You can improve anything about yourself through learning and doing. A fixed mindset will tell you, “You’re not smart enough to do that.”
Obviously, we should all strive to have a growth mindset, but this can be challenging. Dweck says that your mindset is influenced by all kinds of things, including how you were raised and your life experiences.
I'm listing list the author’s 10 Steps, but with my own commentary and experience...
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We Need Your Voice
Continue to Improve Conferences by Sharing Your Feedback
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As we forge on into more months of virtual meetings (yes, we're seeing some on-site come back little by little, but virtual is still our reality), we have become more aware of what aspects of virtual exhibiting are truly critical to success.
We have found that one of the more practical ways to create your virtual exhibiting plan is to attempt to compare each aspect of the virtual hall as closely as possible to what would be delivered on site.
For example, when exhibiting on site it is common to see that the top sponsors have the large exhibits right by the hall entrance. You can compare this same concept virtually knowing that if you are a sponsor, it is likely your virtual booth is going to be at the top of the virtual hall webpage - thus getting more eyes on the exhibit and an increased likelihood of traffic. You can think of email addresses collected virtually as the equivalent of someone stepping into your booth and asking for more information.
Sponsorships on site are sometimes out of budget-range, but virtual exhibiting costs are lower across the board. This could be the time you could get the sponsorship your budget didn't allow for beforehand.
Each time you develop an element for your virtual booth, try to think how it would compare in success to an on-site meeting and you may not feel so out of your element as we all have been lately.
Additionally, keep in mind that the global sales period for all shows should be two weeks before and two weeks after. Reserve judgment of success or failure until you've sufficiently followed up.
Our experience shows that it takes up to eight "touches" before a sale converts.
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Often we see companies get discouraged by comparison when it comes to the "bells and whistles" of a marketing campaign.
If you are a medium-sized or small-sized company comparing your marketing messages/tools to companies that have much large budgets, try to avoid doing so. If you do, you're simply not comparing apples to apples; plus while it's always good to know what your competition is up to, it will serve you better to focus on you.
For example, if you see a company video from Large Company A and feel that your informative video is lacking in comparison, don't get discouraged - you can't compare the two. You can still have an effective message with the resources you have available to you.
Instead of focusing on the perceived professionalism of something like a video, try focusing on how much your message solves the DPM's problem.
People respond to messages/companies they know and trust and they are intrigued by encouraging solutions. If you can provide those two elements, you won't need Stephen Spielberg to produce your videos.
As our school teachers would tell us, "keep your eyes on your own paper." Focus on you and avoid stressing out about what the competition is doing.
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This newsletter is here to equip you in several different ways. Another way are striving to be your number one exhibiting resource is by sharing templates and tools to help your marketing efforts!
Below is a quick and easy ad template you can use for quick conference booth awareness.
If you would like the layered files of this template so you can brand it as yours, just select yes below and Sarah will send you everything you need!
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Please choose one of the answers below:
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Yes, please send me the files so I can re-create this ad for my own company.
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No thanks, we have everything we need.
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Over the last year we've made the transition from putting sales reps on planes to visit DPMs across the country at different events, to placing them in front of their computer screen to address leads as they come through virtually.
It may seem more difficult to determine how to staff the booth for an on-site show, but as we all have different technical abilities, the staffing of virtual shows has become a serious part of event planning and success.
While it could simply come down to sales regions and those assigned to those locations, take some time to consider all of the other components of a working virtual booth like the chat features and inbound lead forms via email.
Make sure to set protocols of who is responding to chats, leads, and when. Also keep in mind that if sales leads are going to be passed on to another team member, how much time that could take and whether or not it could turn a hot lead into a mild or cold lead.
Virtual is about immediacy and efficiency. So ensure your processes are as well!
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Survey Survey Survey!!
Really just a short quick poll...
We want to know... during a virtual event, what would you consider a valuable entry (what the DPM has to provide) to be entered to win a giveaway?
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Choose one of the options below:
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They should have to provide an email address
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They should have to provide phone and email
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They should have to ask a question about products/services
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Because it's been so long since we've been able to go and do much traveling, we (Ann and Sarah) haven't provided any recent Travel Tips in our monthly newsletter - but that doesn't mean the old tips aren't still useful!
If you are heading to the on-site portion of the hybrid ACFAS Conference, make sure you read our VEGAS TRAVEL TIPS!
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Plan 3-6 Months In Advance
No More Last Minute Decisions! Effective Shows Take Time to Plan. Use Our Calendar to Make Your Calendar.
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Large Meeting News: Did You Hear.... |
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- ACFAS Annual Conference is going hybrid for 2021.
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- Midwest Podiatry Conference 2021 is now virtual only.
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- FPMA Summer conference will be in-person in Bonita Springs in June. If you can exhibit in person, we highly recommend it, and don't forget to add-on the virtual booth if it's an option! Our SAM21 stats showed that those who participated in both virtual and online exhibits had the most traction.
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- The APMA National looks to be moving forward with an in-person event in Denver. We encourage everyone to attend and support meetings that are bringing back face-to-face conferences in an environment that is safe. We hope to see you there!
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About Us
What we're currently reading, listening to, working on...
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Hi, I’m Ann! I’m a South Carolina homeschooling mom of two boys.
Currently, I have a pile of books on my nightstand I’m trying to get through, including Start With Why by Simon Sinek, Mindset by Carol Dweck, All the Light We Cannot See by ____ and a stack of Southern Living magazines I need to flip through.
When I’m running errands, traveling or working around the house, you can usually find me listening to an array of podcasts, mostly on digital marketing and professional development.
My favorites are Amy Porterfield’s Online Marketing Made Easy, John Maxwell’s Leadership Podcast and Trent Shelton’s Straight Up Podcast.
However, lately my brain is on overload and I’ve cut out podcasts temporarily so I can focus on actually checking things off my list rather than making new lists of future ideas. I suppose the smart thing to do would be to find a balance between doing and dreaming. I’ll let you know when I figure that part out.
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Yo Yo Yo! I'm Sarah and I'm your standard Midwest Girl who says "Ope!" and prays for the snow to melt so I can get on the golf course.
When I do have time to read and engage with self-growth, you will find me listening to anything from Tom and Lisa Bilyeu.
While it's been available for several years now, I'm also obsessed with Jon Taffer's book, "Raise the Bar." It's a text about how to create an amazing restaurant/bar experience, and while that's clearly not my line of work, the main theme throughout is creating positive customer reactions. Definitely worth the read!
Sometimes I get overwhelmed with all the information available to "better our personal lives and our businesses" so I'm currently working on employing more of what I've already consumed and feel like it's OK to take a 411 intermission.
I believe it was Rachel Hollis at her RISE event in 2019 that said, we are all "fat" with information.
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Engage with Us!
Each of our newsletter articles are posted online! Have thoughts or comments about anything? Share your ideas by commenting on our blog posts!
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