MEASURE EVERYTHING OF SIGNIFICANCE… (People won’t do what you expect; they will do what you inspect)

OK… the answer is NO – I am not simply posting information regarding someone else’s blog to keep our little corner of the blog universe current. Actually, quite the contrary. I want to share information from MarketingHeadHunter.com with you; specifically a post by Harry Joiner, an exceptional and amazing e-Commerce recruiter based out of Atlanta, GA.

Harry’s credentials are unsurpassed in his field. However, his success is not due to his BA from the University of Georgia (I do sympathize with him), his MBA from South Carolina, his experience working International Commodity Sales for AJC in Atlanta, his time at NYU, being recognized through “Fistful of Talent” Top 25 Talent Management Blogs for 2008, being a recipient of an “Authenticity” Award by Internet Inc. in 2009, being quoted/referenced numerous times in the Wall Street Journal, his ability to play drums, or the fact he is related to yours truly.

Harry’s success is due to his grasp of reality when engaged in the business world; his ability to call a spade a spade and bypass the crap spewed by irrational and unrealistic business muttonheads holding executive level positions in the world of Human Resources; the gate-keepers who have truly lost touch with reality regarding the keys to success. The man ensures his clients view the world through the appropriate set of glasses and that his job-seekers are best prepared for the market they seek to engage. He is the best at what he does because he approaches each situation from a position of reality.

Early in 2009, Harry posted a blog titled “16 Rules for Success in Business & Life”. Not that I would consider Bob Parsons a true motivational speaker or self-help Guru, the man does know a thing or two about internet marketing and e-commerce… something all of us who know GoDaddy cannot dismiss. Harry’s post pays homage to an article Mr. Parsons wrote titled “16 Rules for Success in Business & Life”. Harry puts it this way:

“Growing a successful company is really hard work, and Bob strikes me as the quintessential internet marketing entrepreneur: fast talking, fast thinking, fast implementing, and fast failing. Jack Welch was like this too, seeking the highest-possible velocity for ideas and assets in his GE companies. If you have never read Welch's process for topgrading an organization, please do so. Very Darwinian.”.

It is amazing a marketing guru can get this… but Harry does! Read this blog HERE.

jm

Selling the Intangible; "tribal knowledge" for the jungle out there

OK, so the world of Tradeshow Marketing is taking yet another hit. We know, we know. After all, this is nothing new. We experienced a valley during the economic recession of the 1980’s (remember the original “sellers market”?). Though the industry rebounded strong, the events of September 11 yet again reduced the industry to a level less than 30% of its economic impact pre 9-11 (according to CEIR). However, like before, the ever perseverant industry of meeting planners and event organizers found a way to rebound, of course after experiencing yet another purging, eliminating numerous over-inflated markets and unnecessary events.

Today, the uncertainty of the economy has not helped sales efforts from an industry already struggling to show value of the intangible sale. When faced with a slowing / receding economy, the business sector slices budgets in 4 primary areas: Business Marketing, Inventory and Supply Chain Management, Employee Training, and travel. My friends, these are what tradeshows are all about. Our customers exhibit in our shows to market their products and/or services in a face-to-face setting to their potential clients. Our attendees meet with exhibitors to purchase goods and services for their inventories. The majority of attendees register to receive training; to sharpen the saw, and achieve additional credentials. On average, over 70% of event attendees must travel to attend the events. In result, attendance of buyers at our events is down.

All of these forces simply make it tougher to close the intangible sale. Buyers are uncertain of the ROI they have come to expect, and are now uncertain if an event can truly produce a solution to their pain of slowing sales and declining business opportunities. Sales managers throughout the industry are continuously challenged with how to create greater ROI for their customers; how to further demonstrate to their customers that the products and services they offer are truly the solution to their customer’s needs.

I recently read a newsletter produced by Wat Tyler, VP of Sales for SAVO Sales Enablement Solutions. The article deals with what he terms “Tribal Knowledge”. In a nutshell, it simply enforces and embodies the concepts of solution selling, and the use of proper tools to ensure your sales efforts are on target with your customers and market and eliminating waste most commonly dumped on clients by the average sales executive. It is a great read, providing simple insight to how utilizing the right tools can produce the desired results; the solution-oriented sales process vs. a product / feature sales process. Here is a link to the article: http://www.savogroup.com/newsletter/tribalnewsletter/wattyler/default

jm

WE'RE FINALLY LIVE!

Welcome to Management Excellence - the true BLOG SPOT for Sales, Marketing, and Business Management professionals within the Trade Show Industry. This blog will be live shortly, but for now... just a simple introduction.

The purpose of this blog- to educate and inform regarding the latest trends, forecasts and experiences in Trade Show Management - from all points of view. This blog is not limited to any specific business genre and welcomes discussion in Sales, Operations, Labor, Finance, Marketing, Human Resources, Executive, and any other management or non-management positions. Simply put, if you are in the industry or affected by the industry, you should contribute.

Those visiting will find articles from such renown sources as The International Association of Expositions and Events (IAEE), The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), the Society of Indendent Show Organizers (SISO), Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), Meeting Planners International (MPI), the International Special Events Society (ISES), The American Management Association (AMA), HR.COM, The American Association of Training & Development (ASTD), Executive Leadership and more.

Feel free to discuss openly, but PLEASE remember to remain PROFESSIONAL! This site is for assisting all managers to achieve excellence in this craft.

Enjoy -

JM