Trade show booth tips

Skyline Displays' most recent newsletter includes some worthy booth staffing tips.

http://www.n-email.com/skyline/052007nationala.htm

Skyline is a reputable organization -- we've purchased our trade show set-up from them, but I will share with you an alternative approach to finding your booth, if you are willing to take a little risk in exchange for some big savings -- Ebay!

If you wade through the listings, and separate out the brokers, and stuff, you may find some real bargains. Of course factor in shipping costs, the real client reputation, and the practicalities and risks of buying a booth set-up without having service and support before going this way. However, if you are spending our own money -- not your boss's -- or your boss is like me and respects employees who think creatively and regard their company's money as if it were their own -- you may find this is a truly rational approach.

I used Ebay for our table top display. The cost -- for a display that retails for $500 to $1,000 or more -- only $35.00. (It has previously been used by a pharmaceutical company, but all we had to do was throw out a detached plastic piece that gave away its former identity.)

Practical publicity -- doing it right

Peter Schürmann of Redwell Canada Inc. has shown how mastery of media relations and publicity can pay big dividends. He distributes a rather novel product -- an Austrian-based radiant heating 'frame'. You stick the frame up on a wall, and it heats the room using radiant heat -- more efficiently than conventional heat, and without the need for duct work, wiring, or furnaces. The technology has interesting practical applications. You, for example, can install a mirror version in bathrooms -- the mirror never fogs up, and if you put a towel over it, it would warm the towel up for extra comfort.

OK, this might be an interesting product, but how do you sell it? Schurmann saw an article by a Globe and Mail columnist in Toronto about the advantages of radiant floor heating. He sent her a note; saying he agrees entirely with her observations -- and then outlined his product's unique advantages and qualities. She called, impressed, and wrote the 'perfect' story -- especially well timed, because he was exhibiting the product at Toronto home show just after the article appeared in print.

Schürmann says at least 200 people came to the Redwell booth saying they had seen the article, and wanting more information. And of course Redwell is using the article in its trade show exhibits, and on its website.

Fair enough. Schürmann knows how to 'work' the media effectively. He saw me at the Toronto Construction Association Members Day event, and knew I was there as a journalist. He approached me to sell me on his story. I told him that frankly we constrain commercial promotions of individual businesses into advertorial features -- they, after all, are the mainstay of our print business revenue.

But after our conversation, I visited his booth, that happened to be near ours. Jason Chase reported on his sales successes at the TCA event (I was busy gathering notes for the editorial component) and we observed that Schürmann knew how to obtain publicity without even the slightest expectation of needing to pay for it.

So how does he do it?

1. He has a good story. The product is interesting, after all.
2. He has achieved publicity in credible media. News reporters, like most of us, run in packs. When one is interested, others follow.
3. He seized on a related story, and sent a personal, appropriate communication directly to the writer, outlining his own story. Good move. It isn't pushy, it is relevant, and the writer responded accordingly.
4. He sizes up reporters and approaches them, seeking their involvement and participation.

So he succeeded, as well, here with this blog. I've provided a hyperlink and some publicity he wouldn't have achieved otherwise.

Done properly, media publicity is the least expensive and most effective marketing you can arrange. Schürmann shows how it can be done.

An association gets it right

Today, I'm heading to Toronto (on a $14.00 return airline fare war ticket) for the annual Toronto Construction Association Members' Day. This event combines some educational sessions, free food (and beverages), and the opportunity for members who wish the opportunity, for a free display set-up to promote their business. There is no charge -- no one stands at the door seeking 'donations' -- and generally the weather outside the Construction Centre in Richmond Hill is beautiful this time of year.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see how this event creates good will between the association and its membership; adding to a sense of value and community. These days, many association events have a fund-raising element to them -- fees are to be collected, or companies are urged to sponsor with thousands of dollars in contributions. There is nothing wrong with this approach, of course, but it is refreshing to see an association knows that occasionally it makes good marketing sense to let go of the take, and simply give.

Relationship building and sports marketing

Tonight, our hometown team the Ottawa Senators is playing to clinch the divisional finals and move on to the Stanley Cup competition. The city, naturally, is going a bit 'hockey mad'. I'll be one of about 30,000 fans in the stadium, packed to capacity. We're making the game a treat for Eric who turns 10 on May 19 (also my birthday, so we always share this important day in our lives).

This is fine enough, but what does it have to do with construction industry marketing? If you talk to the hockey team management and sales staff -- as for any professional sports franchise -- you will say 'everything'. Corporate seasons ticket and suite sales are a big business for professional sports teams; they are the gist of their marketing programs, because of course it is expensive and hard to fill every seat for every game -- but with seasons ticket sales, the team has 'sold' the seat regardless, and can budget accordingly.

Fair enough, but do season's tickets work for the clients? I've been looking for empirical evidence to back up the assertion that the tickets are valuable for client development, sales, relationship building and maintenance, and employee morale, and certainly see enough of that material on various teams' promotional sites. But where is the hard evidence?

So far, I haven't found anything analytical or independent -- something written by an organization other than a team's sales department. However, I have begun collecting some subtle but important indicators that the sports marketing works, and is worthy of corporate attention.

For example, in Ottawa, Direct Energy invited a group of home builders to a special program to outline new energy efficient equipment to be installed in new homes. They invited builder technical representatives to the session, held at a facility near the local hockey arena, and after the two hour presentation, handed out suite seasons tickets for that evening's game (along with access to the VIP buffet restaurant before the game.) I certainly enjoyed the deal and could see how the subtle and powerful goodwill could be created by the process. However, I also saw the risks of this type of marketing. The young guy sitting next to me in the corporate box, enjoying his unlimited free beer, said he really didn't have any authority at the company where he worked -- he was just told he could go. The corporate people giving out the tickets, and the users accepting them, were truly divorced from the actual cost of the tickets -- it wasn't their money, after all.

On the other hand, I know a local lawyer who also has seasons' tickets. I'm sure they represent a true personal and measurable cost -- he sees the money going out. But he also knows that the tickets are an amazing opportunity for him to share valuable time with key clients, or to connect or reward people who he works with. He renews annually.

The evidence of the value of seasons tickets and corporate box suite rentals/leases appears to be the fact that they 'work' for the sports teams -- they are increasingly important sources of team revenue, and clearly the renewal rate is satisfactory. (In fact, in Toronto, you need to deal on a secondary market to get access to the Air Canada Centre).

Maybe I'll find an academic paper connecting the dots and showing the empirical business/marketing value of these tickets. In the meantime, I'll have to be content with intuitive impressions and observations -- something I'll undoubtedly perceive tonight.

Words of Wisdom

Bill Caswell in his most recent newsletter, quotes John Wooden, who coached UCLA basketball teams to 88 consecutive victories -- a winning streak unparalleled in sport. On evaluating his success, Wooden said: "Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to be the best of which you are capable. He offered a number of wisdoms related to his approach to, and attainment of, success, namely:

"Little things make big things happen."
"The star of the team is the team. 'We' supersedes 'me'."
"Be yourself. Don't be thrown off by events whether good or bad."
"Have utmost concern for what's right rather than who's right."
"Stay the course. When thwarted, try again; harder; smarter. Persevere relentlessly."
"Success travels in the company of very hard work. There is no trick, no easy way."

Caswell references Wooden's book, Wooden on Leadership, www.coachjohnwooden.com (2007).

The blogging phenomena

BusinessWeek magazine in a recent report on blogging says there is a sign that the number of new blogs being created is declining, and validated that many people start blogs only to give up on the process. "A total of 70 million blogs have been set up, but March data from blog search service Technorati show that only 15.5 million bloggers updated their sites during the last three months, up slightly from 15.3 million in October."

However, the magazine also reported that some blogs are becoming significant businesses -- and many of the leading blogs are extremely influential.

The reality is that blogs are not right for everyone; and like many things that are easy to start but much more challenging to maintain, most people who experiment with blogs give up on the idea pretty quickly. The challenge in creating a successful blog is that you need to get everything right -- the bloggers personality must resonate with the readers; the topic must be relevant to them, and the blogger -- barring the rare situation where star status is achieved -- needs to be realistic about expectations. This is the reality of the Internet; millions can view the blog, but only a few will, in most cases. Then, the priority should be in encouraging the right people to visit.

Nevertheless, I think a lot more construction, architectural and engineering businesses could have successful blogs; blogs that bring their owners and key personnel much closer to their clients, colleagues and suppliers. But to make it work, you'll need a very special combination of freedom and commitment -- freedom to allow individual expression; and commitment to continue the process until the blog 'catches' with the market -- and that can take some time!

Dreams, goals, manifestations . . . and luck

As the sun rises this morning, I think about the big picture, and the many small details that make up life's choices. The little things, in themselves forgettable, that are more than minor passing details.

Of course many of the things shaping our choices are happening right now -- my thoughts are with several matters that, while trivial in their substance -- could ultimately mean something more. (They also cannot be reported openly in this blog, meaning this entry is more cryptic than I would like.)

These points of contact -- when seemingly unrelated matters develop an association and then connect the dots in surprising ways -- may be just coincidence, but I've learned that coincidence is sometimes more than it seems.

In a pragmatic sense, marketing success comes when you are able to connect the dots sufficiently from perhaps seemingly inconsequential resources, discern the 'coincidences' and act on them effectively. In the classic case, within the AEC sector, you discover a contemplated project long before the leads services know about it, and it just happens that you know through your relationships which buttons to push, and how to manage them. Most interesting, I think, are those opportunities that seemingly come out of the blue but, when you look more closely, tie back to one of your previous actions or decisions. Yes, it became an easy 'sale' that you cannot simply replicate (or maybe the seeds of a system that works time and time again). But your success is usually rooted in some seemingly unrelated, previous decision.

Today, I have a lot of seemingly unrelated and mostly minor challenges and issues to resolve. At one level, this is going to be a stressful process, hardly worthy of the juggle of time and effort to make things work right (and things could still go bad.) But my sixth sense is that it is all going to work out well -- and the apparently unrelated issues will resolve in a creative and heart-affirming solution.

Making news

Today, more than ever, I had a reminder lesson in the imbalance of resources between media and public relations. The Ontario (Canada) labour minister flew to Ottawa to deliver an announcement that the legislatively mandated Tarion Warranty Corporation would now share information with Ministry of Labour inspectors regarding unregistered (and therefore illegal) builders. The idea is to improve enforcement research to attack the underground economy.

This is a worthy enough story, which we will report on within a few hours at http://www.ontarioconstructionreport.com, but the other story here is the size of entourage for the announcement compared with the number of media for the 'media event'. Staff from the Minister's office and Tarion filled the room. There were a couple of local Provincial Parliament members, and a few people from the Ottawa-Carleton Home Builders' Association, including its president, Bob Ridley, who acted as MC for the announcement. OCHBA Executive Officer John Herbert, who encouraged me to attend, was in the room as well.

As far as I can tell, I was the only member of the 'working press' in the room, and my presence there is largely shaped by the contract we have with the OCHBA to produce their internal newsletter.

The Minister's office of course issued news releases and put them over the news release wire. I don't yet see signs of other media picking up the story, though I'm sure a few briefs will find their way into the press.

We'll cover it with some depth of course because it is important to our readers. But think about the resources that were assembled to 'broadcast' this story -- and the apparent indifference of the media. At times, it seems, doing everything 'right' to get press attention just doesn't do very much, and I'm sure reporters get cynical when they see all the money and energy devoted to managing the story.

Of course, as reported in an earlier blog entry, the new rules of the game for media publicity are not to worry about the media -- issue news releases frequently, and often, regardless of whether news media will pick up your story, because (through the web and search engine algorithms) the news releases will be read by the people who count -- those who actually truly could be interested in your product, service or cause. But remember, as well, that information clutter and overload are truly overwhelming, and getting real and meaningful attention is an uphill battle.

Can I offer a magical solution to this challenge? No. Too many variables influence newsworthiness. For example, as the Minister of Labour announced the enforcement measures on the underground economy, another Minister announced a multi-million construction project for the local Children's hospital. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know which story is more interesting and important both to the larger community and to the construction readership. Still, I have something of an exclusive for the underground economy topic, and so will run the article.

Jonathan Kranz

Some good ideas here -- reflecting the new era best practices for marketing and copy writing.

http://www.kranzcom.com/kranzblog.html

Finding and keeping good subs

Michael Stone's Markup and Profit blog has a useful entry on finding and keeping good subs.

I especially appreciate his observation about honoring the sub that provides a quote on a successful job, with the work, and not bid shopping (while respecting a sub's legitimate request for a price increase when warranted.)

Always be fair. If a situation comes up that is not in your sub-contractor agreement, err on the side of fairness to the sub. Remember, they have families and a business to take care of just like you do. Trying to chisel a sub out of a dime is going to cost you dollars in the long run. Many general contractor’s never figure that one out, and wonder why they can’t find and keep good subs.

Here is an idea that I used almost from the start of my career in sales in 1969. If I asked a sub to give me a quote on a job, and they did, if I got the job, they got the job. I didn’t shop them around; I didn’t get three bids on each job. If they helped me put an estimate and proposal together, they got the work. I had many of my subs that went back 5, 10, 15 years and more with me. My roofer went back over 30 years. Once a job was quoted, I expected the price to hold for that job. But my subs knew me well enough to know that they could come and tell me about price increases at any time. If they needed to quote a higher price for the next job based on a legitimate price increase, that was okay. I never fussed at them over prices. It is a fact of life that if their price goes up, yours goes up. Now if a sub started running the price of their work up for unnecessary reasons, I made sure I knew my numbers well enough that I could call them on it. Running prices up just to try and get more money out of me got them a one-way pass out of the relationship.

What does this have to do with marketing? Within reason, I believe that the way you treat your subs reflect on how clients treat you. If you are able to build the chemistry of trust and mutual respect within your supply chain, projects will proceed better, and you'll receive more repeat and referral business -- and that is always the best kind of marketing in this industry.

Unnecessary complexity

Bernie Siben blogs about an RFP that is over the top in detailed requirements -- yes, if you look at it fairly, the public organization has designed the form so that things are truly 'fair' and the responses would allow a complete measurement based on 'objective' criteria -- the the cost for most smaller AEC consulting firms in preparing the proposal would far exceed the potential work value -- so the number of interested bidders will be lower than should be; and the client, presumably, will pay a higher price.

This reflects my observations on excessively complex bids, an article of relevance especially within Canada.

Corporate M&Ms?

Mars is marketing corporate M&Ms, which can be imprinted with your custom logo and message. This may be useful for certain trade show/marketing packages, but I hasten to add a big 'beware' in using candies for marketing . . .

These days, some of the most senior decision-makers may be at the stage in life where health concerns are important. I, for example, am pre-diabetic. This is not a life-threatening situation, providing I use caution and watch my eating habits, weight, and exercise levels. (It is always worthwhile to get an annual check-up -- this is one of those conditions that is 'invisible' but if you catch it in time, can save much grief later.) Although candies are less of a 'threat' to me than starches like rice, white bread and most cereals, a candy 'gift' might send the wrong signal. (Here's a gift that will make you sick...., ugh!)

Anyways, I still like the creativity here and it might work for you. Here is the web link.

http://mymms.com/business69

Work pacing

I'm not exactly sure why, but yesterday I suddenly felt an urge to take it easy -- to slow the pace, to sit on the patio outside the house with the laptop and something to drink, to not force any serious effort, calls, planning, or activities.

In a way this is a strange decision. I clearly have much work to do in a compressed schedule over the next two weeks. Operational work (I am still the interim editor of our Canadian newspapers) and planning work, as we prepare our strategies to grow the business. And we had just come out of a scare where the projected sales volumes for next month were below the red line -- until a flurry of good news calls and responses changed the picture Wednesday late afternoon and early evening.

Maybe I'm resting from the relief that things are turning out okay; and the realization that while it is fine and important to work hard, it is also important to for me to be able to catch my breath on occasion. The weekend is approaching; there isn't much that absolutely needed to be done by me yesterday (or today), so why not slow the pace, rest, and enjoy something of a long weekend? I'll be recharged and ready to go on Monday morning and will make up for the 'time off' with some real 'overtime' next week.

I feel sorry for people whocannot relax; reflect, take time off, and have vacations -- or simply 'quiet days'. Now, I'll get to work on some projects that really need attention and are best done when there isn't too much stress or pressure.

"The Dip" manifesto

This 11-page piece by marketing guru Seth Godin is worth reading.

http://www.changethis.com/34.01.TheDip

Enjoying the roller-coaster ride

One common element in sales is the frustrating lack of predictability -- and even more frustrating variability between reward and effort on individual files. In other words, selling can involve thousands of hours of hard work, dedicated effort, and struggle, to end up with nothing. Then, the next minute, a whopping big sale arrives with not the least bit of effort.

Of course people and organizations temperamentally suited for sales know these circumstances exist, and accept their circumstances with maturity and confidence. Then, well-run organizations (and well-disciplined salespeople) do what they can to minimize the roller coaster; at least the downward ride part.

This is where marketing comes into the picture -- marketing effectively integrated with sales. Marketers can use various metrics to evaluate their success in generating leads and interest for the sales team; or they can set the stage so that salespeople will receive a warmer reception when they approach them. Separating the two elements of marketing and sales and building institutional walls between them is not a good idea; but expecting operating personnel in other areas of the business (for example professional engineers and architects not carrying the 'rainmaker' designation) is asking for trouble. Simply put, putting the wrong person in the wrong job is not wise, and in most cases the traits required to be a good salesperson, marketer, or professional service provider are quite distinctive. A few people have common traits (ie, a salesperson who also appreciates marketing disciplines, or a professional person who is very good at sales -- the classic 'rainmaker'); they of course are exceptionally valuable to any organization.)

So yesterday, between four and seven p.m., our sales team found themselves recovering and seeing ascendancy. Sales efforts coupled with marketing were paying off; people were saying, suddenly, yes (one person called apologetically to explain the reason she hadn't returned earlier calls).

We traced some of the successes back -- and found good marketing at the root. And then, further, we saw ways we could integrate sales and marketing for future projects. Adding to the fun, as publisher, I use my technical and journalistic skills to help set the stage here -- combining some journalistic integrity with good strategic marketing (it is also how I am most effective at selling.)

In conclusion:

• Think of marketing, sales, and operations as integral and interconnected activities;
• Don't ask someone to be who they are not; if your best engineers don't want to sell -- don't make them do it; but if you have people with combined abilities (and especially if you have professional skills you combine with sales/marketing skills) encourage that combination.
• Enjoy the ride. It can be bumpy.

Writing time

Brief entry this morning . . . I've started work on the article about blogging for the SMPS Marketer magazine, so the writing 'energy' that would go into the blog is directed into the article writing.

Returning calls

Okay, its that time of day. We're in a sales business, after all, and we make outbound calls, and try to set up proposals, and the like, and then, sometimes -- well often, we find ourselves caught in that trap of unreturned calls.

There usually are good reasons for the silent treatment. The person we are trying to reach is busy, and the proposal we've made on the initial call could be creating some awkwardness. The 'other side' cannot say yes, cannot say no, so the best thing to do is to say (and do) nothing!

I suspect this disconnect occurs most often when our proposal in the initial conversation, while technically appropriate and relevant, is not really connecting with the organization's best interests -- at least as we have presented it. The problem is we are left hanging. A good, solid, straightforward and direct 'no' is always better than silence. Ask any sales rep. (Of course the person at the other end may be giving the silent treatment, because for some salespeople who can't take no for an answer, the 'no' is an invitation to further badgering and pressure. Just one or two bad experiences probably create the defensive and appropriate response.)

However, if you know your stuff -- and know your limits -- returning calls promptly and straightforwardly wins you many points; and much respect. I admit I am not always perfect in this regard, but I try to be fair -- only drawing the line at scams and phony offers. (Broker dealers and telemarketers representing themselves as government agencies will get the cold treatment from me, always!)

Try it if you wish. Call me (I won't publish my number here but it is easy to find) and see how long it takes for me to get back to you.

This blog posting has some relevant and useful insights on the topic, I think.

http://trustedadvisor.com/blog/28/

So, to be a successful blogger you need:

A personality
You cannot really write an 'institutional' blog, the character and individual of the writer is vital for its success. That is why in part many bloggers of larger organizations are CEOs -- or the organization values and encourages individuals expression.

A passion (for writing and/or the cause)
You need to like writing -- this is primarily a written media, yet -- and it helps that you care about what you write. (Video blogs will soon be more frequent; in which case you will probably need a passion for speech making, acting, or docudrama writing!)

An interactive audience
Blogs succeed primarily when the blog readers/viewers interact with the blogger. The two-way dialogue gives the blog its validity and effectiveness.

I think most blogs that don't survive fail especially for the first two reasons. The third issue; reader response, validates the blog. Notably, however, response is not just measured in comments -- it can be the personal communication off-line between the blogger and readers, and indicators through web statistics of a large and growing number of repeat visitors.

(Your comments, therefore are welcome. You can be anonymous. I can edit comments -- generally the ones that don't make it to the comment file are obviously blog spam.)

An impressive engineering blog

In response to my request for observations about the utility of blogging for the AEC sector at the Construction Writers Association conference, Jane Howell, director of communications for the American Society of Civil Engineers, sent me the following truly insightful note.

ASCE's president, Bill Marcuson, began publishing a blog this past fall. As someone who had never before even visited a blog, I can't say he was initially enthusiastic about the idea. Now, everywhere he travels, he is approached by people who tell him how much they enjoy reading his blog. (The 'word-of-mouth' far surpasses the number of comments posted on the blog, which averages about four per post.)

This blog wasn't intended as a marketing blog, per se. Since our president attends industry events around the world during their one-year term, this blog was viewed as one way to share some of those experiences with a broader segment of our members. We do, however, regularly talk with Bill to discuss topics for the blog and to identify possible connections to other programs and activities. For example, recent blogs have mentioned our OPAL Awards gala and conferences. Other posts, such as one reacting to the shootings at Virginia Tech or recommending books about leadership, purely express Bill's thoughts.

We think this blog has been successful enough that we'll ask our new president, David Mongan, to write one when he takes office in November.

Blogs are about people first and products second, so I would think it might be harder to justify hosting a blog as a primary marketing strategy. Instead, identifying the most-read blogs by your customer base and posting as many comments as possible that relate to the blog post but also point out the benefits of your product might be the most effective strategy.

I will add Bill Marcuson's blog to the permalink list. Jane is right that "blogs are about people first and products second". This human element is of course the thing that makes blogs somewhat risky, on a superficial level, but creates a healthy marketing environment where personal relationships merge with the the business or organization's services or products. In the ASCE's case, clearly the blog is working for the association's benefit.

Talent and expectations

This afternoon, I combined operating work for our business with some forward-looking research for this blog.

I surveyed some Construction Writers Association members to see if they had any familiarity with blogs in the AEC sector. After all, it seems reasonable that writers would be among the first to know of blogs. So far the result reflects earlier observations -- blogs serving this industry as yet are few and far between.

Meanwhile, our newest salesperson set out to do his work. We have an operating manual, but our business isn't overly structured (we of course hire people suited for this type of business). Refreshingly, he has developed new techniques that are not yet in the book -- but may go there. This is the part of business life I enjoy the most -- seeing talented individuals, using their own initiative, improving on the concepts and systems they are given to use. (The negative corollary is when they stick at a rote-like routine, banging their heads up against the wall, again and again, without change.) We exchanged emails, and had a phone conversation, and I followed up with some clients where he needs my assistance.

In between, I received a call from someone in St. Louis (see http://www.aecstlouis.com)
interested in working with us to establish a construction newspaper there. I told him that even though I think St. Louis can probably support a solid construction newspaper, and it is a market we would like to explore, we are still reviewing our growth plans and so he will have to wait a while.

Then the door knocked on my home office. 4:45 p.m. Eric smiled. I had told him that I would play with him at 4:30. I asked for a few extra minutes to finish up some files, then got down to some serious Spongebob play.

Putting the pieces together, between projects that generate current revenue, conceptual efforts (like this blog) that link the present and future, and visualizing the future, I believe we made some progress today.