Trade Show Traffic-Stopping, Lead Generating and Sales Generating Secrets Revealed! Secret #2

In the last blog post, we took a look at why being happy will naturally draw people to you and help you begin building a relationship with them that will lead to increased sales.  To review that blog post, click here.

In this entry, we are going to discuss how your uniqueness gives you a competitive advantage over everyone else.

Be Unique

You are unique.  You have opinions, thoughts, and ideas that are shaped by your life and experiences.  Because you are unique, your company is unique.  Your company is unique because you represent it.  Your ideas, thoughts, and opinions shape your decision making skills, your interpersonal skills, and your business decisions.  You should capitalize on the things that make you different and special; much like your company should capitalize on what makes it different and special.

What unique trait or characteristic can you focus on that will give you a competitive advantage?  In a trade show environment, where the cost of grabbing someone’s attention is at a premium, finding something that makes you stand out from the crowd is incredibly valuable.

Let’s look at it another way.  Considering the qualities that make you and your company different from everyone else, answer this question…What story are you telling?  If I am attending a trade show and see your booth, what is it going to say to me?  Are you just standing there hoping people will drop in to chat?  That is not effective.

Imagine this scenario…you are an attendee at the trade show and are walking down the aisle being inundated with sights, sounds and smells from all the different booths.  You don’t have the time to stop and speak to everyone, so you guard your time and attention, sharing it with only the most interesting and relevant companies to you.

So, how do you break through that invisible shield that the attendee has up?  You have to do something different in your booth.  You have to tell a unique story.

Look, everyone gives away free candy.  Having a special drawing for the latest electronics isn’t a unique idea either.  If you represent a very unique product that many people are interested in, offering a free trial or free offer might be enticing, but maybe not.

What experiences have you had in your life that are truly memorable?  What do masses of people do in their free time?  One possible answer, at least for many of us, is time spent being entertained.  People love good entertainment.  They love going to the movies or to sporting events or to concerts.  They love to forget about their daily problems and just enjoy a good laugh or inspiring story.  If there is anything we can learn from Hollywood and apply to trade shows is that tapping in to the power of entertainment works.

As an exhibitor and attendee of numerous trade shows I have watched person after person stop and watch someone who is entertaining.  Visual and interactive displays of skill, such as juggling and magic are excellent ways to engage someone’s attention.  There is something inherently interesting about watching and wondering if the juggler is going to be successful or if the magician is going to ‘Wow’ the crowd with his impossibilities.

Utilizing entertainment is a very unique way to grab people’s attention.  And depending on what type of entertainment you incorporate into your booth, you will tell a very specific story that attendees will remember.  If you incorporate your booth, your message and your entertainment into a congruent experience, then you might just create a viral experience that will draw large masses of people to come visit and get to know you better.  And that is the beginning of a beautiful (business) friendship!

No matter what you choose to do to grab people’s attention; being unique is an excellent way to stand out from every other exhibitor.

Stay tuned to the next entry where we’ll take a look at how creating a shared experience leads to natural conversations that then lead to sales opportunities.

This blog series is based on a twenty page special industry report I wrote titled Trade Show Traffic Stopping, Lead Generating & Sales Producing Secrets Revealed!  In the report, I go into full detail how to creatively grab people’s attention and naturally draw them into your trade show booth.  If you would like to download the full special report, click here.

Who Is Jason Michaels and Jason Michaels Entertainment?

Jason Michaels and his team at Jason Michaels Entertainment specialize in creating and designing trade show experiences that brand companies as leaders in their respective fields.  By driving traffic into booths, creating entertainment that grabs the attention and connects with attendees, and converting promising leads into actual business, Jason Michaels Entertainment is quickly becoming an in-demand firm.

To partner with Jason and the team at Jason Michaels Entertainment, contact Jason’s office at www.jasonmichaelsmagic.com or 888-212-2863.  Jason can be reached directly at jm@jasonmichaelsmagic.com.

 Jason Michaels Entertainment…Turning Your Event Vision Into Reality With Exceptional Entertainment!

Trade Show Traffic-Stopping, Lead Generating and Sales Producing Secrets Revealed! Secret #1

In the introduction to this series, we explored why it is important to grab people’s attention and drive large volumes of traffic into your trade show booth.  To review that blog post, click here.

In this entry we explore why being happy will naturally draw people to you and help you begin building a relationship with them that will lead to increased sales.

Be Happy

It almost seems ridiculous to be telling you to be happy, but I have seen numerous people who stand back in their booths, with their arms crossed, not smiling, and then wonder why people don’t want to stop and learn more about them and their business.

One of the most basic tenets of marketing is that people do business with other people who they know, they like and they trust.  Many of the people who are attending this trade show probably don’t know you personally.  They may know of your business, but you are still a stranger to them.

The beautiful thing is that you have the opportunity to be the face of your company for every person that you meet.  In fact, you might just become the face of an entire industry when and if you are able to make a solid connection with the people who stop in your booth.

Think about that.  What an opportunity.  You can, quite literally, become the person that someone identifies with and remembers when they think about the products and services that you offer.

If it stands true that people do business with other people who they know, they like and they trust, then the question becomes how do I get to know, build likability and trust with every person that walks by my booth.

The simple answer is to put a smile on your face.  It may not always be easy, but it is effective.  You may have been on the trade show floor for three days straight and be completely exhausted, but that doesn’t matter to the person who is meeting you for the first time.  The first impression is always remembered.  When you greet attendees walking by with a big smile and pleasant attitude you become someone they want to get to know.

An outgoing attitude will also give you an advantage over the more reserved exhibitors.  Now I know that for many people it takes effort to be outgoing, but think of it like this, every greeting you make can potentially represent more business for you.

It can be as simple as, “Hi Folks, how is the show?  Are you having fun?”  At that point, it becomes natural to introduce yourself and begin an honest conversation.  And realize I just said honest conversation.  I did not say a sales pitch.  People don’t want to be sold to.  They want their needs met.

It’s your job to identify their needs (why are they at the trade show?) and then explain how your product or service is the solution to meet their specific needs.  And in that process of having a real conversation and helping them understand how your product or service can be the solution to their needs you get to know them and you begin to build that likability and trust.

Click here to read the next entry where we’ll take a look at how your differences give you an advantage over all your competitors.

This blog series is based on a twenty page special industry report I wrote titled Trade Show Traffic Stopping, Lead Generating & Sales Producing Secrets Revealed!  In the report I go into full detail how to creatively grab people’s attention and naturally draw them into your trade show booth.  If you would like to download the full special report, click here.

 

Who Is Jason Michaels and Jason Michaels Entertainment?

Jason Michaels and his team at Jason Michaels Entertainment specialize in creating and designing trade show experiences that brand companies as leaders in their respective fields.  By driving traffic into booths, creating entertainment that grabs the attention and connects with attendees, and converting promising leads into actual business, Jason Michaels Entertainment is quickly becoming an in-demand firm.

To partner with Jason and the team at Jason Michaels Entertainment, contact Jason’s office at www.jasonmichaelsmagic.com or 888-212-2863.  Jason can be reached directly at jm@jasonmichaelsmagic.com.

Jason Michaels Entertainment…Turning Your Event Vision Into Reality With Exceptional Entertainment!

Trade Show Traffic-Stopping, Lead Generating & Sales Producing Secrets Revealed! (Introduction)

Are you and your company attending an upcoming trade show and looking for new ways to draw huge crowds to your booth?  Do you want to generate more qualified sales leads who are motivated and excited to do business with your company?  These are serious questions that should be answered by any company who is spending valuable time and resources to attend and exhibit their business at an industry trade show.

One of the major challenges for companies, just like yours, who attend a trade show (or shows) is getting attendees to stop, spend time in your booth, and learn about your company’s products and services.  At every trade show, there are numerous distractions.  All the sights and the sounds of the attractions and your competitors create an atmosphere that makes it difficult to break through the barrier and connect with potential clients.

After years of working in trade shows and trade show environments helping companies attract large crowds to their booths then converting those crowds into qualified sales leads, I’ve compiled some of the most effective tips, tricks and techniques.  If you take the time to study the ideas in this blog series and then implement them, I know that you will reap the rewards of larger crowds, more qualified sales leads, and clients that are excited to partner with you in business!

Why Do I Need To Drive Traffic To My Booth?

I honestly hope you didn’t ask yourself this question.  But if you did, let me share my experiences with you.  Attending a trade show can be a major expense.  But just paying the necessary fees then designing and having a booth built will not guarantee that anyone will stop and talk to you.

As I mentioned earlier, there are tons of distractions at every trade show.  The most common distraction is every other company who is attending.  At every trade show, there are numerous businesses that sometimes have entire departments whose only job is to guarantee that they attract a lot of traffic.  These companies use all sorts of tactics, from free food to free products to giveaways of popular electronics, in order to make sure that their booths are full of people all day long.

It seems obvious that the more traffic you attract to your booth the better your chances of converting that traffic into clients who will do business with you and add to your bottom line.  In other words, the more people you engage and that stop by your booth, the more money you can make.  And let’s be honest, you must make money in order to stay in business.  If you are going to spend money to attend the trade show, you must make all of that money back plus more in order for the show to be considered a success.

Attending a trade show is an investment.  And investments are made so that they will yield a profit.  You need to drive traffic to your booth, then turn that traffic into qualified sales and sales leads in order to yield a profit on your investment of attending and exhibiting at the show.

So, what are the most effective ways to do that?  This blog series will share nine secrets with you that answer that question.  Click here for the very first secret.  I’ll give you a hint as to what it is, ”Don’t worry, be…”

This blog series is based on a twenty page special industry report I wrote titled Trade Show Traffic Stopping, Lead Generating & Sales Producing Secrets Revealed!  In the report I go into full detail how to creatively grab people’s attention and naturally draw them into your trade show booth.  If you would like to download the full special report, click here.

Who Is Jason Michaels and Jason Michaels Entertainment?

Jason Michaels and his team at Jason Michaels Entertainment specialize in creating and designing trade show experiences that brand companies as leaders in their respective fields.  By driving traffic into booths, creating entertainment that grabs the attention and connects with attendees, and converting promising leads into actual business, Jason Michaels Entertainment is quickly becoming an in-demand firm.

To partner with Jason and the team at Jason Michaels Entertainment, contact Jason’s office at www.jasonmichaelsmagic.com or 888-212-2863.  Jason can be reached directly at jm@jasonmichaelsmagic.com.

Jason Michaels Entertainment…Turning Your Event Vision Into Reality With Exceptional Entertainment!

Magic on a Train

In October, one of my highlights was performing strolling, interactive magic for Joyce and the Corning company onboard a moving(!) dinner train. I was really excited. I had never been on a dinner train before and was looking forward to experiencing it. Now, I’ve performed onboard moving vessels before. Numerous cruise ships come to mind. But I had never had the opportunity to perform onboard a train.

Wow! That’s about all I can say. What a challenge. I didn’t realize that standing still for any length of time on a moving train would be such a feat! Lucky for me the train wasn’t moving very fast. It was just rolling down the track at a leisurely pace. Even at that speed, it was still quite a trick in itself to perform interactive, close-up magic for all the seated, dining folks.

So, here’s the trick I figured out. If you ever have to stand in one spot onboard a train, and both of your hands are busy doing sleight of hand, brace your foot or the side of your leg against a chair or table that is anchored to the train car. That way, when the train car shifts, you won’t sway back and forth or fall over. Good luck!

The Mystery Series

I am excited to be partnering with The Post and Beam (a beautiful event facility in Spring Hill, TN) to produce a brand new series of unique, live entertainment.

The Mystery Series is set to bring world-class performances of magic, mystery and illusion to an intimate 50 seat showroom.  Our first production, An Intimate Evening of Sophisticated Sleight of Hand is scheduled for Feb. 18th at 7 p.m.

Here is the trailer.

For more information, contact The Post and Beam at 615-593-0435 or www.thepostandbeam.com

Are You a Closer?

I spent the last year (2011) working onboard a cruise ship and had the opportunity to meet many amazing, talented entertainers.  One of the comedians that is a regular on the ship that I was working on is named Steve.  Steve is the closer on the last day of the cruise and has an excellent show.  He has a very big personality, is very animated and knows exactly what to say and what to do in order to get huge responses.  The audiences love him.

I watched Steve perform his act over and over again.  The more I watched him, the more I realized that he structured his show to be the closer.  It wasn’t an accident or dumb luck that he had that coveted spot.  You see Steve wants to be the last person that the audience experiences before they get off the ship.  He knows that if he makes a big impression, he will get excellent guest feedback, which is incredibly important to an entertainer on a ship.

One of Steve’s comedy bits is when he gets several men up from the audience and gets them involved with a Motown song.  This routine is such a hit for him and gets such big reactions that he purposely places it towards the end of his show.  It’s a real winner.  It gets several people from the audience up on stage, it has strong comedy moments, and Steve ends up looking like the hero by getting huge rounds of applause for the guys participating onstage.  By the time this routine is over, everyone in that room loves Steve.  And they’re ready to give him major applause, thanking him for a job well done.

Here is a clip from YouTube that I found of Steve doing his thing. Enjoy!

So, here’s my question.  Are you a closer?  I think this idea can apply to pretty much anything.  It doesn’t have to just be about entertainment.  Certainly, if you are an entertainer and you are reading these words then this question applies to you.  But I think it applies to lots of things.  Are you structuring the way you do business, to be the hero of the day?  Are you finding ways to champion others in your relationships?  Are you the best you can be, every day?  You can be a closer.  You can make an impact on others the way that Steve makes an impact on his audiences.  And the best news is you can do it today!

Excited About This Brand New Blog

For years I have been posting my blog entries through the Blogger platform. In fact, here is a link to my old blog if you are interested in checking it out-http://jasonmichaelsmagic.blogspot.com/

I’m super excited that I am now harnessing the power of WordPress.org to host my blog. I’ll be removing some of the articles that I posted on the old site, editing them, and posting them here. I am also looking forward to lots of brand new content. I have lots of new ideas and can’t wait to share them with you! I’ll be posting on topics from business and marketing to the live corporate event industry to entertainment just for entertainment’s sake.

My plan, at least for this first year, is to have a brand new article posted every Tuesday morning. I hope you will come back and visit often. Talk to you soon!