Advertising and marketing veteran John Backstrom says despite the widely held belief that marketing is now dominated by digital media, face-to-face marketing is currently the number one business-to-business marketing medium. “The business world has been radically changed and improved by the advent of electronic communication — e-mail, websites, blogs, PDAs, and even ‘old’ tech like cell phones allow us to very efficiently service many more customers than ever before,” he concedes. But some things have not changed, he adds, and his message, translated into the research commercialization arena, is that successful tech transfer remains largely a contact sport, even in a digital world.
“The challenge is that the central premise of all sales is that people buy from people they ‘like’ and people they ‘trust’ — always,” he stresses. “Like and trust can be maintained electronically, but it has been proven time and again that customers need some face-to-face contact to really get to like and trust.” The other reason face-to-face marketing has become ‘number one,’ says Backstrom, is the opportunity to see firsthand the offerings of various suppliers. “For example, if you are looking for services or products related to CRM, there is a show called the CRM Summit which is chock-full of every possible provider in that space,” he notes. “In just a few hours a buyer can get an up-to-the-minute overview and detailed information for the entire industry. From a seller’s perspective, if they are at the right event, they have the opportunity to efficiently expose their offering to a very high percentage of the prospects in that segment.”
So what does it take to make face-to-face marketing work? Backstrom offers the following tips:
- The Plan. “Have a well-defined plan of what you want to do, what you want prospects to get from their experience, and how you will deliver,” he says. “A good plan underpins everything.
- Pick the right opportunities. “The right show or event will make all the difference,” Backstrom asserts. “Start by asking your current customers what shows or events they go to, and why.”
- Have a great presence. “The right booth or graphics help prospects understand who you are, what you do, and why they should care,” Backstrom says. “A great presence also includes having the right people work the event.”
- Follow up and evaluate. “Manage and measure your results,” he advises. “A plan for fast follow-up on leads and inquiries is vital.”
- Have a good partner. A good plan poorly executed is no plan at all, notes Backstrom. “Find a good partner that can help with all the thousand little details that face-to-face marketing presents,” he recommends.
Source: Skyline Trade Show Tips
Posted March 2nd, 2010 under Intellectual Property Marketing
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