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Word on the Street — March 1st thru March 5th

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Life is Like a Box of Chocolates!

But should your trade show exhibit buying experience be?

For starters, yes I did just watch Forrest Gump. And YES, I do think life is like that. Meaning, you never know what you’re gonna get in many situations.

However, when buying an exhibit, things should be predictable. What you see is what you get. Well, lesson learned. Within the next three weeks, the Sacagawea, Perfect 10, and Magellan kit prices will include all the fabric and direct print graphics shown in the renderings. It will take a few weeks to re-price these kits. However, we expect to complete it by the end of March. It’s not done yet . . . so don’t jump the gun. We’ll announce the new prices once we’ve updated the PDF and online sheets.

Back to the movie . . . the “box of chocolates” line made me understand how frustrating the experience of buying an exhibit can be for an end-user. Just spend a little time looking at many online trade show exhibit sites. They’ll show a 10 x 10 hybrid with nice graphics, a couple of backwall pedestals, and a front freestanding pedestal. All for only $3200 (or something nutty like that).

But if you dig a little deeper or open the box of chocolates, this is what you’ll find.

In reality, that $3200 price tag includes just the backwall and the canopy header. Once all the elements shown in the rendering are included, the exhibit really costs $7500. Seems sort of deceiving to me at best, and “bait and switch” at worst. If I were an end-user, I would be saying, “What the hell?!”

I may be making a mountain out of a mole hill. I don’t know. But just this week, I had three distributors ask how a competitor could sell essentially the same configuration that we show in Exhibit Design Search for $4000 - $5000 less! Only after I took them to the online site and walk them through the math did they realize that their customer had been hoodwinked. In all three situations, the end-user came back to the Classic Distributor expressing their frustration that the “other” company had “misrepresented” the price and that they would be ordering a Visionary Designs Hybrid from Classic . . . and not the “cheap” hybrid the other company was offering. What do you think — Mountain or Mole Hill? Or would you agree with Forrest that, “Stupid is as stupid does”?

Have you seen any “Bait and Switch” practices online? Click on the comment link and share your experiences.

Oh yes . . . For the next 10 days, watch for my Twitter and this blog postings as I share our our EXHIBITOR 2010 journey. We expect this to be our most successful EXHIBITOR SHOW EVER!

If you are coming to the show, see us at booth #929 and join us in our Hospitality Suite on Tuesday.

–Kevin Carty

http://twitter.com/kevin_carty
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-carty/3/800/32a

Tags: Forrest Gump, hybrid exhibits, Magellan, Perfect 10, Sacagawea, Trade Show Exhibits
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Word on the Street — February 22nd thru February 26th

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Sometimes Getting a Bloody Nose Can Be a Good Thing

Not literally of course, but every now and then we overlook the obvious, or we get too comfortable with the status quo. When that happens, it’s how a company or an individual reacts that defines who they are or where the future leads. At least you hope so.

This week we were faced with a client frustrated with a feature (or absence of a feature) in Exhibit Design Search. And if you know Mel and me, you know we hold Exhibit Design Search near and dear to our hearts. Mel especially and rightfully so . . . it was his brain child and is his baby.

That being said, you can sort of put your armor up when someone critiques your baby right!?

But we would both agree, after taking the time to listen to this customer and their reasoning why they were frustrated with a recent experience. It really opened our eyes to how we can improve EDS and make it an even better tool for distributors and for their customers. It’s not a major change, but it will be a time-consuming one.

Sorry I am being vague about the issue, but we plan to implement the changes immediately. But I will say that it really highlights what can happen when you become ingrained in something. You become blinded to solutions that are obvious to others, especially others that are new to our side of the trade show business.

So, while you may never know the issue or the client, let me say this — this is one of those punches in the face you need every now and again. So thanks!

Click on the comment link and share your thoughts.

–Kevin Carty

http://twitter.com/kevin_carty
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-carty/3/800/32a

Tags: Classic Exhibits, Exhibit Design Search
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Word on the Street — February 15th thru February 19th

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Most Companies Fall Into One of Three Camps

Have you ever noticed that most companies fall into one of three camps when it comes to change?

They never change.
They make constant incremental changes (they tinker).
They make big changes every year or two or three (the grand gesture), but generally stay pat until then.

Now I need your perspective here. I see Classic Exhibits as falling in the second camp. We are constantly making small changes to our products, our services, and our marketing. Little by little, we move the bar forward. Occasionally, we have a big announcement, but those, quite honestly, don’t happen very often. For example, the introduction of the Perfect 10 Portable Hybrid was a big deal when we introduced it almost two years ago. It took portable hybrid design into a dramatically new direction. Our other line introductions have had less fanfare, such as Magellan and Sacagawea, but have been equally successful. If you spend any time following P5D, you see a constant stream of orders for Magellan, P10/20, Sacagawea, along with the ever changing array of counters, pedestals, and workstations.

We have a slight advantage (or disadvantage) over our competitors in how we communicate changes. We take a slow, steady, and subtle approach, rather than make big announcements. We show you new designs in Design Monday, such as the PS Series in Design Monday this week and last. We send an e-broadcast about a design or product launch, but that happens three or four times a year at most. We update P5D every business day. Once or twice a month, we post a blog related to product changes. But, because so many of our changes are incremental and are introduced “casually,” I worry that we don’t get credit for them.

So, I’m going to take a moment to list some of these changes over the past nine months. How many do you recognize?

Sacagawea T, P, and PS Series.
Updated Exhibit Design Search User Interface and Features
New Base Plate Designs
Knob Assembly for Magellan and Sacagawea (backwall)
Upgraded Lighting for All Portable Hybrid Lines
Silicon Edge Graphic Designs and SEG ClassicMODUL TSP Extrusions
Expanded Rental Inventory
Addition of Eco-systems Sustainable and Optima Graphics products in Exhibit Design Search
Expand Use of Reusable Dye-cut Foam Jigging on All Hybrid Products
New Look to the Classic Exhibits Website (just happened this week)

I suppose our approach reflects our corporate personality. We are by nature “tinkerers and doers.” When we see a challenge or an unmet opportunity we gravitate to it like a moth to a light bulb. That approach permeates our culture whether it’s in Production, Project Management, Design, Marketing, or Accounting. Obviously, we have to prioritize opportunities, but these opportunities tend to energize us since they represent something to “fix” or “improve” or “reinvent.”

Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying that “Big Announcements” are ineffective. Too often however, we see big announcements in our industry that are, in all honesty, incremental improvements. Or, even worse, are announcements that should have been made two years ago when they were relevant or on the cutting edge. Instead they are just sad and pathetic.

For companies in the other two camps . . . think about the message you are (or are NOT) sending to your customers. Companies that NEVER change appear stagnant or worse irrelevant in the market. Whether that is a fair statement or not, it’s the perception and perception matters. And for those who opt for BIG announcements every couple of years, why would you expect your customers to wait?

In my opinion, clients left “waiting and wanting” start to stray. I can’t tell you how many times I have conducted a presentation with a potential distributor and within 10 minutes the owner, designer, or AE will say, “Man did you ever arrive at just the right time. We have been looking for something like this or asking for something just like this from our existing vendor for the past year . . . and you have it right here. Perfect!”

As one of the faces of Classic Exhibits, I love getting that “WOW” reaction, but I also appreciate knowing that week after week and month after month, it shows that we are reacting to the market and making changes. Those changes rarely make it into press releases in EXHIBITOR or the other trade magazines, but that’s OK. What’s important is that you know that we are constantly tinkering.

Which camp do you fall in? How about your current vendors? We would love to hear from you about how we can improve our communication with you.

Click on the comment link and share your thoughts.

–Kevin Carty

http://twitter.com/kevin_carty
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-carty/3/800/32a

Tags: change, ClassicMODUL, Design Monday, Magellan, Perfect 10, Sacagawea, trade show rentals, Trade Show Tales
Posted in Kevin, Word on the Street | 1 Comment »

Word on the Street — February 8th thru February 12th

Sunday, February 14th, 2010

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Road Warrior Stories

Many of us travel a lot for our jobs. And by a lot, I mean up to half the year. My wife tells anyone who will listen that I’m on the road four months a year. I don’t know if it’s quite that bad, but I do travel frequently, whether it’s just for a night or for a week visiting distributors in the Midwest, South, or East Coast.

If you travel, there are going to be mishaps, adventures, unexpected situations, and unusual people and places. Sometimes I think we travel just to rehash our interesting stories and to experience new ones. So this week I’d like to hear your stories. I know you have some doozies because you’ve shared them with me in the past. Let’s hear your funniest, weirdest, and most poignant stories from your years of traveling.

For me, there are too many for one blog posting. And, there are those stories that can’t be told in mixed company.

I’ll get the ball rolling.

Several years ago I was in Atlanta for business. After Atlanta, I was flying to Ft. Lauderdale for a couple of appointments just as Hurricane Ivan, which had just hit Florida, was making its way north. At this point, it was just a tropical storm, and I was pretty sure my flight would be canceled, but I decided to head to the airport just in case.

We boarded the flight and got in line on the tarmac. After sitting on the tarmac for about two hours and hearing several updates from the Captain leading us to believe that the flight would be canceled, he came on one last time and said, “Well folks, even I am surprised by what I am about to say. We are next in line for takeoff. I am expecting a pretty bumping assent.” Not exactly the most reassuring comment.

The Best Ride Ever!

It was at that point that I looked across the aisle and saw a five year old boy. We lifted off, heading directly into the storm. Now here’s where it gets really interesting. This was one of those 60 minute blocks of time that a person NEVER forgets. The plane was bouncing up and down, and left and right so much that it actually hurt. I was sweating profusely. I looked around and saw people openly praying and crying. Yet, when I looked at the five year old boy across the aisle from me, he was laughing hysterically and clapping his hands. This terrifying flight was to this little boy the best amusement ride ever. Instantly, I calmed down and found myself laughing along with the little boy.

The second story is along the same lines.

I was returning from a business trip to France a few weeks after 9/11. My flight from France to Dallas was very long and delayed. After landing in Dallas, I realized that I had only 45 minutes to make my connecting flight to Portland. Thanks to the help of the flight attendant, I was the first one off the plane, and I immediately began to run . . . only to be stopped by a soldier with a machine gun. He told me I needed to walk. So I began speed walking.

Now, I have a deal with my wife. I always call or text between flights so that she knows I am OK. However, my phone was dead, and I didn’t have time to use a pay phone. After I went through security at the domestic terminal, I realized I was probably going to miss my flight, but when I got to the gate, I was shocked to see the plane still there.

The gate agent told me they had already given my seat away. However, because of my status with American Airlines, she said she could get my seat back. I said OK, reluctantly, not totally certain what would happen next. Now don’t hate me, but they went on the plane and broke the news to the poor guy who had been given my seat. He was not happy. If looks could kill, I would have been dead.

I boarded and we took off. About 30 minutes into the flight, the Captain came on the PA and told us that we were going to be flying into a thunderstorm. No worries, “been there done that” I thought. The storm was really bad over the Rockies, so bad that at one point we bounced so hard that my water bottle flew from my tray table and hit the luggage compartment. It was then my mind went to work!

All I could think about was the ensuing news story in Portland, “Local Man Dies on Flight after Taking Seat from Another Passenger” . . . or the one from Dallas, “Man and His Family Feel Lucky that He was Pulled off the Flight that Crashed.”

Well, we arrived safe and sound. Once I was off the plane, I hit a pay phone to call my wife. She was not happy. It turns out she had called the airline to see if I made my flight. American had not changed the passenger list, so they told her I was not on the flight. For all she knew, I was still in Dallas and for some reason not calling her.

Anyway, after reading what I just wrote, I realize that I’ve only shared “bad” experiences. Don’t get me wrong, I have had a lot of great ones as well. Just ask me about the “Yip Yip Woman”?

So tell me, what are some of your Road Warrior Stories?

I would love to hear them.

Please share your comments via the blog comment section.

–Kevin Carty

http://twitter.com/kevin_carty
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-carty/3/800/32a

Tags: American Airline, travel stories, turbulence
Posted in Kevin, Word on the Street | 1 Comment »

Word on the Street — February 1st thru February 5th

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

The Best “Pre-Show Marketing” I Have Ever Seen

After 15 years in the trade show industry, I don’t consider myself an expert, but I am a pretty good judge of certain things — like pre-show marketing.

In late December and early January, I witnessed one of the very best ever. It was created and implemented by Griffin Technology, an aftermarket accessory provider for iPods, iPhones, Blackberrys, and the upcoming iPad. And it was implemented specifically to generate buzz and traffic for their booth at CES 2010.

The Griffin Team clearly put a lot of thought and effort into making this happen, including tapping into two of the most prevalent mediums in our society today: Social Media and Reality Television.

Griffin Pre-show Marketing

The Griffin team created the website www.cesbound.com. It was a Griffin Technology meets The Real World experiment. Griffin employees would travel from their home office in Nashville, Tennessee to Las Vegas for CES. All the while, they would document their road trip via social media sites like Twitter.

To start, they acquired a beat-up old VW Bus and started “tweeting” and posting YouTube videos as they restored the van to look like a Griffin marketing piece on wheels. Then, they totally outfitted the van with Griffin products so they could “stay connected” on their journey. Product placement in action!

Equipped with a loyal following on Twitter and YouTube, they set out to drive from Tennessee to Vegas for CES minus all the gratuitous interpersonal crap you expect from reality television shows. Much to the contrary. It was a small group of employees on an adventure that would end up creating an unbelievable buzz at CES 2010.

I will not spoil the whole story, because you really need to go back and follow it for yourself. Whether it was the highlights from national monuments like the Alamo or the Grand Canyon, or simple stuff like stopping for some chow at Popeye’s along the way, or the Mexican Wresting Mask that made several appearances, CES attendees followed them religiously, always checking to see the latest video, photo, or blog posts.

Griffin Technology CES 2010

All of this concluded with them driving the VW Bus onto the show floor and placing it in their booth along side their two-story exhibit. I would be remiss if I did not mention that Classic Exhibits Rentals provided them with their exhibit. The project came to us from Carol Larimore and the team from Tradeshow Stop in Nashville. The final exhibit was spectacular! Evidence of the thought and care put into the project by Carol and her team. See the photos in P5D by clicking on the photo.

In the end, when CES 2010 opened the first day, Griffin was swamped with people who had been following them along the way. These were people who had been entertained not only by the personalities of the employees that embarked on the trip, but also by the product used during the trip.

The show was an enormous success for Griffin. And in the end, those of us who have ever taken a road trip of any length know that the overall expense must have been a fraction of what it would have been through traditional advertising and pre-show marketing.

It was a true example of thinking way outside the box.

Let me know what you think. What are some truly “unique” pre-show marketing plans you have seen implemented. Both good and bad.

Please share your comments via the blog comment section and have a safe and restful weekend!

–Kevin Carty

http://twitter.com/kevin_carty
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-carty/3/800/32a

Tags: CES, Classic Exhibits, Griffin Technology, Rental Exhibits, Trade Shows, Tradeshow Stop
Posted in Kevin, Word on the Street | 3 Comments »

Word on the Street — January 25th thru January 29th

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Presentation Surprises!

Let’s face it . . . it has happened to all of us.

Your shipment of samples is lost by UPS or FedEx. Or, if they are packed with your luggage, your luggage arrives in Dallas but you are in Pittsburgh and on your way to Baltimore.
Your presentation files are corrupted.
You stop by just to “see how things are going.” It’s supposed to be a casual meeting with the “team” only to discover that the “team” is an audience of 30 people expecting a full-blown presentation.
You go into a meeting planning to present one thing, only to find out that the audience is expecting something entirely different.
Take your pick: Your laptop crashes. The projector blows a bulb. The internet connection is down or is so slow that you start talking in single Slow-Mo syllables as each page loads.

The list could go on forever.

So what do you do? Here are a couple quick things that can help . . .

I always have a copy of my presentation and website on a thumb drive. That way if either 2, 4 or 5 happen, you can react quickly and have something to show your audience. If you are like me and you travel a lot, you know that things get lost. Last year alone, this happen to me four times! What saved me was the ability to pull up images and a static version of our website off a thumb drive. This allows you to present, even if you do not have your samples or your laptop. You can drop the thumb drive into any machine and you are off and running.
Always have at least 2 or 3 presentations available. Call them “canned” or whatever, but they are presentations that you can always fall back on in an emergency.

Last year I was set to present to a large group about doing business with Classic. For about two years, we had worked with a few folks within the business, but this was my opportunity to show the entire staff our capabilities. I was psyched, since this represented a potentially large account.

So I arrived and set up my laptop and projector, got all my samples out and placed them around the room, and then the staff arrived. I started with the history of the company, and iust as I was about to talk about the product lines and capabilities, one of the Senior Executives raised his hand and said, “Kevin, I don’t mean to interrupt, but everyone here has a solid understanding of all that Classic can do from the purchase side of things. We held a separate meeting last week just to cover that. What we really wanted to learn about today was your Rental Program. Can you take the hour and get us educated on that specifically?”

Initially, to be honest, I was a little disappointed. I was ready to WOW them with the Classic pitch. And, I was a little irritated that no one had informed me that the meeting was to focus on rentals. But then I remembered that I had a presentation on my laptop that was just for rentals. In no time, I pulled up that PowerPoint and spent the h next hour covering exactly what they wanted to hear from me.

How about you? What do you do when the game changes at the drop of a hat?

Please share your comments via the blog comment section and have a safe and restful weekend!

–Kevin Carty

http://twitter.com/kevin_carty
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-carty/3/800/32a

Tags: Presentation Surprises
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Word on the Street — January 18th thru January 22nd

Sunday, January 24th, 2010

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously!

Those who know me, know that I don’t take myself too seriously. The same can be said about Classic Exhibits. Just look at our recent contest “Find Reid’s Head.” Clearly, we are laughing at ourselves while making a point about Exhibit Design Search. And it’s not just about picking on Reid. While he’s a great sport about these sorts of things, so are the rest of us. Need I remind you of the AeroMan campaign several years ago. You remember, the one where I was portrayed as a cartoon superhero — Defender of Hanging Signs and Lightweight Tabletops. Sheesh!

(Still looking for Reid’s Head in Exhibit Design Search? There’s a hint in the first paragraph.)

That said, you also know we are very serious about what we do. We take our responsibility as a designer, builder, and marketer of portable, modular, and hybrid exhibits very seriously. We are dedicated to you and to your customers. But balance, just as in our personal lives, is the key to a successful work life. After all, we spend at least one-third of our lives at work or working, another third sleeping, and the remainder doing what we love in our personal lives. So our attitude, which is probably no different than yours, is that we might as well have fun when we’re at work.

AeroMan -- Defender of Hanging Signs

Personally and professionally, I have no desire to be a stiff. Sorry, but that’s how I would characterize it. If I am going to spend 50-60 hours a week working, then I am going to have fun and enjoy what I do. Too many companies in this business see themselves as “corporate.” They may have a party once a year, but otherwise they are paragons of control, aloofness, and authority. When they speak, you listen . . . silently. Laughter, silliness, and parody are not part of their Corporate Culture — especially when it comes to their interaction with distributors.

We believe that our relationship should be based on Who We Are. Does that mean that we sometimes “cross the line”? Sometimes. But it’s a risk that applies to everything we do. Without that willingness to “cross the line” there wouldn’t be Perfect 10, Magellan, Sacagawea, or the countless other designs that have defined Classic in recent years. Without that willingness to expose ourselves, there wouldn’t be Past Five Days, Exhibit Design Search, Design Monday, and the Trade Show Tales blog.

I take a lot of pride in what we do, and I often hear you comment about how easy it is to work with Classic. You tell us “we’re flexible, we’re accommodating, we’re receptive. That tells me we’re not a bunch of stiffs. It also tells me that we see each request as a chance to solve your unique display challenge and not force it into a neatly defined Classic box. Now I could be wrong here, but I firmly believe that our willingness not to take ourselves too seriously, means in some odd way, that we take your projects very, very seriously. While I don’t expect to see that rule in a Tom Peters’ management book, it works for us.

But that’s just me. What about you?

Please share your comments via the blog comment section and have a safe and restful weekend!

–Kevin Carty

http://twitter.com/kevin_carty
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-carty/3/800/32a

Tags: Classic Exhibits, Design Monday, Magellan, Perfect 10, Sacagawea, Tom Peters, Trade Show Tales
Posted in Kevin, Word on the Street | 2 Comments »

Annual State of the Company Letter from Kevin Carty

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

Kevin Carty, VP of Sales

Thankfully, 2009 is in the rear view mirror. It was a rough but enlightening year.

How did Classic do in 2009? There’s both a short and a long answer. As you may recall, Classic Exhibits began developing a series of affordable hybrid exhibit solutions in 2008, starting with the Perfect 10 Portable Hybrid Display. In 2009, we added the Magellan Miracle, MOR, and Sacagawea. This push will continue in 2010 with the Segue, but more on that later. So the simple answer is . . . as the market downsized and orders for larger exhibits decreased, portable hybrids became our bread and butter. Thankfully, we were prepared to handle this shift with fresh designs and competitive prices.

Now, here’s the longer answer . . . .

Social Media
Social Media was the buzzword in 2009, and Classic wasn’t shy about using it to communicate with distributors and industry partners. I have to admit that I didn’t understand it at first, and I had no desire to “Tweet” or “Blog.” But I have found it to be effective and pretty fun, whether it’s our activity in Twitter, our new Classic Exhibits Group on LinkedIn, or our blog, Trade Show Tales.

Trade Show Tales, in particular, has been quite the hit. Whether we are writing about some of the industry’s most sensitive issues such as Bundling or just posting a whimsical article regarding “Trade Show Fashion Do’s and Don’ts,” the blog gives Classic, Classic Distributors, and Industry Partners another avenue in which to communicate and share ideas.

Rentals

With a downturn in the economy comes less spending on new exhibits. The ClassicExhibits/Exhibits NW Rental division really stepped up in the past 12 months. Looking back at their creations from the past year, I am amazed at how many of those displays were rentals. It certainly explains why the rental division had such a banner year. Kudos to Jim Shelman, James Sharpe, and the rental crew for their amazing job in 2009.

Rental Exhibits from Classic

For a peek at the rental designs from last year, go to Past Five Days and type “rentals” in the search tool.

Distributor and Partnership Development

You could feel the love in 2009. There was a palatable sense of “we are in this together, so let’s find ways to make it beneficial for us all . . . without sacrificing our margins.” For companies unwilling to “partner” with distributors or for those who didn’t have a history of reaching out to friends and colleagues, 2009 had to be a painful, lonely year. It was not the year or the market to go it alone.

Partnership development was not just with distributors. Classic spent a lot of time deepening its relationships with existing vendor partners as well as opening doors to new relationships. This manifested itself in the development of new “joint products”as well as partnering on larger inventory buys to help decrease raw costs, allowing us to continue to offer competitive pricing.

(more…)

Tags: Blog, Classic Exhibits, Eco-Systems Sustainable, hybrid exhibits, Magellan, Optima Graphics, Perfect 10, Rental Displays, Sacagawea, Social Media, Visionary Designs
Posted in Exhibit Systems, Kevin | No Comments »

Word on the Street — January 11th thru January 15th

Sunday, January 17th, 2010

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

A Lasting Impression

Ever leave a meeting or sales presentation and wonder if what you said “stuck”? Better yet, after giving a presentation, have you ever discovered that your client went in another direction? Worse, the direction they chose was something you could have handled as well. Wonder why?

It happens to all of us. For me, it makes me look back at what I did not convey properly in my presentation to that person or group. So I wonder . . . what are the keys to making a lasting impression?

1. Emotion

Experts will tell you, the stronger the emotion, the stronger the impression. Sometimes the biggest error we make is to get “too comfortable” with our service and product offerings. We assume that the folks we’re talking to have the same understanding of how “great” our products or services are, that they see the features and benefits, and finally, that they are just as passionate about these unique advantages as we are. This can easily happen if you are not careful, especially if you are giving the same presentation over and over.

Once we turn eighteen, the word “Cheerleader” doesn’t have the same impact. That’s too bad because all companies need cheerleaders who are passionate about their products and services. We remember cheerleaders. In our hearts, we all want that same passion and commitment. Steve Jobs at Apple is a great example of that unabashed “cheering” of the company’s products and culture. Wrong or right, we all want to hear what he has to say because we know he believes and he cares.

2. Use Images

People’s memories are triggered more through the use of effective images than through words. Think about it, it’s the key to making a good commercial or ad right? Well, the same applies to presentations for a live audience. The images you choose are critical. Using images that are too simple or plain will not only be ineffective, but can also actually turn off the crowd. For example, if presenting Aero Overhead Hanging Signs, I would show the jobs that highlight the most creative and custom shapes. Showing the standard shapes and sizes would be less effective. I’ve learned over time that there is a natural assumption made by the audience that you can do the standard stuff, when you WOW them with the truly custom stuff.

3. Differentiate Yourself and Your Product or Service

When there are several other companies that make or sell similar products, you need to emphasize what makes you truly “different.” Differentiation can be in service and capabilities. For example, look at Nordstrom. They sell many of the same brands as the other stores, but their service is unmatched. You know when you buy something from Nordstrom that you are going to receive the best customer service at the time of the purchase – AND, should you ever have to return the product, you know you will get a “no questions asked” approach when you walk back into the store

From a product standpoint, capabilities are the key! For example, for over 10 years, the Quadro S has been a leader in Pop-up Systems. The reason is simple — it’s the only system of its kind that can hold up to 200 lbs on any internal shelf on the straight frame. It can hold multiple flat screen LCD’s within one unit, and it is the only pop up that can double as a full video presentation wall with 9 large LCD’s inset into a straight frame.

What are some methods that you use to help leave a lasting impression on your clients?

Please share your comments via the blog comment section and have a safe and restful weekend!

–Kevin Carty

http://twitter.com/kevin_carty
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-carty/3/800/32a

Tags: Aero Overhead Hanging Signs, Apple, Classic Exhibits, Nordstrom, Quadro S Pop Up, Sales Presentations, Steve Jobs
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Word on the Street — January 4th thru January 8th

Sunday, January 10th, 2010

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Effective Meetings

After leaving a meeting recently, I was asked by a friend, “How was your meeting?” To which I responded, “Long, but good.” His response was, “A long meeting is never a good meeting.”

That got me thinking . . . Just how long is too long as it relates to meetings. So I started looking on the web and found some interesting insights.

Ken Thompson from BioTeams.com, a blog related to team dynamics and shared knowhow, says there are 5 Keys to a Perfect Meeting. #2 is something I often fall victim to — telling stories. However, he really doesn’t address the question about the ideal length to a meeting.

So I did another search and found the site Effectivemeetings.com. It even comes with a Meeting Guru who answers your questions. On this site, under the Meeting Basics area, I found a wealth of information. For example, if you follow these basics, you’ll never have to worry about the length of the meeting.

Basics like:

Have clear objectives and post them for all meeting attendees
The Clock is GOD in all meetings
The Golden Rule of Meetings — Praise in public, Criticize in private

. . . and many many more. Take a look and let me know what you think.

Are your meetings effective? What obstacles do you have in place that prevent you from holding successful meetings?

And if all else fails, here are some creative techniques to entertain yourself during an especially boring meeting:

Please share your comments via the blog comment section and have a safe and restful weekend!

–Kevin Carty

http://twitter.com/kevin_carty
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-carty/3/800/32a

Tags: successful meetings
Posted in Kevin, Word on the Street | No Comments »

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