Are You Throwing Money Away?Written by Susan Friedmann
Shopping for trade show giveaways can be an overwhelming experience. One catalog is jammed with custom printed pens, another showcases mouse pads. Your boss mentions that last year, everyone was giving away really nice tote bags. The sales rep really wants you to buy keychains that can play MP3’s of your marketing message set to popular tunes. But what happens to all this stuff after show? Let’s follow one attendee, a buyer from a mid-size manufacturing firm. Tired after spending three days at show, he’s returned to his office. He’s toting two bags jam-packed with trade show tschokes, which he upends on his desk. All those fancy pens? They get jammed in a cup on his desk. Mouse pads go into a general office supply cupboard, on off chance one of his office staff wears their mouse pad out. That seems unlikely – two or three are still in there from last year’s show. His secretary snapped up tote bag – it’ll be perfect for her daughter to carry her ballet clothes in. And MP3 playing keychain? He’s giving it to his teenage son. But what’s this? A booklet slides out of his tote bag. It’s small – just 3 ½ x 8 ½, somewhere between 16-24 pages. It fits perfectly in his pocket – or in a purse, as he discovers when he hands it over to one of his co-workers. The information contained in slender volume – tips, techniques, and strategies all related to your products and services -- is just too good to keep to himself. Of all trade show giveaways, only booklet has done its job. Without being overpowering, it has educated buying public about your products and kept your company name and logo in view. When buyer needs to make a purchase, he’ll think back to what he read in your booklet – and he’ll know exactly who to call. Giving out booklets heightens your company’s credibility as an expert in industry. When prospects read your information, they perceive you as knowledgeable. Booklets also clearly signal that you’re interested in pursuing a business relationship. Giving away coffee mugs signals that you hope your prospect enjoys his morning joe. Booklets offer a lot of bang for buck. Anyone in an industry who is selling or exhibiting at a trade show is a candidate for using booklets as a promotional tool. They are very cost effective. A company can create their own booklets, have someone else produce them, or purchase someone else’s booklet on a topic of interest for their audience and have their contact information printed on. No matter what method you choose, booklets simply don’t cost much to produce. They also don’t have an ‘expiration’ date. One print run can easily and effectively carry you through show season and be integrated in other sales & marketing efforts.
| | Back-End Products... The Key To Lasting ProfitsWritten by Dan Brown
A back-end product is a product you attempt to sell your customers after they have recently purchased a related product from your business.If you're not trying to sell back-end products to your customers, you're making a big mistake. It is easier to sell to existing customers than it is to sell to new ones who don't trust your business yet. Below are ten killer strategies you can use to sell your back-end products to your existing customers: 1. When you ship people first product they bought, insert a flyer or brochure for your back-end product in package. 2. Give customers a free subscription to a customers only e-zine when they buy your product. You could include your ad for your back-end product in each issue. 3. Send your customers greeting cards on holidays or on their birthday. Include a small advertisement inside card for your back-end product. 4. After people order your first product from your web site, take them to a "thank you" web page and include your back-end product ad on that page.
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