Making Events Work for Your Business

By Amber Davis

To be successful our businesses must grow! To achieve growth we must find new and innovative ways to market our products and meet new people! Events can be one way to do both!

An event can be as simple as an open house or as elaborate as a Home and Garden Show! I have done both, as well as, other event types that fall in the middle of these spectrums. Most recently I attempted my first large scale event. A home and garden show with over 40,000 attendees. What an amazing opportunity for growth!  In order to determine if an event is worth your time and money you must consider a few things:

1. What is the traffic flow and does it fit with your target market?
2. What is the expense vs. traffic flow and amount of time the event is being held?
3. Do you have the resources to handle the show?

In my case, a Home and Garden show fit my business about 50%. My products consist of three basic lines – a thermal line, a purse line and an organizational line. For this event my target market would be people looking to organize their home or life! Making my display focus on this concept would help draw attention to my products.  I included all my product styles in the display but my core line of organizational products was my main focus.

Secondly, this event was by far, the most expensive I have ever undertaken but with the help of two team members I was able to split the cost and hours needed to work. This was helpful considering the initial investment was so large and having a family of 6 sometimes my hours away need to be carefully considered.  The cost then for me would be 50 % booth rental, all my supplies, my door prize and my time. All in all I was very excited going into the event and worked hard to prepare my literature, recruit packets, hostess packets and products display!

Finally, I felt I did have the resources to handle the large show! My home company provides a ton of training, literature and items needed for the show. Combine that with my 17 years in Direct Sales and I was ready to work the floor!

BRING ON THE SHOW!!!

Once the show hit I was ready! I worked 11-9 day 1 and never ate, drank or sat the entire day. My belief is people won’t feel your approachable if your slouched on a chair in the back of your booth shoving food in your face! I wanted to be ready and approachable for any possible leads! Being from a small farm community I really need to meet new people away from the cornfield I call home! This show was my ticket!

Day one went very well. I had several strong leads for parties, orders and one recruit lead who took home one of my fancy packets!

Day two also went well. I worked 11-6 that day followed by tear down. Needless to say I was exhausted!

I am not an aggressive sales person by nature, nor will I ever be. A wise person once told me “If your friends cross the street when they see you coming your doing something wrong”. I kept that mentality when doing the show. Trying to be approachable but not pushy. Not sure it was my best method as my girls booked 10 firm shows on their days!

I love watching people at events! There are so many different personalities out there! The Type A who barrels into my booth and starts doing her own demonstration for her friends and family! They shy observer who won’t come near me or my booth with a ten foot pole but will look and stare for a long time! To name a few! Knowing how to talk to and approach different personalities is helpful in situations like these! NEVER PRE-JUDGE! You know nothing about this person, their life or the circumstances leading up to this moment! This person could be your next top seller, biggest buyer or strongest hostess leading you to many, many more in home parties! Simply stick to your plan and ASK EVERYONE! “Hi, have you heard of Thirty One? Would you be interested in hosting a show?” Hi, have you heard of our company? Did you know it’s a Christian based company and our name is based on Proverbs 31 and you can be your own boss for $99” Find the conversation starter to fit the situation!

THE FORTUNE IS IN THE FOLLOW UP!
Now the show is over and the key is to follow up with any leads I have.

1. Any phone numbers who marked “Yes” or “maybe” on their slip will be called.  So far, one home show booked in a neighboring community, one catalog show packet mailed, one order and one recruit packet sent! Plus many messages left!
2. Any e-mail addresses will be added to my monthly Thoughts, Talks and Trends letter.  This will share specials and product ideas with them monthly.
3. ALL postal addresses will receive a postcard from me.

The other thing I have done for the month following the show is set up a Home and Garden show party on my site for any attendees to place orders through. This will help me track my income vs. expense from the show.

My experience with the show overall was very successful! Since our company is relatively new in the direct selling industry many people have never heard of it. That itself is very helpful and the fact that we are not even close to our peak in the direct sales lifecycle is amazing! I am still working on the follow up and feel like it will take a month before I can evaluate the true success. My strong lead fell through but LOVED the recruit packet I gave her and plans to duplicate it in her direct selling business! That makes me smile! My favorite part of direct sales is leadership and motivation to my team members! I love watching them grow and achieve their business goals!

My best wishes to you in choosing an event that works for your business!

Amber Davis is a 17 year direct sales associate with The Lonagberger Co. and currently director for at Thirty One Gifts.  Holding a degree in business administration and marketing, she previously worked in the business industry. After the birth of her second child; family took priority over work and she left her full time position. Now a mother of four, she believes firmly in direct Sales and the endless opportunity it provides! "I can't imagine ever returning to a traditional 9-5 job," she said. She firmly believes in doing what works for your family. She helps her husband on the family farm and writes her own blog: Adventures in Farm Life. This, she said, is a work in progress and mostly serves to share family photos. In her free time she loves to travel and enjoys volunteering.

In Ohio? Near Ohio?

We have a great opportunity for you!!

As I mentioned yesterdday, I was contacted by Randi at the Columbus Womens Living Expo which is being held May 22-23 at the Franklin County Veteran's Memorial Center. They are anticipating apprimately 6-7,000 women in attendance.

If that alone isn't reason enough to attend, check out these other FABULOUS reasons::

• The event is sponsored by ABC6 and Fox28, which means great possibility for media exposure!!
• The show will feature fashion, beauty, lifestyle, fitness, health/wellness, home, decor, and food; bringing in a great variety of women and customers!
• You can sell items at your booth for no additional charge, and make a great profit!
• Randi is offering exclusivity to all direct sellers!
• If you mention Dawn at Market Mommy referred you, that would bring the price down from $575 to $517.50 and a corner space from $650 to $585.
• There are stages that each vendor can utilize for up to 30 minutes durring the Expo for no additional charge!

This is going to be a phenomenal event and you don't want to miss it! There is also opportunity to cut costs and share a booth space! If you are interested in reserving space, please contact Randi asap at 203.259.3351. Be sure to tell her Market Mommy sent you. And, let me know so you can receive a special 'thank you' gift from us, we'll see you at the Expo!!

Wordy Wednesday

Yikes. I’ve really been slacking lately. I apologize that the blog has been a little less desirable to read lately! As you can imagine {and hopefully understand} I’ve been busy! Forgive me if today’s ‘catch up’ post runs a little long!

What’s been consuming my time?

Home Life
Life at home with two small children is never boring, and rarely relaxing. I am currently preparing for my daughter’s third birthday and party, so that’s exciting. I can’t believe she’s turning 3!! My son will be going to pre-school or pre-kindergarten next year :*( So, we’ve been starting that process. I can’t say it’s much fun. I am definitely not looking forward to getting them into college, pre-school is proving hard enough!

Expo Opportunity
I was contacted this week by the Columbus Women’s Living Expo 2010. The event is happening May 22 and 23 in Columbus, Ohio and it’s going to be an excellent opportunity for moms to showcase your businesses! I am planning a separate detailed post only about this opportunity, but if you’re interested, contact me now. I can get you a 10 percent discount on your space and they’re offering exclusivity for any direct sellers. Attendance is anticipated to be 6-7,000!! Terrific exposure for your products and no additional cost to sell your items at the event!

Expansion
As I’ve been mentioning for the past several weeks {and months} Market Mommy is expanding in 2010! I can officially say we will be redesigning our site in the coming months to add new features, like business listings and a forum! Yay! Also, we are expanding our design and printing services. I will be posting a price list and details soon, but we can now offer you design AND printing of any item you need to further brand your business! Business cards, magnets, letterhead, envelopes, note cards, folders, banners and much, much more are now available through Market Mommy! More details will be coming soon!

Ok, that’s just a brief rundown of what I’ve been working on. More detailed information will be coming soon. Hope you all are having a fantastic week!

Baby Fair Eve:: Tradeshow Tips

It’s finally Friday and tomorrow is the big Baby Fair that I am participating in. It seems like I’ve been preparing for the fair for years when it’s actually only been a few months. It should be a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to it. Stay tuned because next week I plan to post details about all the great mom entrepreneurs who donated prizes for my gift basket and hopefully some photos too!

Anyway, since it’s the eve of the Baby Fair, I thought I’d offer a few tips for participating in such events. Whether you are attending a craft fair, baby fair, tradeshow or another event, all of these things apply.

• Choose the right fair:: First and foremost you need to make sure you are attending a relevant event. If you sell animal products, don’t attend a tradeshow for beauty companies, etc. A lot of effort and money can go into participating in an event, so make sure you do your research upfront and ensure it’s a good place for you to be.
• Follow the rules:: All shows and fairs will have their own set of guidelines, restrictions, requirements, policies and so on. Make sure you read them and do what they ask. You don’t want to be booted at the last minute for failure to comply.
• Signage:: This is critical! You want everyone walking through the doors to know who you are and why you are there. Your entire display is important, but eye catching and descriptive signage will go a long way in attracting people to your booth. {As always, be sure everything coordinates with your branding and company logo!}
• Takeaway:: Make sure you have something that visitors can take away with them. Whether it be a small sample, a promotional item, a business card or a coupon, they need to walk away with something concrete. Or, sad to say, they probably will never remember to give you a second thought, even if they initially wanted to.
• Giveaway:: Raffling off a product or gift certificate is always a sure way to generate excitement and interest in your booth. And, since you’ve already done your research, you know that the audience is appropriate :D Plus, this is a great tool to grow your mailing list. If they are interested in winning your product, they most likely will be interested in receiving your updates, coupons, etc.
• Touch and feel:: Tradeshows and fairs are a great opportunity to showcase your products up close and in person. So, make sure you have plenty of them! Potential customers want to see, touch and feel what you have to offer. This is literally the best way to show off your quality and craftsmanship.

Here’s to a great weekend!!