AtlantaEvent.com NewsFlash - Is the customer just wrong?

Intro From Jeff Glaze

Jeff Glaze
Editor



"Buy my eye-opening ebook!" from Jeff Glaze, The editor of AtlantaEvent.com

Greetings from Jeff,

The traffic cameras have arrived! If you haven't gotten a picture of yourself driving through an intersection in the mail yet, chances are you will unless you are aware that the cameras are out there. Last week on a trip to Kinko's I was the last car in a line that made a left turn on the yellow light.

The photo of my car that I received in the mail shows me that I finished my left turn onto Pleasant Hill Rd. 1.75 seconds after the light turned red. I am sure you can guess what my reaction to this tidbit of information was. Let your imagination run wild here, because I am outraged.

This reminds me of that Sylvester Stallone movie where they unfreeze him in the future and cameras record their every move and also every word. So you get fined if you even utter a cuss word.

Isn't it ironic that just a newsletter or two ago I talked about there being cameras everywhere and who would have the time to look at all of the video? Well I can tell you, the Duluth (GA) police department does!

Maybe I should not complain. I have become much more aware of what is happening at traffic lights. Yesterday after I received that letter, I was driving and saw a person make the turn a full 5.2 seconds after the light had turned red! I looked everywhere for the camera, but alas no cameras, where is big brother when you need him?

I will admit that I was wrong to continue my rate of speed and hurry through the light. I just wonder if the two other cars directly ahead of me got their photo (and traffic fine) in the mail.

My question is what is next? After picking Susan (my wife) up at the airport last night I asked her what she thought about it and she verified my fear. Next they will build a device right into the car that monitors every move and telephones the report right to the police. The question is will they tell me before they install it or will I just get 165 tickets and fines in the mail that will notify me that I am being monitored?

Anyway the least they could do is post signs at the intersection that there is a camera. I am wondering what combination of flashing headlights from an oncoming car could warn me that a camera is hiding ahead, because I had come to appreciate the warnings of speed traps that I have heeded over the years.

Well I guess from now on I just need to comply and do everything perfect. Wait a minute! No one can be perfect! If that was the case there would be no traffic accidents! Well, just watch your driving and don't say you were not warned. I am flashing my headlights 3 times, pause, then once to let you know, the cameras are out there!

Be sure to plan to attend the Atlanta Business Mixer on the 28th (see below). We are expecting up to 200 people this month and I am sure you will enjoy the evening. We always have food, so don't eat before you get there, Copeland's food is great! Be sure to find me and say hello, won't you?

Thanks for subscribing and be sure to tell others about AtlantaEvent.com!

Jeff Glaze - Editor

Forget The "Sandwich" Technique

by Alan Fairweather

How often do you exercise your exhibiting muscles? Do you have a regular workout designed to increase your tradeshow dexterity and boost your results? Whether you’re looking for strength training to increase your competitive edge, flexibility to improve your marketing strategy, or just general overall fitness, a regular conditioning workout program is a must.

Before beginning an exercise program, take time to think about the results you’d like to achieve, so that you can gear your workout strategy toward attaining your desired outcome. Take time to assess why you participate in tradeshows. If you go because you’ve always gone, because the competition is going, or because you’d be conspicuous by your absence, a fitness program will propel you to new heights and increase your marketing longevity. The purpose of a regular exhibiting workout program is to revitalize, invigorate and rejuvenate your exhibit marketing strategy. However, realize that the toughest part of this program is usually getting started, and having the discipline to make your exercise routine a regular part of your exhibit marketing strategy.

The following is a general fitness level guide to help you determine what type of exercise you should do and the intensity level. Whether you want to build marketing muscle, or just firm up/tone determine the intensity that’s right for you. Each level incorporates a strength, an aerobic, and a flexibility component. All three will help you achieve your desired results.

Fitness Level 1 - You never or rarely stretch

This first level is geared for the low risk-taker who is in the habit of always doing the same thing at industry shows. To increase your level of flexibility in the marketplace, try stretching your exhibiting muscles prior to your next tradeshow. Be willing to take a risk and differentiate a little from your regular routine. Schedule a warm-up session with your exhibit marketing team several months prior to your next show.

Strength component: Define exactly why you are exhibiting and what it is that you want to achieve through your tradeshow participation.

Aerobic component: Brainstorm possible ideas and generally get your major muscle groups working in a rhythmic fashion. Consider giving your booth a facelift, with some new and exciting graphics. If you don’t have a new product or service to display, emphasize and/or educate your target audience about a benefit that normally gets forgotten.

Flexibility component: Try using a theme to add some new blood to your tradeshow muscles to help attract more activity into your exhibit.

Using this gentle routine regularly before each show will help increase a sense of accomplishment and well-being, as well as decrease the risk of painful unproductive results.

Fitness Level 2 - You occasionally stretch most of the major muscle groups

This level is designed for exhibitors who want more of a challenging exhibiting workout to increase their market strength and flexibility. As with level one, make sure that you devote time prior to each show with a thorough warm up - planning your tradeshow strategy.

Strength component: Building strength in your major muscle groups involves weight training and cardiovascular work. You know you are making headway when upper management supports your program. This means that you fully understand their corporate goals and objectives and can integrate them into your exhibit marketing strategy.

Aerobic component: The goal is to get your heart rate into the target zone and sustain that pace for an extended period of time. This means that you need to direct your pre-show promotional workout to those people who you really want to actively walk into your exhibit, find out more about you and do business with you. Think in terms of multiple, distinctive promotional programs directed at the various target groups.

Flexibility component: An exhibiting company’s range of motion will vary depending on its age, activity and structure. Good news is that your degree of flexibility can always be increased. Take time to find out what your prospects want and like so that you can tailor your marketing activity accordingly.

Fitness Level 3 - You always stretch the major muscle groups

This level is designed for the serious exhibitor who wants to build marketing endurance, strength and muscle tone.

Strength component: Your people make up the strength and backbone of your exhibiting presence. They represent everything your company stands for, so select the best. Prepare them well beforehand. Make sure that they sell instead of tell; don’t try to do too much; understand visitor needs; don’t spend too much time; and know how to close the interaction with a commitment to follow-up.

Aerobic component: Public relations is one of the most successful ways for pumping blood into your tradeshow activity. Build media relations, prepare press kits, investigate speaking opportunities and consider sponsorship opportunities

Flexibility component: Reduce the possibility of sales injury and market muscle soreness with a flexible and timely lead-management plan. Make your sales representatives accountable for leads given to them, and then measure your results.

Conclusion

No matter what your fitness level is or what your exhibiting goals, your company will look and feel better when you regularly participate in an exhibiting workout program. To be successful, you must incorporate it into your daily marketing strategy.

Written by Susan A. Friedmann,CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, author: “Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies,” working with companies to improve their meeting and event success through coaching, consulting and training. Go to thetradeshowcoach.com to sign up for a free copy of ExhibitSmart Tips of the Week.

Direct Mail Advertising: A Key Ingredient For Successful Business Growth

By Keturah Whitaker

Read Chapter 12 In "Guerrilla Marketing in 30 days" about AtlantaEvent.com

In today’s highly competitive economy, it is essential that you promote your business with marketing materials that strategically position your business for increased customer traffic, expansion and growth.

A key ingredient for successful business growth is direct mail advertising. The success of your direct mail advertising will be highly dependent upon the “perceived” quality of your business, the design, the type of paper, your marketing message, and your special offer. The combination of these factors determines if your direct mail piece will influence your reader to contact you for additional details or get tossed aside. You have exactly 3 seconds to make a lasting impression.

Customer Mailing Lists:

To get started, you will need to compile and develop a database for your customer mailing list. If you are targeting different customer segments, then you should have a separate database for each targeted market. Also, your direct mail offer should be designed specifically for each market. For example, if you are targeting age groups 15-20 and 50-65, your direct mail piece for your 15-20 target market must be designed differently than your 50-65 target market. The term for this aspect of marketing is called differentiated marketing.

There are multiple sources for locating potential customers for your direct mail campaign. Excellent sources to search for your potential customers are the yellow pages, white pages, newspapers, trade publications, the local Chamber of Commerce directory and you may want to consider contacting mailing list companies for list building. Before you develop your lists and leads, it is vital that you conduct research to “know” who your customers are so that your direct mail offer is tailored to their needs and preferences.

Types of direct mail collateral to send to your targeted lists:

Direct Mail Postcards:

Postcards are great because your message is short and simple. Postcards achieve an almost 100% readership versus an envelope and postcards don’t need to be opened to read your special offer. Postcards are successful as direct mail pieces because they immediately advertise your new products and services. Postcards are great for announcing a new store location or can be used as a reply card to a simple survey. Postcards can also cross sell your other products and services to your existing customer base. A postcard should not be used when offering high end products and services or when your message is lengthy. The sales letter mailing is the perfect direct mail tool for high end products and services and lengthy messages.

For the cost conscious and those business owners operating with a limited budget, postcards are inexpensive to have printed and mailed. Many Internet based printing companies offer great deals on printing and delivery is right to your doorstep.

A postcard size must have the following dimensions: 3 1/2 inches and 4 1/4 inches in height, and must be between 5 inches and 6 inches in width. If your postcard size has larger dimensions, the US Postal Service may charge a higher rate. The standard paper stock that you’ll need for your postcard campaign is 12pt stock and coated on both sides with an aqueous finish to add a scratch resistance gloss to seal the text and graphics.

Sales Letter Mailing:

This mailing consists of an introductory letter introducing your business or your promotional offer and will include a flyer or sales brochure that will highlight your business services and products. This method has proven to be effective when you are offering high end products and services. The costs involved using this direct mail strategy, are far more expensive than using a direct mail postcard.

The paper stock used for your introductory letter, should complement your flyer or brochure. The paper must be of high quality and non-transparent.

Business Newsletters:

Newsletters are the perfect way to notify your customers and potential customers of your current business news, introduce new services, promote new products, communicate special offerings, and demonstrate you are an established leader in your industry and community. Newsletters also make excellent handouts for business meetings, off site workshops, trade shows, networking seminars and community events.

A direct mail newsletter does not require many pages; 1-2 sheets, a double-sided self-mailer will be excellent for your promotion. The standard paper stock needed for your newsletter is either 100lb gloss or 70lb matte text.

Track Results:

Don’t forget the importance of tracking the results of your direct mail offers. A different promotional code should be inserted on each direct mail offer for your targeted customers to mention when they contact you. For example, a sales letter direct mail offer might contain promotional code EMC5325 and your postcard direct mail offer might contain promotional code EMC5326. Tracking your direct mail offers is vital to your marketing campaign because it lets you know which direct mail piece is effective and what’s not effective.

Final thought: direct mail has always been a popular medium to advertise for any business, whether your business is home-based, a small business, a midsize business or a large business. Extraordinarily designed direct mail that effectively communicates your business and introduces special offers, can open doors for excellent sales leads and contribute to your business bottom line: increased sales, capture market share, growth and expansion.

About the author:
Keturah Whitaker is the CEO/President of CoreNet Imaging Solutions®, an Atlanta based design firm that provides business owners and non-profit organizations, with graphic design services for brochures, newsletters, newsletters, direct mail, flyers, pamphlets, business cards, business forms, and print media ads. For additional information, please contact CoreNet Imaging Solutions at 770-953-0252 or via email at solutions@corenet-imaging.com.

Is the customer always right?

By Jeff Glaze

www.besomeone.org
"Helping Children
One Move At A Time"

BeSomeone.org is the Official supported charity of AtlantaEvent.com

Last week I made an early morning trip to Cobb County to promote AtlantaEvent.com. After putting out flyers all over the place I took a moment to step in to the facility and caught a few moments of a morning with Jack Welch, the former CEO of GE.

As I stepped through the door, a question and answer session was in progress. A woman stepped up to the microphone and asked "Is the customer always right?"

Jack smiled and said, "You might not think so, and they may believe so, but if you don't make it so, you're dead!"

Jack, that is a pretty strong consequence. Dead. But let's face it. Who will come to do business with you again after you argue with them about their dissatisfaction? I think most people will just go somewhere else.

Isn't is just common sense that we let our customer complain and then make it right? Well for the business owner, we usually just grin and say " what would it take to make you happy today?" but what about our employees?

If we have not taken the time to train our employees how to deal with an unhappy customer, how will they react when one attacks them with " the food was cold and tasted like crap!" or "I only had it for three days and the wheel fell off!"

It is important that as part of training any employee who has contact with the customer they have training on dealing with complaints as well as how to work the register or take the order. As a business owner you probably have already thought of that. Is there a piece of this puzzle missing?

The missing piece might be empowerment. The employee can be trained how to be calm and not take complaints personally. But what if they are not empowered to take action and correct the problem immediately themselves? What if you have instructed them to get you if there is a problem and you are on your way to the bank to make a deposit?

In most cases an angry consumer will not wait for you to return.

This would mean that if your employee is not empowered to make a correction or offer a compromise to make the customer happy, you would lose their business forever. How much does it cost to get a new customer? How much does it cost to make them happy when they are dissatisfied? The difference on paper is staggering.

Therefore, as part of the training of a new employee, it should be taught what is possible to do to make a customer happy when they are complaining. A quick response to a problem is appreciated almost more than the actual solution in most cases.

You see in life, we are all customers at some time or other, and I don't know about you, but when I am an upset customer, I am always right!

Jeff Glaze is the Editor of AtlantaEvent.com and this newsletter. You can find a list of all of the services that Jeff's company Mostcool Media Inc. offers here.