Experts in Trade Show Booth

Trade Shows and Expos are great ways to reach a targeted audience and meet prospect's managers and executives face to face. Many times you will get to talk to people you can't even get on the phone or by email. This is why you need to have your absolute best staff in the booth when they arrive. You may only have one to three minutes to present your offer and try to set up future meetings. If one of your lower staff doesn't have the correct answers the prospect may just walk on and you have lost the opportunity.

It is best to use a person in your booth who knows all about your industry, products (old and new). Even if you have to hire someone you know to just work the show for you. The knowledge and confidence they will bring to your booth will be well worth any cost and returns in future orders. If you are spending the high cost of having a booth in a trade show, don't skimp on the staff who are there to present your brand and secure new customers and clients.

Barry is a speaker, author and business consultant. www.idealetter.com

FEAR Plus or Minus

In business, fear comes into play many times and it needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later. But all fear is not bad and may make you rethink a decision or an investment. Negative fear will also hold you back from getting closer to the goals you have set for yourself and business. It can stop you from reaching outside of your comfort zones where the real opportunities are waiting. Fear can make you procrastinate about a decision that you already know has a good chance of working. But what if it fails? Yes that can happen and has happened to all of us on our road to success. Once a solid decision is made, move forward aggressivelly and don't worry about failure because it may never happen.

Positive fear can make you do more research, analysis and study before you make a big decision. It can calculate the possibility of success with what you want to do and whether you should do it now. It will never be a 100% sure win answer but positive fear will give you the confidence to move forward. Once you have made that decision don't look back and give all your effort to that decision succeeding. Fear gives you the chance to make the correct decisions and then moves aside so you can accomplish the task at hand. Don't be afraid of either fear, just use it to your advantage in business and in life.

Barry is an expert speaker on The Customer Experience, Building and Keeping Business Relationships and Marketing on a Tight Budget. More at www.idealetter.com

Business Speaker & Trainer

I am always interested in speaking and training engagements anywhere safe in the world. My topics are The Customer Experience, Building Business Relationships, Marketing and Sales Ideas, Social Media & Networking for Profit, Making Better Presentations and others. I will add value to your event or meeting with usuable content, relevant stories and some humor. 

I will offer to do 2 presentations at no additional fees if time permitting. I may also be available to travel on short notice or if another speaker or presenter cancels. For a limited time my speaking fee includes airfare to the city of the event or meeting (100% in North America, 50% international). For more information, more topics, short video stories, photos, bio and reasonable fee can be found at www.idealetter.com. Please contact me to schedule your event or meeting and lock in the date now. 

Little Known February Holidays

These are real but little known holidays in February that you can use in your business for fun and profit,

 1 Serpent Day
 3 National Men's Grooming Day
 6 Pay a Compliment Day
 7 Charles Dickens Day
 8 Kite flying Day
 8 Boy Scout Day
 9 Toothache Day
 10 Umbrella Day
 11 White T-Shirt Day
 11 National Inventor's Day
 12 Darwin Day
 13 Use a Different Day
 14 Ferris Wheel Day
 15 National Gum Drop Day
 16 Do a Grouch a Favor Day
 17 Champion Crab Races Day
 18 National Battery Day
 19 National Chocolate Mint Day
 20 Harry Potter Day
 21 National Sticky Bun Day
 22 Be Humble Day
 24 National Tortilla Chips Day
 26 National Pistachio Day
 27 Intl Polar Bear Day
 28 Public Sleeping Day

 Have a great February !

Gift Cards Buy & Sell

We all know how popular gift cards are especially during the holiday season. They allow the receiver the chance to select what they want as a gift without having to exchange something they don't really like or does not fit. Gift cards also help the retailers and businesses by giving them a short term loan at no interest and possibly attracting a new customer who would not come on their own. Many are not always redeemed in full which is an extra benefit for the issuer. But sometimes people get a card they don't want, can't use or move from the area where the business is located. Now there is a way to cash in or exchange those unwanted cards safely and without taking too much of a loss. Here are a few sites (there are others) that are popular for gift cards exchanges, buying and selling.
                   * cardpool.com
                   * cardhub.com
                   * giftcardgranny.com
                   * giftcards.com
                   * junkcard.com
These are websites where you can sell your cards for less than face value and receive cash or others cards that you want. Each site may have different rules so check before you do a transaction. It is also a great place to buy gift cards for places you really like at possibly less than face value. You may be able to find cards available for regional businesses near you that are more discounted because they are not widely sought. Buying from a reputable site will assure the card is valid and should have some guarantee if it's not. It's just another way to save money and not lose money without making the gift giver feel bad.

Barry is a speaker at conventions, conferences, trade shows and company meetings.  www.idealetter.com

Restaurant Story - Bad Publicity

Sales... is Like a Doctor

I doesn't matter whether you own a business or work for a big corporation, we are all in a sales related position. We must promote our business, company, department or group to have an ongoing profitable existence. If it is not showing a profit or completing a task needed it will not excel and take all the people involved with it. Even if you are just getting a paycheck that money has to come from somewhere and you are involved, either directly or indirectly. So the more you know and practice sales techiniques the better you can help and improve your company or business.

Think about how a doctor works, every situation is different, just like business. He/She doesn't start prescribing medicine or activities as soon as you meet in their office. They ask questions and they stop talking so you can answer and tell them why you are there. They may take routine tests, blood samples and examine areas of your body that will give them a better knowledge of how to suggest treatment that will work best for your current situation. A doctor is trained to find out what the problem is and then determine how to make it better or solve it.

Every potential customer or client is unique and needs to be handled with individual care and empathy. Just like the doctor, you need to find out what is ailing them, their business pain and problem they need solved before any solution can be offered. Do the exploratory surgery needed to see what the core of the problem is so you can begin to offer the best ways to make it better or ease some of the pain. If you don't find the underlying cause of the problem you may be prescribing apples when they need oranges to solve it. That's why the best sales and customer service people listen much more than they talk. Listen for the business need or pain then you can begin to solve it. The professionals learn and practice this every day.

Barry is a speaker on the Customer Experience and Marketing.  www.idealetter.com