The Sales Process And Your Event

May 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment

My company uses The Sales Process all the time in our day-to-day work.  As representatives of many different artists and speakers, it’s our job to be able to sell them and make others aware of their ministry and products.

Are you familiar with The Sales Process?  If not, here it is:

  • Step 1: Greeting.  Engage the buyers.  Find out their name and a little bit about them.
  • Step 2: Profile.  Gathering information about the buyer’s needs
  • Step 3: Counseling.  Giving the buyer information based on what they said during the profiling.
  • Step 4: Production demonstration.  In this step you list features and benefits of your product.  For every feature there should be two benefits.
  • Step 5: Close the sale.  Ask for a commitment or time to call back.

I believe as Christian’s we should add a sixth step to The Sales Process:

  • Step 6: Be a servant.  Your goal cannot always be profit.  Have a higher purpose of being a servant.

Truth be told, we all like to be sold.

My family recently purchased a car.  I remember test driving with the sales man, asking him a question and him not knowing the answer.  Now we purchased the car, but it was the one we wanted and had our eye on for a while.

If I’m purchasing clothes for my wife, I need to be sold.  I’m completely lost here.

How do you sell your event?

Customer service agents should be regularly versed in The Sales Process.  Quiz them when you see them in the hall, and reward them when they answer correctly.

Nowadays, there are websites they can do the selling for you following The Sales Process. When you set out to write your sales page copy, keep these steps in mind.

When you send a booth out to represent your event, make sure the people working the booth know The Sales Process.

Anywhere you are selling your event, use the steps in The Sales Process.

Side note: Maybe you’re just the planner and have nothing to do with selling, but you do have to sell your services as an event planner.  Utilizing the steps in The Sales Process with the additional sixth step could change the way your clients view your abilities.

 

Filed Under: Marketing and Promotion, Pre-Event Planning Tagged With: ,

4 Tips For Choosing A Speaker

May 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Many events include speakers as part of the program. Speakers are great because they help reinforce a topic or the theme of your event.  If you’re planning a company retreat, a speaker can be a different voice from outside the company that will help reinforce the topic or theme.

Choosing the right speaker for your event is very important.

When choosing a speaker, here are 4 things to keep in mind:

  1. Topics.  Many speakers can talk on different topics.  They may have a book that is currently out that is their main topic, but there could be additional topics that the booking agent is aware of.  When booking a speaker, ask if there are additional topics the speaker can speak on.  This might allow you to add another session with that speaker.  You’re also looking for a topic that fits into the theme of your event.
  2. Scheduling.  Speakers can be booked 2 to 3 years out depending on their popularity.  If you have someone in mind, it’s best to get on their schedule as soon as possible.  Another issue with scheduling could be a vacation the speaker has planned or something similar to that.  The further out you book, the better you’ll be able to plan around the speaker.
  3. Fees.  Speakers fees are in all different price ranges.  Obviously the more popular the speaker, the higher their fees will be.  If you’ve read a great book and anticipate the author is about to be hot, go book them now for your event.  Even if your event is a year out, getting them early could mean you get them at a discounted price.  When that popularity strikes, the price goes up.
  4. Marketing.  Speakers can be a great marketing draw to your event.  I know when I see the speaker lineup of an event, it affects my interest in attending that event.  Use their name and picture in all marketing pieces.  And don’t forget to include them in your social media marketing as well

What things to do look for when choosing speakers for your event?

Filed Under: Activities/Recreation, Pre-Event Planning Tagged With: ,

Plan Your Event Like A Fortune 500 Company

May 1, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Get ready. I’m going to throw a meaty quote at you, but then we’ll unpack it.

Derek Gordon, Director of Marketing Communications at Thomson Reuters says:  “Our [event]  program is tightly integrated with all other aspects of the marketing program, including advertising, Web marketing, direct marketing, public relations, promotions, collateral material and field marketing… This tight alignment across all marketing programs ensures that when we engage a client or prospect at one of our event programs, the messaging, positioning, visual cues, and overall tone resonate, and reinforce our core outcome objective.”   (The Event Marketing Handbook, 2006)

This doesn’t apply all that well to me, you might object.  We’re (insert objection) smaller, not for profit, don’t even have an advertising department!  There’s still a major take away here.  Drum roll please.

An event is always part of a large whole.  And your job is to take a step back and understand the bigger objective.  Sure, you can plan an incredible event eight ways ‘till Sunday.  You can theme it, organize it, cater it.  But, when all that is done, will it have supported the greater work of the organization, cause or purpose?

Talking with a sales or advertising department, as well as executive level players is a starting point.  I’ve found taking 10-20 minutes with the decision maker in a department is best.  Inviting a large group of people to a round table meeting is just asking for trouble.  You’ll get too many opinions.  You need to speak with someone who not only knows their department’s objectives but has the authority to speak for those below them.  Then you can make progress toward identifying overarching goals.

Once you check in with leadership, boil down the information you have gathered to just a few sentences.  For example:  This year we’re hosting a luncheon for area non-profits.  We want the executive level staff to attend from non-profits within a fifty mile range.  Our goal is to encourage and network with them, gather their contact information and have each of them leave with a basic understanding of what we do.

Send your event mission statement to the chief.  (Not to multiple people!)  Once approved, you can begin planning an event that will support your specific objectives with integrity and style.  By involving key leadership, clarifying objectives, and weaving each event into the fabric of the greater organization, you’ll be planning even the smallest events like a Fortune 500 pro.

Filed Under: Pre-Event Planning Tagged With: , , , , , ,

4 Ways To React To Incidents

April 26, 2013 By Leave a Comment

We’ve seen our share of tragedy these past few weeks.  It started with the Boston Marathon bombings, then the horrific fertilizer plant explosion in West, TX and a few others.

Incidents like these affect your event.  How you react to them can be key.

Here’s a few things to take in account when an incident happens:

  1. Your event can provide a nice diversion from the craziness of the media.  When 9/11 happened, the news media was never ending.  Personally, I needed a distraction.  I went to my local record store to get a break.  I needed the appearance of normalcy in my own life.  The flip side of that was the NFL.  They, and rightfully so, cancelled games that week.  A conference call to discuss the issue took place among player representatives, and the players on the New York teams voiced their opinion that the games couldn’t be played that week because they could see the fires from their facilities.  9/11 is obviously an event we hope never happens again in the United States.
  2. Don’t overreact.  An event was happening at my church recently on a Saturday morning at 10 AM.  When we woke up that morning, it was snowing.  Nashville is notorious for it’s drivers not being able to handle snow.  The event was canceled, but the roads were clear just a little after 10 AM.  I understand the liability issues with canceling the event.  But this event probably could have been delayed by an hour and still gone on that day.
  3. Prayerful consideration.  As Christians, this is the first place we should go.  Hit your knees immediately, and ask God to give you wisdom to make the correct decision for your event.
  4. Your event could have a chance to lead.  Adding a fundraising component to your event or a special way to honor victims of a tragedy, is a way your event can be a shining example to the world.  Don’t be afraid to shine your light bright!

Our world is completely different, but our God still sits on His throne.  No matter what incident happens, we can rest in knowing He’s still in control.

Filed Under: Leadership Helps, Pre-Event Planning Tagged With: ,

4 Ways To Run A Crowdsourcing Campaign For Your Event

April 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Kickstarter has been in the news a lot recently.  Just last week a major motion picture was completed funded (to the tune of over $2 million) in less than 24 hours.  One of our artists has recently completed a successful campaign raising money to complete a new recording.

This recent news reminded me of an email I received from a speaker in Australia who was looking to fund his event via crowdsourcing.  He was using IndieGogo, which is similar to Kickstarter with pledges and rewards, except there is an option to receive the money if the goal is not met.  Side note: I found it interesting that none of his rewards featured admittance to his event.  More on rewards below.

How would running a crowdsourcing campaign benefit your event?

Many events have found themselves having a tough time financially.  But at the same time your event serves a purpose, and has a dedicated fan base.

Getting creative with a crowdsourcing campaign could be just the ticket to keep the event going.

How do you run a successful crowdsourcing campaign?  Here are four ways:

  1. Choosing The Right Platform.  As mentioned above, there are two primary crowdsourcing websites: Kickstarter and IndieGogo.  There are a couple of differences between the two like the all-or-nothing money model (Kickstarter) vs. some of the money (IndieGogo.)  Kickstarter seems to be the most popular, but if you have the platform and database, that will be irrelevant to your cause.
  2. Include A Video.  Both of these sites include the ability to upload a video that explains the cause and need.  Taking advantage of that only adds to the cause.  I wouldn’t worry about making this too long (between 2-3 minutes), and I wouldn’t worry about quality.  Shoot from your laptop or whatever works best for you.
  3. Include Interesting And Creative Awards.  Maybe you include signed notes or books from a speaker, or maybe it’s a backstage hang time with a speaker.  All of these things can have different money amounts and limits to availability set as well.  These can and should be as creative as you want to be to attract your audience.
  4. Hit All Of The Social Media Outlets.  Start a social media campaign that includes speakers or other event organizers.  Ask them to blog and post to their networks, and ask your fans to post to their networks as well.  Getting the word out is the name of the game.

I hope this encourages you to try a crowdsourcing campaign for your event.  This campaign could be a great way to get the word out and introduce others to your event.

Have you ran a successful campaign for your event?  What issues have you had in running a similar campaign?

Filed Under: Leadership Helps, Meeting Set-Up, Pre-Event Planning Tagged With: , ,

Answer These 5 Questions, Improve Your Next Event

April 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

“If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” — Zig Ziglar.

question marks

Wouldn’t it be terrible to spend loads of time, money and late night brainstorming to plan an incredible event that accomplishes very little?

Yes!  It would be!  You want your event to accomplish something very specific, and the more detailed you can be in outlining your goals before the planning stages, the better chance you have of hitting your event objectives.  Use these five questions to set up a “visible target” for yourself and your team.  Ready?

  1. Why should people give their valuable time and money to attend your event?
  2. What are you offering that is unique?
  3. Who is your target audience?
  4. What is your company’s number one goal for this event?
  5. Can you describe your event atmosphere with three words?

After you have spent time answering these questions, print out a fresh copy for yourself and take a walk.  Visit your planning team, a recent event attendee and the president of the company you represent.  Get their answers to these questions. You may be surprised.  You need to start this important conversation because it goes to the very marrow of your event planning.

This list should be used for each event you plan and should be filled out with as many specifics as possible.  For example, your target audience should not be listed as “women”, but instead, “18-25 year old women in Western North Carolina”.  This description will help you make all sorts of decisions about venue, advertising and even musicians!

Use these five questions to avoid “aiming at nothing” during your next event. Be specific in your answers, set up a target, point it out to your team, and “hit it” with intent and gusto!

Filed Under: Pre-Event Planning, Productivity Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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