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Impressions from IncentiveWorks – Part 3

August 31st, 2010. Written by Doreen Ashton Wagner

This is the third installment commenting my recent attendance at IncentiveWorks in Toronto. Here are my impressions about the educational sessions:

I had not attended the education portion of IncentiveWorks in the last three years. Last year I’d heard great feedback about one of the speakers (Retired General Romeo Dallaire), so this year did not want to lose out. The $59 education package, which conveniently included 2 lunch vouchers for the show, was a fantastic bargain.

The first speaker I heard was Queens University professor Ken Wong speaking on “Brand Abuse: why so Much Marketing Fails.” Some planners may have avoided this topic because it sounded too general, not addressing meeting industry-specific material (I almost did because the session on Social Media sounded more timely). But I was SO GLAD I stuck with this one!

Ken is the ONLY presenter I had ever heard give concrete “how-to” advice to planners about how to address the needs and interests of the C-Suite. MPI has been touting education to give planners a “seat at the corporate table” for many years, but never had I witnessed a prescription for how to do that. The presentation was so ripe with good advice that we have decided to make our “take-away” the subject of our blog in early September. Stay tuned!

The next session featured keynote speaker Simon Sinek, author of Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. Sinek was not a particularly exciting speaker, though he was attractive to watch in a geeky sort of way… but he had a message that resonated. A great story-teller, he described how Apple is a company that clearly understands why they do business. Consequently they have a fervent following who will pay a higher price, shun a superior product and even experience inconvenience to do business with them. (Judging from the number of iPad giveaways and other promotions I witnessed at the show, I think Sinek was dead on about the Apple “following”). Having a clear vision of why your organization exists, he maintains, is essential to inspire people to attend your events or buy the products and services you’re selling.

On the second day of education, I’ll admit that I missed the earlier sessions (please don’t tell my boss). But I made sure to attend the 10:30 keynote with Gary Vaynerchuk. I was curious about this presentation which had been tagged with a “parental advisory” for explicit content.

Well @GaryVee (as I have come to know him on Twitter) is described as a “social media sommelier” who claims to have taken his father’s liquor store business from earning $2 million annually in the late 90s, to well over $60 million five years later. Between dropping a few b*llsh*t exclamations and one or two f-bombs, Gary weaved his tale from his early days as a stockroom boy to wine blogger and finally appearing on the Conan O’Brien show and making the host eat dirt. That’s right: dirt, as well as grass and other things. Check it out for yourself here.

The point to all this? With social media, the game is rapidly changing. Marketers and meeting planners need to diversify and adopt these new communication means. Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare et al. are not going away. Their influence is only increasing exponentially…

As someone who is already fairly active in social media to promote our business, this talk confirmed that social media is not just a fad… it is a new way to engage your following, and it is NOT the waste of time my husband thinks it is!

So was the IncentiveWorks educational program worth the investment? Without question. And I plan on attending again next year!

Posted in Hospitality & Meetings, meetings industry events | No Comments »

Impressions from IncentiveWorks – Part 2

August 31st, 2010. Written by Doreen Ashton Wagner

Team Ottawa did seem to have great traffic throughout the show. Ottawa reps in orange shirts: Nathalie Boulet, Patrick Dault, and Sabrina Strang with MPI Ottawa President, Carole Saad

I recently had the pleasure of attending IncentiveWorks in Toronto. The following are my impressions of my tradeshow experience:

It’s still a wonder for me how a tradeshow can be “great” or “fantastic” for some and the “worst ever” for others. Sure I can see how booths in the back rows may get less traffic than those monster booths at the front. But I talked to a LOT of exhibitors and even smaller independents at the back of the hall were happy with the flow of attendees while some reps from bigger, more visible booths were belly-aching at the lack of people. I don’t get it. Why are some of these people in sales?

As a registered attendee for the premium side of the show (I did ALL my client & staff Xmas shopping at the show!), I only got one email from one exhibitor and one postcard from another to incite me to stop by their booth. If suppliers are going to spend that much money for a show, why don’t they try to promote ahead of time to generate more attendance?

I was walking the floor with a new strategic partner who specializes in tradeshow marketing. He was surprised at the “blandness” of some booths. Big logos, some photography, lots of which was generic or nondescript (white sandy beaches, people golfing, but once you’ve seen those, haven’t you seen them all?). But little to compel anyone to stop by. This begs the question: how should meetings industry suppliers draw planners’ attention and provide value?

Stopping by booths to inquire about certain products or services, I was disappointed at the rush to “scan my badge” instead of asking me questions about my needs and interests. In one instance I had no use for the product, and said so, but the rep insisted on scanning my badge! Now I’m curious to see what this large communications company (who is affiliated with the show organizers incidentally) is going to do with this information…

So I’m thinking: could tradeshows have lost their lustre not because of lower attendance, but simply because salespeople don’t know how to sell? For years Barry Siskind and various sales experts have been trying to tell us how to improve the tradeshow experience, but are we listening?

With the proliferation of hosted buyer programs in North America (AIBTM, IMEX), will exhibitors learn to maximize appointment time by asking questions and properly qualifying prospects? Will they top up their efforts with pre-show promotion and effective post-show follow-up? Or will we just get lazier and expect planners to show up with business on a silver platter…?

Posted in Hospitality & Meetings, marketing to meeting planners, meetings industry events | No Comments »

Impressions from IncentiveWorks – Part 1

August 23rd, 2010. Written by Doreen Ashton Wagner

Last week I attended IncentiveWorks, Canada’s largest event dedicated to the meetings & incentive industry. Since I spent 14 years in Toronto, this event is always a “homecoming” of sorts for me; a place to see old friends, colleagues and clients.

Just for fun, here are a few musings, findings and observations from the event:

Canada Rocks!

Canada Rocks was the official opening party for IncentiveWorks. For the fifth year, this was also the main fundraising event for the MPI Foundation Canada.

The event was held at a nightclub formerly known as Schmooze, which clubcrawlers.com as “a destination of choice among the 25-35 crowd that loves to party, dance and let loose.” Attendees had been urged to wear red and white and Canadian or not, many came with the requisite attire.

MPI Foundation chair Joe Nishi welcomed the 500 plus crowd like a true rocker: wearing shades and strumming an electric guitar, Nishi introduced night’s main attraction, The Sam Roberts Band. Caesars Windsor sponsored the 75-minute performance by the multiple JUNO Award winning group, whose hits include: “Where Have All the Good People Gone?”, “Hard Road”, “Brother Down”, “Them Kids” and “Detroit 67″.

Olympic Gold-Medallists hockey stars Becky Kellar and Jennifer Botterill were on hand to meet Canada Rocks participants, as special guests of the Olympic Voice Program.

Another attraction of the evening was the silent auction, featuring prizes such as a four-night stay at the Wyndham Nassau in the Bahamas, two return flights anywhere Porter Airlines fly, a Flip Video from the Ontario Marketing Partnership and a GPS from the Allstream Centre.

Once the band started, there was little choice but watch and enjoy the Asian-themed food (stir-fried noodles, sushi, and Thai hors d’oeuvres). The music was great, but no longer being in that ephemeral 25-35 age group, I found it a little too loud for my liking. There was a much quieter lounge on the club’s roof top, but I only heard about it the next day. Too bad signage did not point the way to a stop where people could have a chat and network…

Tags: business development, IncentiveWorks, lead generation, meetings industry, prospecting, tradeshow
Posted in Hospitality & Meetings, meetings industry events | No Comments »

Is Your Association “Walking the Talk”?

August 9th, 2010. Written by Doreen Ashton Wagner

Recently I attended the annual convention and business exchange of DMAI, the Destination Marketing Association International. As a trade association regrouping Convention & Visitor Bureaus (CVBs, a.k.a. Destination Marketing Organizations or DMOs), DMAI is essentially an association of associations.

This was my first attendance at the event, and I learned a lot about what DMOs face such as pressures from their own members, government funding, etc.

But one item struck me as ironic and unfortunate.

DMAI advocates Corporate Social Responsibility for its members. The convention program even featured on a session on CSR with Jonathan Greenblatt, co-founder of Ethos Water (which is sold at Starbucks).

An informative session it was, except that message rang false for me because of what was happening in the coffee breaks… Because of my long-time association with MPI, CSR to me also means the “greening” of meetings. Imagine my disappointment when I saw the coffee break stations had paper coffee cups and plastic lids, as well as the usual china. Even more disappointing was that most people were reaching for the disposable stuff before going back to their session. Why?

Aren’t china cups a greener solution? And given the choice, why would delegates choose disposables unless they are going to leave the premises (which most DMAI delegates were not)? Why would the Westin Diplomat, which presumably abides by the Starwood Hotels & Resorts Environmental Sustanibility Policy, even offer the paper cup alternative? Did I miss something?

I walked away feeling like perhaps DMAI was not walking the talk, and needed to learn more about CSR and the greening of business tourism.

The experience made me think. Are we walking the talk? Are the other associations I belong to walking the talk. Is your association walking the talk? Please share your thoughts…

Tags: CSR, meetings industry
Posted in Professional Associations, Uncategorized, association industry events, lessons learned, membership satisfaction surveys | 1 Comment »

Reaching Meeting Planners in a Saturated Marketplace

July 23rd, 2010. Written by Doreen Ashton Wagner

On Thursday, July 15, SPIN Planners ran a webinar titled, A Rare Look Inside the Buying Process of Senior-Level Planners. Participants included third-party meeting planners Kimberly Ruby, CMM, of Ruby Meetings, Blanca Diaz of BND Meetings. Association planner Stefanie Simmons of IAAM. Moderating the discussion was Shawna Suckow, CMP, the Founder of SPIN.

Here are their recommendations on how hotel, CVB and other meeting industry sales representatives should reach out to planners like them:

About cold calling: while all planners universally hate pushy, “telemarketing”-like cold calls, they admit that the telephone is a necessary tool of business. Do your homework, they advise – which means make sure you’ve checked out the types of meeting and destinations they have executed in the past. They also warn to make sure you ask permission when starting the conversation.
A pet peeve: cute, but useless giveaways and leave-behind gifts, said Kimberly.
Because of their frequent business, all panellists report having close relationships with national sales office (NSO) reps. In their opinion, CVB reps are not visible enough and don’t convey the often free services available through their bureau.
About industry events and supplier receptions: planners will attend your event if it is in an unusual or new venue, or features a new food or theme, asserted both Blanca and Stefanie.
About familiarization trips: “no more fams without an educational component!” they plead. Optics are such that planners must justify fams to their bosses and clients. Suppliers should include at least one educational opportunity in their program, and consider giving Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from a provider approved by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET).
When asked by this author about regular, old-fashioned mail, panellists admit they open hand-addressed mail or other unusual, personalized email. Shawna recalled a speaker at a past MPI event who asserted that “lumpy mail gets opened.”
Be careful about email: Mass eblasts seem too impersonal, panellists said. But a direct, personalized message inquiring about interest or through a group on LinkedIn is OK. One supplier suggested sending an Outlook appointment, requesting a phone appointment. Even if it’s “at the planners convenience” planners judged this to be intrusive and even “creepy.” Says Kimberly, “being a planner, I’m a control freak. I want to choose when I speak to a new supplier.”
How else should a supplier get known to planners? Be visible at industry events, volunteer with industry associations such as MPI or PCMA.

Not quite earth-shattering advice, but the good news is that business is picking up. And those suppliers who find ways to balance personal touches and a professional, consistent approach will be successful.

Tags: business development, direct mail, meetings industry, prospecting
Posted in Hospitality & Meetings, best practices - sales, marketing to meeting planners, meetings industry events | No Comments »

When You’re Stuck with the Boss’ Son…

July 12th, 2010. Written by Doreen Ashton Wagner

We help dozens of organizations every year to update their database. At times we come across some clients who aren’t able to outsource the cleansing process. This was the case recently with a law enforcement association who couldn’t export their data for cleansing because their CRM had limitations that required too much of their IT consultant’s very expensive time.

We would have loved to do the work, but it just wasn’t mean to be. Our recommendation was for them to hire temporary help. This project would have taken us just two weeks to complete, and now this is going to take them all summer.

Fortunately we were able to connect them with a candidate with roots in our area in Glengarry County. Nygel Pelletier is a former AHL referree (that’s him pictured above!) whose next dream is to get into law enforcement; he was only too eager to get the experience for his résumé!

At times association administrators cannot convince their board or their senior executives that outsourcing is a more efficient way to go. They are simply told to “hire a student”. We love students, but what if what if you’re stuck with the boss’ son as your intern to help you clean up your database this summer? Our client was very happy with how things worked out with Nygel, so we compiled the tips we gave them for your reference:

Establish a clear goal – What information needs to be updated? What titles/positions or functions are you trying to get information on and why? For instance, if you’re trying to update a list of potential exhibitors for your tradeshow, outline those potential titles who may oversee the decision to exhibit at events. Make sure your intern understands how to explain this purpose to the receptionist.
Write out a script – Have your intern write out exactly what they’ll say. Play act with them any potential objections so they can present themselves professionally. (e.g. Receptionist: “I’m sorry; I have no idea who would want to exhibit at your Widget Association Show.” Intern: “I understand. Perhaps someone in your marketing department would know. Can you please transfer me?”)
Define phone vs. online approaches – The internet is a great tool, but don’t assume contact names are easily found online. Sometimes it’s quicker to call up a company and talk to a human being than to search for people online. Also decide whether the intern will have an email address to send requests for update.
Take the time to train – Supervising a less experienced staff member doing tedious work is often a challenge for busy managers. Updating a list is not rocket science, but it is an art to convince people to give you the time of day to update any information. Make sure you take the time to show the person what you want, and how they should sound. Have them listen to you updating the information so they hear how it’s done.
Keep track of progress – If updating is taking place “live” in your database (and not just on an Excel spreadsheet), make sure you print out a master list, by account/organization name or whatever order makes sense. Have your intern keep track of their progress by checking off organizations as they are completed.
Spot check – Make sure the information is updated correctly and thoroughly. It’s stating the obvious, I know, but it’s easy do a great job updating names and forgetting to check that the company is still at the same address. Spot check records if you can by verifying zip/postal codes, and clicking through to websites to make sure the information is correct. Have someone else check on a few records, just to make sure things are going smoothly.
Establish metrics – After 3-4 days, your intern should be able to tell you how many records he/she has been able to update per hour. As we’ve discussed in a previous post, an experienced person should be able to update 10-15 records per hour (we define one record as one contact per company; so 2 contacts at the same location = 2 records). If the information is particularly dated or obscure, the pace may be closer to 8-12 records per hour. A pace less than that and your intern may have productivity issues or may be overwhelmed with the task.

And last but not least, make sure your intern realizes how vital their work is! A clean list is the starting point for any effective and sustainable direct marketing effort. Don’t let them think you undervalue their work!

Tags: association management, business development, clean data, database, hiring employees, sustainable marketing
Posted in Professional Associations, association data cleansing | 1 Comment »

When Is the Best Time to Prospect? Everyday!

July 7th, 2010. Written by Doreen Ashton Wagner

Being in the business of creating business development campaigns for hotels, CVBs, and other meetings industry suppliers, I often get asked, “when is the best time to call prospects?”

I used to want to answer this question with empirical data. I had read some studies which indicated that calling between 4 and 6 p.m. lead to slightly higher connection results. In 2008 we measured our connection rates and found that, in Canada, we connected with more meeting planners in the summer months and from mid-November to mid-December than at any other time of year. Our assessment at the time was that planners seemed to be in their office (and not travelling, or attending meetings). Even if some were on vacation, they often were more willing to have conversations shortly after their return.

Since the economic downturn, however, I have revised my tune. Just like trying to time the stock market is often a recipe for disaster, waiting for the “best time” leads salespeople to make up all sorts of excuses and never pick up the phone. Successful salespeople prospect consistently. They know it’s always a good time to call prospects.

One of the best resources that drove home that point for me is downloadable poster called “Everyday” from sales blogger Paul Castain. You can download it for free at http://yoursalesplaybook.com/free-stuff-from-uncle-paul/ .

His insightful observations inspired me to re-write it for meetings industry sales representatives:

Everyday . . .

A new business is born that requires a venue for their company launch.

An “accidental planner” is asked to plan the next meeting and he/she needs your help.

A sales rep goes M.I.A., leaving a jilted planner ready to be wooed.

A business moves into your area, needing a nearby hotel for their visiting employees and clients.

A new meeting planner is promoted and is looking to make a name for him/herself.

That old decision-maker, who used to favour the hotel across the street, may have left.

A vendor screws up the client’s conference, creating an opening for you.

A supplier takes the client’s next event for granted, creating opportunity for you.

A rep fails to offer an idea that you have that could improve your prospect’s meeting.

A meeting planner just doesn’t like their sales rep.

A buyer feels like they have to continually “babysit” their convention services vendor.

A planner is managing too many hotel/supplier relationships and needs a “one source solution.”

A planner hates the contracting (and invoicing!) process with their convention hotel.

A planner wants to deal with a travel supplier who isn’t just about the commission cheque.

A planner feels like they are over paying for the AV services they are getting.

A rep misses the RFP deadline.

A rep fails to communicate convention centre construction news, giving you an opening.

A volunteer committee needs the benefits of your CVB services to help them streamline their site selection process.

An association needs to improve meeting attendance . . . your idea can help.

A company needs happier customers, employees and shareholders . . . your venue is a perfect spot for their event!

A buyer wishes they could find a caterer that would “get it right the first time”.

A referral from the group that just checked out is there for the taking . . . you need only to ask for it!

A “low ball” competitor can’t sustain quality in their service delivery.

A sales rep gets caught in a lie and loses credibility.

An existing supplier implements some stupid, non customer friendly policy.

A competitor raises their rate, making the planner re-evaluate their site selection.

A planner needs to find out about your awesome new resort to make them look like a rock star!

A planner gets FED UP with surprise extra charges on their hotel bill!

As Paul instructs us, “Our job is to find these people!” Happy selling!

Tags: business development, cold calling, lead generation, meetings industry, prospecting, referrals, sales tips
Posted in Hospitality & Meetings, best practices - sales, lead generation, qualifying prospects | 3 Comments »

Follow-Up Strategy to Speed Up the Sales Cycle

June 28th, 2010. Written by Doreen Ashton Wagner

Recent research indicates that B2B sales cycles have lengthened. In the meetings industry, hotel, CVB and other hospitality industry suppliers are telling us that they have to “chase” clients more than they used for that signature on the contract.

In our post last week we promised to share a strategy we have implemented in our own lead generation process as well as client projects.

This approach was taught to us by our “sales coach of record,” Colleen Francis of Engage Selling Solutions. We use this when we have discussed a business opportunity with the person and have tried to follow-up on at least 4-5 occasions, with no success.

First message: “Hi Sue, it’s Doreen from Greenfield Services. Sorry I missed you. I’ll call you again on Wednesday, at 10:15.”

Choose the date and time before you leave the message so that you are sure to be available. I recommend choosing a time that is a little unusual – e.g. 10:15 instead of 10 a.m. It stands out more.
Protect the time in your calendar right away.
At the appointed date & time, make your call! This is a crucial, trust-building step! If you don’t get the person (and assuming you have dialled 0, tried with the assistant, etc.), leave another message:

Second message: “Hello Sue! It’s Doreen calling from Greenfield Services. I promised to call you today. Sorry we didn’t connect. I will call you again on Friday at 2:45.”

Remember to keep your tone light, never accusatory (guilt is a good thing only if the prospect feels guilty because you’re so nice, not because you sound like their mother).
Always apologize for missing them – it’s your fault not theirs (this helps with the guilt factor!)
Pick a different time frame for each message and let at least 2-3 days go by between calls. To help me keep track, I enter a note in my CRM each time I call, with the date & time I said I will call again.
I’ve tested this dozens of times in the last three months and I get a return call 2/3 times before my third attempt. But if you don’t hear from your contact, try one more time. Again, set yourself a reminder, and call at the chosen time:

Third message: “Hey, Sue. It’s Doreen from Greenfield. I’d promised to call you today and heard you were out of the office. It sounds like I’m really lousy at guessing when it’s a good time to reach you! Because I don’t want to be a “sales pest” I will send you a quick email, and perhaps you can let me know how you wish to proceed regarding our proposal? Looking forward to it!”

If you feel comfortable using humour (as I am), go ahead. The point is to be yourself.
The above gets a couple of important points across: first, it shows that you have held your end of the bargain. You are a trustworthy salesperson, and you deserve respect. Secondly, it shows that you empathize. Stuff comes up all the time and you’ll earn brownie points with the potential buyer when you tell them you understand. It also lets the prospect off the hook if he/she has chosen another option or the business is not happening.
Realizing that sometimes people hate to deliver bad news, I follow up with an email:

Follow-up email: “Hi Sue. I hope you had a great long weekend. I’m sorry we haven’t been successful in connecting last week to discuss the proposal I forwarded on May 14. I’m imagining that perhaps this no longer fits into your plans, or that other priorities have come up. Either is OK. Can you just let me know whether it still makes sense for us to hold space for you for next month? I really appreciate it.”

Recently when I sent the above to a repeat client who’d “gone silent,” I received a “thanks for understanding” email. He was very apologetic for not getting back to me sooner and he promised to phone me with an update. He called when he said he would, and now all is well again. It was a relief for both of us!

In closing, keep in mind that you will also speed up your sales cycle if you have more business opportunities in your funnel. Find time to prospect more often and you won’t have to wait by the phone for that prospect to call you back.

Let us know about your strategies to speed up the sales cycle or whether you have any questions & comments!

Tags: business development, meetings industry, sales funnel, sales tips
Posted in Hospitality & Meetings, best practices - sales, marketing to meeting planners | 6 Comments »

Sales Efforts Making You LOSE YOUR RELIGION?

June 21st, 2010. Written by Doreen Ashton Wagner

Some think the 1991 song “Losing My Religion” by R.E.M. is about unrequited love while others maintain it’s about a Southern expression meaning “at my wit’s end.” Both interpretations are appropriate for those of us in hospitality sales who have lost faith that our efforts are paying off and that clients just don’t love us anymore.

Before you throw your hands up in the air, read on about what the experts are saying:

It’s not you

Contacts not returning your calls? Hot prospect suddenly gone cold? Even with business picking up, hotel sales managers and CVB account rep report having to chase buyers longer to get a commitment. Frustrating exercise, but the silver lining is that this is happening all over the place, not just in the meetings industry.

The Aberdeen Group and CSO Insights both have published extensive papers about how sales cycles have lengthened since the recession. One possible explanation is that in rough times, buyers become more conservative; they stick with who they know even when they have not been completely satisfied with their current supplier. With leaner staffing levels, it’s also likely there are fewer people to get the work done and meeting planners and tougher to reach!

At her April 2010 Sales Mastery Workshop, sales trainer Colleen Francis reported that, across various industries, closing a new B2B client now takes an average of 7 to 11 interactions with the customer. That’s 7 to 11 conversations or meetings – not just one-way emails and voice mail messages.

So stop taking it personally. It’s not you, it’s the way of the marketplace right now.

Be persistent

In a 2008 blog article, Brian Jeffrey describes that 81% of sales are made after the fourth call, by which time 90 percent of salespeople have quit calling. Similar numbers are reported by Stanford University research whereby 85% of clients buy after the fifth meeting and 95% of sales people give up after the fourth.

Sales experts agree: be persistent, without being a pest (for tips on the latter, check out Brian’s article).

Have more leads in your funnel

From personal experience, it’s easier to have faith in your sales process when you have more opportunities in your pipeline. Fear sets in quickly when you only have a few tentative pieces of business on the books…

The only antidote to this fear: prospect more to increase your volume of potential business.

Chewable Chunks

Start with past clients, or prospects you know you have a closer connection with through industry membership such as MPI, PCMA, etc.

When we haven’t prospected in a while it’s easy to get overwhelmed with a long list of overdue traces. Start small: commit to reaching out to 10 customers in one hour. On average at Greenfield Services, our Business Development Specialists connect with 1-3 live prospects in an hour (that’s the meeting planner – not the receptionist!). Be prepared to leave a voice mail, and if you know the client well, follow-up your message with an email.

Next week, we’ll explore voice mail and email tactics we have successfully implemented in our Greenfield LEAD Generation Process. Have a great week!

Tags: business development, cold calling, lead generation, meetings industry, sales tips
Posted in Hospitality & Meetings, best practices - sales, lead generation, marketing to meeting planners | 1 Comment »