It all seems so simple. Bait the hook with a tasty ad, cast your line into a stream of eager buyers, and reel in the sales. What could be easier?
So you try it and guess what... you don't land a single sale, not even a nibble.
Well somebody's to blame. Must be where you placed your ad... "guess nobody reads that rag." Or maybe it was the ad... "time to get a new ad guy."
You've got to blame somebody, right? Actually, no.
There is good news and better news. More decision-makers and qualified prospects are attending trade shows, and fewer attendees are at shows just looking to have a good time.
Sales is a numbers game. You can only call, email and keep appointments with so many people in a day.
Rather than breaking out the noisemakers, or tipping the almost empty Kahlua bottle (maybe it's Geritol) in search of lost youth, we (actually, I) decided to remain more low key when it came to observing our 30th year of business.
Perhaps it had to do with the mood suggested by the campy, tongue-firmly-planted-in-cheek photo we all posed for in the late summer of 1979 (remember, years ago, people never smiled in photographs because it was considered presumptuous).
Click on the image below to view a larger version.
While cleaning out a drawer last week in a credenza full of article clippings, pamphlets and various advertising "stuff," I came across the following little story. I believe it has even more meaning today than in the early 1970's when I originally saw it. Do you see any parallel to your business or that of your competitors in today's economic climate? If so, we'd love to talk with you about it.
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