The link to this report by Marcia Yudkin arrived in my inbox with the subject line, “Is Marketing Evil?” Well, as a marketing consultant, that definitely caught my attention!
Yudkin, author of numerous marketing books, makes some excellent points in this 12-page report, “The No-Harm Marketing Manifesto.” While it was written for an audience of consultants and trainers, the lessons are very on-target for trade show exhibitors as well.
Her first point is to focus on aligning your products to the audience and honestly discourage people who aren’t a match. Tell me, how often have you seen an exhibitor who is so busy filling a fishbowl with names of people giddy to win the latest tech gadget (which that company does NOT sell) that they miss making a genuine connection with a serious buyer? Not exactly the smartest way to gain qualified leads.
Point #4 encourages appealing to positive values rather than fear or negativity. Sadly, I’ve seen this technique used by exhibitors with scare tactics or vague threats of “if you don’t buy now ….” Closely related is point #7, which warns against deception. (Yes, I’ve even caught exhibitors in the middle of an out-and-out lie!)
The bottom line is tucked in the middle of her list at point #6: don’t view customers or prospects as mere numbers. I completely agree! That’s why when I work with exhibitors, I always stress quality leads over quantity. Wouldn’t you rather have 50 solid leads vs. 350 worthless pieces of paper with names on them?
You are right Marlys, these points apply to a broader audience. And I agree with you that quality leads are better than quantity. It is all about building relationships.
Thanks for your comment, Lisa. Yes, if more marketers (both trade show and otherwise) would focus on building relationships, they would be much more successful.