I am not a fan of Trade Shows, nor do I believe it is the only way to gain sales channels. I think they are a waste of time - there I said it. I know some company's swear by them - not me. I swear at them. I dislike them. They just do not make sense when we do the math....and you know how I hate doing math. And, with the Economy still down, spending my hard earned money on a Trade Show is not going to happen. I have not exhibited at a Trade Show in almost 3 years. You can imagine my excitement when I read this email:
Dear Exhibitor,
Although there are signs the economy is slowly recovering there is still a lingering cloud of uncertainty as well as careful scrutiny of how to effectively squeeze as much value out of a limited marketing budget. Skyline Exhibits specializes in finding solutions that maximize your company’s budget while creating a compelling platform for which to promote your products and or services.
Please feel free to take advantage of the following white paper compliments of Skyline Exhibits:
Successful Exhibit Strategies in Uncertain Times
Give me a call or drop me an email if you have any questions in regards to any questions you may have in regards to exhibits, graphics or trade show management.
Regards,
Really Bob?
I understand that when you send out a blanket email you are trying to be efficient and use your time wisely. However, it is much better to take the time and do the research on the companies you are prospecting. How hard would have been to personalize my email? I am not bragging, but I am pretty damn easy to find on the internet. My biggest pet peeves is when they get my name and then assume I am a dude. Really? If you just type in my company name and one click on About JPD....you get that I am most certainly NOT a man. And, okay so the site needs to be updating and I swear we are working on it...but come on now, just two clicks and you would have known SO much more about me.
Second, if this Bob Character (I changed his name of course) took the time to see when the last time it was that I exhibited he may have tried to change my mind with some facts, statistics.....compliments? I swear, this girl will blush like a 12 year old school girl with a few "we love your products" or "you are so talented". Instead I spent about 20 seconds and responded to his well thought out email marketing campaign.
Sales Snafu
Good ol' Sales Person never got back to me. Makes me sort of wish I gave ring to "touch base" (another expression I hate...but that is another post) to see if he knew who I was, or what I did. And, yes it seems that I woke up this morning with my cranky pants on, but you have to know this is maybe the 10th email Todd, I mean Bob has sent me. I have gotten phone calls too. I have emailed back politely, I have opted out of the newsletter - nothing works. I am hoping my snarky response AND link to his site help him on getting a clue. See, I am still positive.
go you!!! it's hard to feel professional or even serious when everyone around you isn't pulling their "serious" weight. ugh! I think you're products are wonderful, but I'm in an economy slump too, I'm working on the food, shelter, clothing angle. hugs!
Posted by: kyooty | May 16, 2010 at 05:33 AM
Ha! My favorite emails are those addressed to "Mr. Info". I guess because my email address is [email protected], my name is "info" and of course, they address me as a man! If you're a salesman/woman, do your homework on who you're pitching...otherwise, you're wasting my time and yours.
Posted by: Stacie Dale | May 26, 2010 at 05:55 PM
Hi Jamie! This is Bob, and or Todd, the author of the well-crafted (I imagine that's sarcasm) email marketing blast. Well, it's more than a year later but I have finally found out a little about you and your products! I am always inspired by creative entrepreneurs such as yourself that find a product void and have the passion and fortitude fulfill it. I love the creativity and uniqueness of your products and I am seriously thinking about purchasing a few items for Christmas gifts. Even after assessing your product offering I wouldn’t be able to determine whether or not exhibiting is in the best interest of your marketing strategy because there are too many variables to factor, but I can help you exhibit your products successfully should you decide that is the right strategy for you. It is awfully difficult to personalize 800 emails twice a month so I apologize it took this long for me to get to know you, but I’m glad I did. By the way, thank you for blogging about me as it created an indirect lead for me some 17 months later! Happy Holidays! – Bob(Todd)
Posted by: Bob | December 12, 2011 at 05:02 PM
Hi Bob - I was trying to protect your identity when I wrote this post. It was actually 19 months ago and I applaud you for finally getting back to me. I think you have just inspired me to write yet another blog post.....so thank you!
Posted by: Jamie Lentzner | December 12, 2011 at 06:14 PM