Are You Missing Marketing Opportunities?

by Karen Dodd

I have a confession to make -- sometimes procrastination serves you well. Let me tell you why.

I would ordinarily have had this article done and my ezine sent out earlier today. However, as days often do, mine completely got away from me. I was actually still pondering what I was going to write about, when I had to leave my home office to attend a cocktail party.

The party was being held for friends and associates of people who either own, or are interested in owning, recreational property at a beautiful golf resort in Arizona. We were very flattered to be invited by the people putting it on, the food and refreshments were great and we met some very nice people. Trouble was, from a marketer's perspective, it was a complete waste of time and money for the company hosting the event.

One would assume that if you're putting on an event at a well-known, expensive waterfront restaurant on a Thursday night, the hosts would not be holding this party for purely social reasons. The reason we were all there was to see and hear something that would motivate us to buy a vacation property and each tell our respective networks about it.

So you can imagine my surprise when a good hour and a bit into the party, none of the four representatives of the real estate development firm had come around to talk us -- nor had any kind of presentation begun. Eventually (as we were thinking of leaving, having eaten and drank more than our fair share) the gentleman who was the head of the contingency gave a very low-key overview (you couldn't even call it a presentation) of the project. No colorful slides -- even though there was a projector screen in plain view -- and no marketing materials to speak of, unless you made it a point to go pick a small brochure up from one of the tables.

Neither of two well dressed, very approachable ladies came to "schmooze" with any of us before, during or after the "presentation." Finally, they announced that two all expenses paid trips to visit the development were about to be given away.You'd think there'd be a drum roll, right? That's kind of exciting -- winning a paid-for trip to a beautiful resort. But no -- one person's name was picked at random (don't know what happened to the second give-away) and there was such little fuss made about it, that the woman who won, looked around the room, wondering if she'd actually won something significant.

In short, my husband and I -- though grateful that we had been invited -- were completely stymied as to the purpose of the event. This -- by all reports, sizable and reputable company-- had just lost a huge marketing opportunity.

My goodness, can you think of what you could have done with a small group of well-heeled professionals, whom you had gathered at an upscale waterfront bar and restaurant -- who presumably had come to hear about a buying opportunity? Especially given the dip in real estate prices, the opportunity for Canadians to purchase U.S. property right now, is virtually unprecedented. Had I not being drinking soda and lime, I would have thought I was a little tipsy and had maybe missed something.

Here are 4 things that you and I could have done to capitalize (tastefully) on this event.

1. Have the friendly, attractive people on your team meeting and greeting everyone.
We all know that people who have warm smiles and look good, are the ones who are always on the registration desk or are working the room. They are on the front-line for a reason. You never want things to be so laid back that guests just wander or mill around aimlessly. It is so easy for members of your marketing team to open conversations with questions like, "Mary, (we all had name tags on) had you ever heard of any of our developments before this evening?" Or how about, "John, I notice you were invited by one of our existing owners; how do you two know each other?"

2. People want to be led and shown the next step.
People come to any event, expecting to be informed or entertained -- and then to be shown the next step for them to take. That is not being pushy or aggressive -- it's just good marketing. We are all capable of making our own decisions and saying no, if we want to -- but you must explain to them the next logical step.

3.Institute some "drum roll-type" elements into prizes and promotions.
Build up the anticipation (this should actually have started with the invitations) and have some music or visuals like slide shows, that promote an air of excitement. Even when you desire to create a relaxed ambiance, you still want to have a feeling of energy in the room.
*A great measure of any party -- business or personal -- is the ambient noise in the room. If you were standing outside your own event, would you be curious as to why everyone sounds like they're having such a great time? Would the energy you hear, make you want to crash the party?

3. Have a clearly defined beginning and end of your marketing presentation.
Make a big deal about what you're about to say, before you say it, and most of all -- be respectful of your guests' time. People are at your event to hear your story. Assuming you pre-qualified your invited guests in some way, they came for a reason -- and usually it's not for free food and refreshments! In fact, by not telling your story, you are disrespecting them in a way. This is time that they could be spending with their friends and families.

4. If your event is a drop-in or open house between the hours of say, 5 and 8pm -- make sure that everyone who might leave early has heard "your story."
At the particular event I was at this evening, there were those of us who had been there since the beginning, who were starting to get a little antsy wondering if there was going to be a presentation. And then there were the poor lost souls who came later, and wondered if they were in the right place. If there is not a specific time for people to be there, you need to leave at least one of your greeters at the door, to welcome people.

5. Remember -- the fortune is in the follow-up.
I will be very interested to see if I get any kind of follow-up call from the event holder. I no longer make the assumption that I will, because I have been de-sensitized over the years, by lack of follow-up. The sad truth is that most sales people only follow up once (if at all) in yet the reality is that statistics show that people buy after an average of five to seven follow-ups. That doesn't mean that you have to hound people to death -- you can follow up in several different ways. One soft-sell approach that I teach my clients is, "Hi Sue, it's Karen Dodd here. I just wanted to give you a call and check in." From there, the conversation usually flows easily.

When you are in business, you always want to be marketing. That doesn't mean you have to be "on" all the time, or that you look at people with dollar signs in your eyes. But it does mean that you take your business seriously, that you are committed to telling your story, and that you never miss an opportunity to help lead someone to the decision that is right for them.


©2009 Karen Dodd International

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