Subject: How to make your Realtor Expo successful
Submitted by Kim Gatson
The best way to attract and mobilize more agents, lenders, brokers and office managers to visit your booth at a Realtor expo is to make your booth interesting, fun and attractive. After all, you are in the show business once you set up a booth at this type of show. In today's marketplace, clients are drawn to impressive items and excitement, and turned off by humdrum events. If you put on a dull show, you will generate little interest.
Instill a show-business mentality by creating an image that makes people smile and lets them know that they're in for a first-class experience. A great example of people who know how to put on an entertaining show, are DisneyLand employees, who undergo rigorous customer service training and are famous for their courtesy, cheerfulness and problem-solving skills.
Plan your pre-show marketing strategies; think like you’re putting on an entertaining show. Everything you do to promote and implement your show must be first-class, creative and professional. Tell your employees or other franchisees whohave committedto host a show with you to provide enthusiastic and helpful customer service. Unpleasant experiences with trade show employees or other franchisees can ruin the show biz experience you've worked hard to create. Set your show up for success by having a pre-expo meeting to determine, and put in writing, the following:
1) Who do you know with an exciting and outgoing personality,who would be willing to help man the booth? Keep in mind that at least one inspector needs to help man the booth at all times to answer questions and be able to sell himself.
2) Once you decide who is participating in the show, get commitments from other inspectors who have agreed to participate. Create a schedule for who will be responsible for set up and tear down, and who will man the booth at specific times.
3) Who will call Connie to reserve and pay the $100 rental fee for the tabletop display? Who will be responsible for receiving the package, storing it and shipping it to the next franchisee?
3) Determine how you will capture the attendees’ business cards (leads) and how they will be divided and distributed for follow up. This is best done with a drawing, so they will give you their business card for a chance to win a prize.
4) It is best to have at least one prize winner for each inspector participating. After the business cards are divided by territory, each inspector can choose a winner and be responsible to pay for the prize(s) that is given to the winner in their own territory.
Drawingscreate interest and bring in leads. Having the winning prize available at the show is ideal, butif you can’t have the prize on site, have a large colorful photo of the prize to draw attention to your drawing and booth. Ask people to sign up and be excited about the prize so they will get excited and register their contact info on the entry form. If you are sharing an expo with other franchisees, please see notes on “How to Run a Successful Show /Expo with other Franchisees.”
Make your trade shows interactive. When people manipulate objects they often grow an attachment to them. They get an idea of how the tools work and are more excited about the possibility of using your services. Set up audio-visual displays: you can rent our large professional table top display for either GPI or NPI for $100 by calling Connie at NPI Corporate as soon as you get your expo dates. Set out your fun tools like the moisture meter, gas sniffer and infrared camera (if you own one). Set up your laptop with a slide show of you inspecting different items, and/or your report software with several sample reports. These items will help attendees feel like they are part of the show experience as they learn about your tools.
Put the Internet to work for you.You can interact with potential exhibitors and attendees through the Internet, both in your pre-show marketing and during the show. Most trade shows now incorporate the Internet into their booths. If it is available, have your Website up so you can show that you have a professionally designed Web site, allowing consumers to easily accessinformation about property inspections and your services. Today's techno-savvy Realtors and lenders are instantly turned off by Web sites that are not interesting, easy to access and informative; this will help set you apart.
Make your show an unforgettable experience. "If meetings are really going to change our lives, meeting professionals need to begin to shape memorable events," said Jim Gilmour, author of The Experience Economy: Work is Theatre & Every Business is a Stage. "Successful meetings must create emotionally based experiences for attendees," Gilmour said. How do you generate such an experience? Capture the imaginations of attendees by providing pleasant sights, sounds, aromas and fun, along with a high degree of interactivity. You can create fun at no cost, by having high-energy personalities work the booth that are willing to step out of their comfort zone and be fun and enthusiastic, interact and draw people into your booth. This may be one of the franchisees or a high energy relative or friend willing to inject a little excitement into the show; you'll have attendees in the palm of your hand.
Make your trade shows fun. Booths filled with inanimate objects like brochures can be boring and won't capture the attention of your audience. However, if you set up your booth so that attendees can see everything clearly in an uncluttered and organized space, you will make a great visual impression. Booths should provide good lighting, easy-to-read signage and attention-grabbing graphics.
Inject show biz excitement into your advertising and public relations. Without resorting to hyperbole, your advertising should reflect the excitement, creativity and flavor of your event. Observe how the producers of movies and Broadway musicals advertise their shows and incorporate as many of those elements that are feasible in your own advertising. Every ad you place should showcase the opportunities that your show offers.
Train your most trusted show employees to lead the media to the most engaging exhibits. Have a staff member on hand at all times who can articulately tell reporters about your event and what makes it unique.
Remember that you are in show biz, and you must create and promote an event that is as exciting and dramatic as a great movie or play. Your exhibition space is your stage. In order to generate interest, you must put on a performance that will keep attendees riveted and eager to come back for the sequel!
How to Run a Successful Show /Expo with Other Franchisees:
What will the prizes be (keep in mind that you will need a winning prize for each territory)?
Determine how much each participant is willing to pitch in for the prize and who will purchase the prizes.
Determine ahead of time how the leads will be collected, but more importantly, how they will be distributed amongst the franchisees.