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June 03, 2007
Face-to-Face is a good thing - Plan well
In a previous blog-o-rant, I noted the importance of face-to-face meetings. It's what keeps trade shows "alive" despite the advances of the Internet and keeps Jeff Pulver in the frequent flier club with multiple airlines.
A face-to-face meeting at a trade show gives you the opportunity to get your message across in a concentrated settling. You can present the party line, give reasons why the party line is valid, and (potentially) demonstrate new products -- or at least show a pretty painted empty case.
Let's emphasize CONCENTRATED. Thirty minutes or less. Preferably less, around 10-15 minutes for presentations 5-10 minutes for Q&A.
KNOW YOUR AGENDA - Too many times (due to poor prep by in-house or external PR people) I have shown up to meet with someone and they ask ME what I want to know first up. No-no-no-no... You should have a short agenda you can lay out, with pieces you can drop if I go "OK, I already know about---, let's get to the new announcements."
There's a cliche' about having three key points that you need to repeat at the beginning, the middle, and the end. If you have 5-7 key points, well, I'm not going to remember them all, and you are diluting your message...
Be brief, be to the point, and move onto the next meeting. I shouldn't be the only guy (but I'd be flattered if I was) you are meeting at a trade show. There are
People get obsessed with meeting with the Editor-In-Chief. Guess what? I only write a portion of the magazine. And I don't micromanage/assign or dictate who writers should talk to. Occasionally I'll have a discussion with a writer about what they write about, but most of the time, they're adults and they understand what they need to do without backseat driving. Making a good impression with other writers for a publication is just as important as talking to the Editor-in-Chief. Sometimes more so, cuz I'm not writing the piece on IP Video or billing solutions for the August edition...
Posted by dmohney at June 3, 2007 07:47 PM