Posted by

Barry Siskind

Community Manager

I have been wrestling with the topic of increasing revenue for organizers. Many ideas have crossed my desk. I recently read an interesting post for FORBES magazine by Mike Myatt called To Increase Revenue Stop Selling.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemyatt/2012/05/01/to-increase-revenue-stop-selling/

In a nutshell his argument is that when you refocus the sales process from you to them you increase revenue by adding value to your brand and increasing customer loyalty.

He focuses on adding value to your customers. Myatt says, “Engage me, communicate with me, add value to my business, solve my problems, create opportunity for me, educate me, but don’t try to sell me.” Within this one sentence there are a number of ideas that can affect the organizers’ bottom line if well implemented.

It can be a change in the exhibition’s communications strategy, a serious focus on exhibitor education, an effort to understand our customers and the opportunities they seek and so on.

Is a change in paradigm worth our serious consideration? I would suggest that it is and rather than conducting business the way it worked so well in the last century, we should re-align our efforts to the 21st century exhibitor, get to know them better and service them well.

Your comments are always welcome.