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How to make maximum use of marketing events

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Marketing events represent a key opportunity for businesses of all sizes to spread the word about the products or services they offer, network with other industry players and develop relationships with potential clients.

Of course, big exhibitions will also attract countless other companies with the same aims, so making your firm stand out from the rest is key to making sure the event is a success. Buying space at an exhibition can be expensive, which is why it’s vital you have a plan in place to ensure the money – and time – invested in having a presence there is not wasted.

Even businesses showcasing the most innovative new product at an exhibition will struggle to drum up interest unless attendees are aware of your firm and what you offer. In the weeks and months leading up to an event, take some time to plan out your exhibition booth and look at ways of making it as eye catching as possible.

After all, visitors are more likely to be drawn to well-designed stand that clearly and attractively explains the company and its products than a drab, dreary effort that does little to grab their attention. Remember, the stand’s design will probably be the first thing an exhibition attendee sees, so make sure you leave a good first impression.

Once you have drawn visitors to your stand, the next step is to make sure you have the staff and materials on hand to explain your products or services. Flatscreen monitors equipped with speakers can be used to play promotional videoclips, alternatively have a wireless-enabled laptop so you can offer web demos.

Of course, in an ideal world it would be possible to close deals there and then at the stand and leave the marketing event with a host of new clients, but, practically, you’ll need to follow up the enquiries you had at the event.

This is where items like promotional printed pens come in. Keep a stock of these at your stand to hand out to potential customers throughout the day, so that if you are unable to agree on a deal you can at least ensure you will remain in the client’s mind after they have left. Items with a practical use, like pens, are perfect to hand out at trade shows and exhibitions because the prospective customer is likely to keep hold of them and use them on a regular basis, acting as a constant reminder of your company and the services it provides.

That’s not to say you should rely solely on the promotional items you hand out at the show. Sometimes it can take several weeks, if not months, to turn a lead into a sale. The most important thing to do is not give up until you have had another chance to meet with the prospective client, either over the phone or face-to-face, to demonstrate the value of your offering and show them how much you want their business. If you follow this strategy, there is no reason why marketing events cannot lead to a raft of new business for your firm.

Should You Worry About Identity Theft?

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Identity theft is a real problem. When someone steals your identity, they can use your financial history to buy TVs, cars, homes, and heck, even planes, with no intention to pay for it.

Identity theives prey on people who they believe will give them their information to use to commit fraud at a bank or lending institution, but should you worry about it?

Why You Should Worry about Identity Theft

Here are a few reasons as to why you should be concerned about identity theft:

  1. It’s hard to clean up – Credit bureaus do not make it easy to clean up your credit report when you find inaccuracies or information that is simply not yours. If your identity is stolen, you can expect to spend 5 hours or more on the phones talking to lenders, the three credit bureaus and maybe even the authorities if the theft is big enough.

  2. It can’t be predicted – It’s impossible to predict when and why identity theft will happen, and it often goes on for a long time without going noticed. In that time, identity thieves can charge up more purchases, open new accounts, and make the problem even worse than originally anticipated.

Why You Shouldn’t Worry about Identity Theft

You shouldn’t lose sleep over the threat of identity theft. In fact, it is quite rare. While there are over 15 million identity thefts each year, anonymous identity theft is almost nonexistent.

That’s right – the people who would steal your identity are the people you know, not the people you don’t know.

Most identity theft occurs within a person’s home, between family members who have access to the personal information of one another. When it occurs outside the home, it usually happens when trusted people are allowed into your home and these trusted people turn out to be less angel and a little more devil.

So here’s what you should do to protect yourself:

1. Lock up all your documents in a safe requiring a key to enter.

2. Keep that safe in an obscure part of your home.

If you do both of these, you shouldn’t have to worry about identity theft. The risk at this point is very, very low.

Should You Rent to Own a Home?

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If you can, try to think back a few years ago during the real estate bubble. Think about all the crazy things that people were doing – and thinking – about their real estate purchases.

I remember high real estate prices first. But I also recall the resurgence of the “rent to own” agreement whereby a tenant rents a home to later purchase it on contract. These deals have started showing up in my local newspaper again, so I thought I would write a post about it.

How Rent to Own Works

When you rent to own a home, you sign a somewhat flexible agreement to purchase a home after 1-3 years of renting it. Basically, for the first part of the contract you are a renter and you do not own the home. After the rental period ends, you have the right to buy the home from the homeowner at a predetermined price.

There are a few advantages to this:

  1. Locked in prices – You lock in the price of the home when you rent to own because the purchase price is stipulated by the contract.

  2. You have time – You can work on improving your income or your credit before you actually sign a mortgage or contract to purchase the home from the landlord.

  3. Try before you buy – Hey, if you’re new to town, you probably don’t know where you want to live. Renting to own gives you the option to try before you buy, and do so at a price that is locked in until the rental period ends.

  4. Down payment help – Some agreements allow for the landlord to save a part of the monthly rent as a down payment if the renter decides to buy the home. This can help people save who might not otherwise have the drive to save for a down payment month after month.

I think a rent to own deal for real estate is actually really good for the above reasons. I don’t think it’s a good idea for people who can already afford to buy, however. If you can afford to buy – buy! If you cannot, you might as well get the chance to lock in a home price by signing a rent to own agreement. You can always back out after the rental period ends.

What do you think?