The story resumes in the same office. Another eager and motivated expo salesperson named Toni has witnessed Michelle’s success. As this person was prospecting for Mid-America Remodeling & Design Expo (www.101expos.com/marde), she came across a retail store whose website  stated, “New Web Store Coming Soon.”

Curious, this salesperson called the store and asked, “How long has your Web store been under construction?” She learned that no one had actually worked on it for quite a while. She filed that information in the back of her mind, and ultimately began talking with the store’s owner about the expo. She sent him follow-up information. But each time she called, he’d tell her he had been too busy to look at it.

When, during her 4^th follow-up call, the owner again tried to tell her that he was too busy, she stopped him in his tracks. “Look,” she said. “Let’s put the expo aside. Given today’s business environment, I think your Website is where you need the most help. I suggest you stop in and spend some time with us to get a better feel for what we do, and how we can help you.”

The man grew silent, then conceded that he would be nearby in the next week making deliveries. Toni set up a meeting with her co-workers at Checkerboard Strategic Web Development (www.checkerboard.com) for the following Tuesday.

There once was an expo salesperson named Michelle, who refused to let a little word like “no” stop her from making her goals. Recently while talking with a prospect about the Mid-America Remodeling & Design Expo (www.101expos.com/marde), she heard every objection imaginable including “We don’t have a booth and we don’t have any ideas for a booth.”  So the industrious salesperson convinced the prospect to come into the office by stating, “We can help you come up with ideas for your booth. Oh, and did I mention we can also do booth graphics?” And so, the meeting was set.

On the day of the meeting, Michelle cordially introduced the prospect to people representing Kocina Marketing Company’s (KMC) various services (www.publicity.com). He was so impressed that he paid in full for exhibit space at Mid-America Remodeling & Design Expo and the company’s Seniors Expo. He is even talking with one of KMC’s other companies, Checkerboard (www.checkerboard.com), about enlarging some photos for use in his booth display.

But wait. There’s more! He also spoke with Checkerboard developing his Web site. The conversation then turned to the value of blogs, which led a further discussion about KMC’s newest service: Internet Advocacy.

Remarkably, there’s still more! This prospect is developing a new beverage and could possibly become one of KMC’s Media Relations clients as well.

“It really helps to get people here and in front of our people,” Michelle commented. 

Working at Media Relations for the last two years has given me great wisdom and has been character building.  We are working daily to strive for the  greater good of our company and for our team.  The communication between our team is vital in assuring our company wide success.  We are in constant communication with each other on what contacts (for print, television, & radio) to look out for in certain markets and where we are at in our dialogue in relation to tours for our spokespeople and our clients. 

Media Relations is all about setting us up to succeed.  We take great pride in seeing new publicists get great placements and even our more seasoned publicists getting placements they never thought possible.  The power of positivity reigns through each one of us as we deal with rejection daily, but see the best in situations and how to position are clients successfully.   Mike Danielson and Heather Champine work very hard for us and we in turn are tireless workers and leave no stone unturned because we value their leadership.  They are excellent communicators and great people to work for and with.  Seeing Mike scurry around is a constant reminder of hard work paying off.  He is a big role model in my continued advancement with my career and a big reason for our success at Media Relations.  Heather is always willing to share her expertise and she is valiantly working with the publicists to ensure we have successful months with our placements and adding her unique clarity on the media we work with.

Media Relations is a joy to come and work for each day.  We never know what is going to happen.  Even with the best laid plans, your day is sure to throw you a few curveballs.  With the leadership we have, we have been prepared thoroughly to deal with these curveballs and use them and thrive on our failures, so we can learn from them and turn them into positives.  Media Relations has taught me a lot of things:  professionalism, work ethic, communication and resourcefulness.  Working with our team is the biggest benefit of joining such a rich and diversified company.  We pull for each other, cheer for each other, and work with each other so we can contribute to a greater good.  The continued growth of such a unique and fun company.

When I first began my career at Kocina Marketing Companies four years ago, I had the opportunity to participate in our company book club to discuss Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton and take the on-line assessment.  My top five strengths are Focus, Achiever, Responsibility, Maximizer and Relator.  At the time, I was an Administrative Assistant for our company.  When I was offered a position in Human Resources, my first thought was “Will this opportunity be a match for my strengths?”  Well, it was and I absolutely LOVE what I do!  Just ask anyone that I work with or my family! 

In order to develop a career that really suits you, it’s important to have a basic knowledge of your key strengths.  Unlike skills or knowledge you can acquire through education, your strengths are more basic talents.  For the most part you were born with them.  You can certainly continue to develop new talents, but in the area of your strengths you have an almost unfair advantage. Your strengths are things that come naturally and easily to you.  Your brain is just wired to be good at them.  You’ll be happiest working in a career that allows you to take advantage of your strengths on a daily basis.  Working from your strengths will help you (1) be far more productive, (2) get better results, (3) contribute more value, (4) attract higher compensation, (5) enjoy your work, and (6) experience greater fulfillment. No matter where you are at in your career right now please, oh please figure out your strengths! Look for what you’re passionate about and DO THAT. Think about what excites you; why you’re on this earth; where you can achieve your greatest successes; what will make you grin when you think, “…and I get PAID for doing this?”

As a third year marketing student at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, it is sometimes challenging to understand the content I learn in a real life context. Interning with Kocina Marketing Companies has given me the opportunity to not just understand what I’ve learned, but apply my knowledge to the projects that I have worked on. Through working with Mid-America Events & Expos and Checkerboard Strategic Web Developing (two of Kocina Marketing’s companies), my notions of the importance of communication among co-workers, research of key demographics and strategic decision-making have been confirmed. However, I have become more aware of how significant it is to remain current with the trends in the economy and familiar with the character of specific industries. Clearly, to exceed expectations you need understand the environment of your business. Kocina Marketing Companies has done an exceptional job at understanding the environment of its business, and I think that the team members here are successful because of their communication, research and strategic decision-making.

An example of communication: I have found it rare that someone not be on the phone, for a particularly long time, building a relationship with a client or media contact. The communication that I’ve noticed is both internal and external of Kocina Marketing, which I see as equally important.

Kocina Marketing Companies also has done research in order to make strategic decisions. For example, one of Kocina’s companies, Mid-America Events and Expos, has been able to recognize the needs of the senior citizen community through focus groups and other forms of research, and holds two expos a year targeting the senior demographic to support those needs.

It is inevitable that technology has changed the traditional mass marketing approach. It seems that in today’s world it is becoming more and more important to find a niche in the market then determine the best way to reach that target. That may mean partnering or building a relationship with another company or simply contacting the market through a different medium. With these changing trends in marketing it is increasingly important to become innovative in your marketing approach. I believe that Kocina Marketing Companies has innovated its marketing strategy through the Pay Per Interview Publicity® approach; which is effective and an efficient use of a marketing budget.  These are just a couple thoughts that I’ve developed over my three short months at Kocina Marketing Companies as I hope to take with me on my subsequent endeavors.

Most expo producers market to the masses. They offer something for everyone to draw a huge turnout. If exhibitors don’t sell much even if when there is a big crowd, well it’s their own fault, right? Not necessarily. 

If you are selling vinyl siding, an expo hall filled with apartment dwellers is useless to you. If you are selling to people over age 60, having a bunch of kids helping themselves to your free candy won’t bolster your bottom line.

In other words: if the producers don’t do their jobs by bringing enough of the right type of people into the expo, having a huge crowd is beside the point. So when we tell our sponsors and exhibitors that we’ll focus on bringing people representing very specific market segments to each of our expos, you’d better believe we’ve learned how to deliver. 

Mid-America Events & Expos produces targeted expos focusing on the seniors market, healthy choosers and the home remodeling. To be successful, we must first carefully determine which categories of companies should exhibit. Because we know our markets, we have a pretty good idea about what types of companies can do well at which of our shows, and which ones won’t be a good fit.

Then we must be just as detailed about how we market the expo to the public. When we’re producing the Mid-America Remodeling & Design Expo, for example, every media outlet chosen and every interview conducted must focus on capturing the attention of homeowners who are ready to remodel. When we market the Seniors Expo and Seniors Spring Show, we stress how these shows are designed to meet the needs and desires of people in that age group.

As a result, we get fewer tire kickers. The people who attend are generally more motivated to buy what our sponsors and exhibitors are selling. We may not always have shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, but we get fewer people who are just out for a day of entertainment and have no intention of opening their wallets. 

Of course, it’s still not a slam dunk for exhibitors. They must work hard at our shows if they want to be successful. We provide them with lots of tips and ideas for maximizing their sales. Exhibitors who sit quietly at the back of their booths, talk on the phone, or leave their booths unattended, will still waste their money on exhibiting.

Exhibitors who understand the principle of targeted marketing, and who work hard during the show, are usually ecstatic because we’ve brought them face-to-face with the right people. Most of our exhibitors return year after year, so we must be helping them succeed in their businesses. That’s a great feeling. 

Many companies market to the public at expos. The booths that do really well seem to understand that first impressions are made in less than 10 seconds. Booth design, graphics, presentation and promotions are valuable tools in communicating with potential customers. A customer needs to know who you are, what you’re selling, and why they need it. So if you’re going to be an exhibitor, look for visual ways to separate your business from exhibitors with similar products.

If you need some ideas, contact the good folks at Mid-America Events & Expos at www.101expos.com. Tell them I sent you.

While walking around an expo last week, I saw exhibitors talking on cell phones, chatting with co-workers, eating, and worse: leaving their exhibit area unattended! I wondered why they were even there because they were putting barriers between themselves and their potential customers. Expos give a company a very targeted, but small window to reach potential customers. A skilled presenter in a booth will attract masses, pre-qualify them and send them right to the sales staff. Make sure you have some of your best sales professionals manning your booth at any expo you exhibit at.  Time is money!