With the start of every new year, it’s commonplace to set new resolutions in both our professional and personal lives. Unfortunately, many of us tend to start strong but lose momentum before we know it. In order to provide everyone a little inspiration, here are 14 quick strategies to get (and stay) motivated this year:

1. Condition your mind. Train yourself to think positive thoughts while avoiding negative thoughts.

2. Condition your body. It takes physical energy to take action.  Get your food and exercise budget in place and follow it like a business plan.

3. Avoid negative people. They drain your energy and waste your time. Spending time with them is the equivalent of shooting yourself in the foot.

4. Seek out the similarly motivated. Their positive energy will rub off on you and you can imitate their success strategies.

5. Have goals–but remain flexible. No plan should be cast in concrete, lest it become more important than achieving the goal.

6. Act with a higher purpose. Any activity or action that doesn’t serve your higher goal is a wasted effort and should be avoided.

7. Take responsibility for your own results. If you blame (or credit) luck, fate or divine intervention, you’ll always have an excuse.

8. Stretch past your limits on a daily basis. Walking the old, familiar paths is how you grow old. Stretching makes you grow and evolve.

9. Don’t wait for perfection. Perfectionists are the losers in the game of life.  Strive for excellence rather than the unachievable.

10. Celebrate your failures. Your most important lessons in life will come from what you don’t achieve. Take time to understand where you fell short.

11. Don’t take success too seriously. Success can breed tomorrow’s failure if you use it as an excuse to become complacent.

12. Avoid weak goals. Goals are the soul of achievement, so never begin them with “I’ll try…” Always start with “I will” or “I must.”

13. Treat inaction as the only real failure. If you don’t take action, you fail by default and can’t even learn from the experience.

14. Think before you speak. Keep silent rather than express something that doesn’t serve your purpose.

What other methods do you use to keep yourself motivated?

SOURCE: Geoffrey James, Inc.com “Sales Source”

Is your workspace at your office working for you? When you’re there, do you feel energized and ready to excel? Is it a comfortable and pleasant place to be? If not, you can use research from a little known branch of psychology to improve it.

Environmental psychologists study how people live in the physical world. They investigate the psychological implications of sensory experiences: how colors influence lives, what sorts of furniture arrangements are best in various situations, our relationship with the natural world, and so on. What they’ve learned can help you create a workspace that makes you feel secure, calm, and capable – a place where you can accomplish your best work.

Sit so your back is protected.

Research consistently shows that humans can be uncomfortable sitting with their backs facing other people passing by. If you currently sit so that your back faces the entry into your workspace, pivot your desk chair and use a different section of your work surface (if available). Find a way to sit so that your side is to that entry and not your back.

Minimize the amount of red you see as you work.

Research by Andrew Elliot and his colleagues found that people do not work as well cognitively when they see red, even a small amount for a short time. These scientists believe that this may be because teachers use red pens and pencils to grade papers, and seeing red brings the idea of failure unconsciously to mind.

Make adjustments.

Solving small discomforts yourself will help you feel in control of your physical environment. Whether it’s adjusting your desk chair, adding a light to your workspace if it is a little dark, or bringing in a small fan from home if it’s a little warm. That feeling of control has been linked to individuals being more satisfied with their jobs.

Tell your story.

Make sure that visitors to your workspace leave knowing a little about whom you are and what’s important to you. We are more comfortable with other people when we know they understand who we are as people. In return, they are more relaxed being around us when they have a better idea about what we value. People who personalize their workplace are more satisfied with their jobs.

Organize and declutter.

We are at our best psychologically in environments with moderate levels of visual complexity. This means that the clutter of papers, pens, and coffee cups on top of your work surface needs to be tamed and organized. On the other hand, very little visual complexity can be just as jarring as too much. If the décor at your workplace has been pared back to almost nothing, don’t be quite so hard on your own clutter. If you’re working in a space with a “nothing-goes” look, add a painting or photo to your workspace. Research shows that images of nature help to restore cognitive performance.

The suggestions above will get you started, but don’t hesitate to move beyond them. Sit in your workspace and take a sensory inventory of what it’s like to be there. Deal with any negatives and take actions to enhance your daily office experience. If you take inventory and act, you’re only taking steps towards improving your own work performance.

SOURCE: Sally Augustin, Harvard Business Review

With this year coming to an end, now marks a perfect opportunity to look back on the past 12 months and reflect on the accomplishments, both big and small, that allowed us to prevail on both a personal and business level.

While a rewind of our past year’s hard work and success should give us a sense of pride, we should also use it as a reminder that there’s always room to grow and better ourselves alongside the brands we represent. While we all visualize monumental success for our companies, we need to realize that smaller attainable goals are the building blocks to success.

All too often, we tend to “shoot for the moon when a few stars would do nicely.”

This coming year, try to confine your resolutions to areas that are manageable. They don’t have to be large projects. Believe it or not, taking care of a few small areas will produce big results in your overall operation.

Here are three resolutions that are both realistic and manageable for just about any company:

1. Resolve to develop a written marketing and/or business plan, if you don’t already have one. It doesn’t have to be lengthy or scholarly. It needs to be simple enough for someone else to understand it. You wouldn’t leave on a trip to a new territory without a map, so why not give your business the same edge?

2. Resolve to get help when you need it. For many of us touched by the entrepreneurial spirit, it is often difficult to call for help. We seem to see it as an admission of failure. Most of us are great at preaching “teamwork” to others, but we seem to forget that we also need teammates.

3. Resolve to “get out of the box”. Are you operating under the premise of “that’s the way we’ve always done it”? All too often, we become paralyzed by our own habits. It’s time to break those old chains! Make a real effort to introduce new methods and fresh thinking into your daily routine, both business and personal.

Last but not least, resolve to evaluate your progress throughout 2012.

Happy New Year!

SOURCE: Jim Lynn, showsell.com

In these days of iPhones and e-mail contact lists, the humble paper business card may look like a relic, but if you think passing them out will signal you as hopelessly behind the curve, you would be mistaken.

In a world where so much communication happens electronically, the business card remains a valuable, tangible way to promote yourself and your company. The key is to produce cards that are memorable and informative, ones that can instantly sum up your brand in a glance.

While social media may get all the press hype, the vast majority of business interaction in this country still takes place face to face. Most business owners still interact with potential customers and partners personally at trade shows, networking events, dinners or informal social gatherings.

In all those instances, exchanging business cards remains a primary way to formalize your interaction. It helps the person you’ve met remember your name and the name of your business. In the best-case scenario, the person you meet keeps your card and adds you to their list of contacts, either by putting the card in a Rolodex or scanning it into an electronic database (the card itself will probably get tossed, but by then it has served its purpose). Either way, the card helped cement you and your business in the mind of the person you met.

Business cards may be a tried-and-true marketing device, but that’s not to say they haven’t changed with the times. The key is to keep your cards looking up-to-date but not overcrowded. Cards these days cram ever more information into a small space — in addition to the company name, address, phone number and email address, some people are adding their company’s website, Facebook fan page link and Twitter stream. The result is usually a visually confusing mess.

If you are active in social media, a better bet is to simply list your website. Then, on your site, add prominent links to social-media sites visitors can quickly access if they’re interested.

The days when your color choices were limited to white or cream are also long gone. Nowadays, cards come in full color, many with photographs, which can unfortunately lead many businesses to overcrowd their cards with logos and pictures. When designing a business card, think of it as a miniature introduction to you and your business. If you want to present yourself as innovative and forward thinking, then your card should be designed with a modern font and color palette.

By contrast, a simple, two-color business card sends its own message: that you and your company are traditional and no-frills. Even so, the card should include the standards of your e-mail address and website. Although creative types may be tempted to make their cards stand out by using nontraditional materials or shapes, make sure the finished product still fits easily into a standard wallet pocket. Also, avoid glossy paper, which makes it difficult for someone to scribble a note on the back.

Remember that business cards are not supposed to be hoarded and admired in private. Get in the habit of handing them out, which is easy if you have one you want to show off.

SOURCE: Elizabeth Blackwell, TheStreet.com

Up until the time we had the pleasure of working with Sefar Inc., I had never been to New Orleans. To say that I’m thankful I went would be just a bit of an understatement (to say that my coworkers were thankful to have another “T-free” day as a result would be even more so). Happier still was I that the airlines didn’t have flights available for me to do my usual “One Day In/Out” routine, thus forcing me to fly in the day before the install. This in turn forced me to spend the day enjoying myself while I walked up and down Bourbon Street and all the other streets that intersect it. It’s a fascinating place, and I highly recommend that you try to get there at least once in your life. I mean, where else do you think you’re going to find a park dedicated to the likes of Louis Prima and Al Hirt?

In general, traveling has become one of the great pleasures in my life that, while growing up, I never thought would be. Back then, I was very much of a homebody, and I looked forward to being able to one-day purchase the house directly next to my folks – assuming they wouldn’t allow me to build one directly on top of theirs. But now, I almost dive at any chance I can get to travel. On the one hand, it allows me to see a new place, feel a new vibe, experience a new kind of person. And on the other hand, it allows me to ensure first hand that our clients are being well taken care of. They deserve to be. And while I don’t have a third hand, if I did, on it I would mention that I enjoy traveling because absence actually does help to make the heart grow fonder. In laymen’s terms – it’s when I go away that I realize most clearly how important my family is to me.

I am looking forward to spending another Thanksgiving with them – my personal favorite Holiday of the year. It’s my favorite because there’s no fuss nor muss to it. Unlike other holidays, there’s nothing to do and nowhere to run off to. Just a warm house, cozy slippers, good food, the people you love and giving thanks for whatever it is you happen to be thankful for. Personally speaking, among other things, I am thankful for you. It’s you who help me to provide the warm house, the cozy slippers and the good food (well, the food at any rate. It’s actually my wife who makes it “good”). It’s through your partnership with FB Displays & Designs Inc. that we can continue to do what we do best. I just thought you should know that, and that we’re thankful for you as a result.

I hope you all have someone in your life that is able to make food good, and I hope you all enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Troy Stover is the Operations Manager for FB Displays & Designs, Inc.

“What you see is what you get”. This is especially true with regard to exhibitor behavior at both public and industry trade shows. It’s easy to tell immediately which companies put obvious time and effort into their exhibiting strategy. The company’s exhibit will offer a welcoming feel and booth staff will positively interact with visitors, taking the time to ask questions and provide answers.

The flipside of the “what-you-see” truism is, “What you don’t see is also what you get”. This is referring to all those exhibitors who just have to get a head start on tear down and be the first out the door towards the end of the show.

When an exhibitor leaves early, they are still showing… but what?

Disregard for neighboring exhibitors. It is very difficult to engage a potential client in serious discussion when your neighbor is dismantling their exhibit.

Disrespect for visitors trying to navigate the aisles. Early tear down leaves a poor impression of the show in the minds of visitors. It is also potentially dangerous to have people milling around unsecured booth parts and equipment.

Disdain for show management. An exhibitor may think he or she is sending a message to management that the show wasn’t successful. Instead, this individual looks unprofessional, disrespectful and risks the chance of not being invited to future events. Most show managers discourage, and in some cases prohibit, leaving early. There are often severe penalties for breaking this part of the exhibitor agreement including loss of priority points or poor location for future shows. Yet there are always a few exhibitors who think the rules were written for everyone else.

Unfortunately, exhibitors who tear down early don’t realize whom they are hurting most… themselves!

To neighboring exhibitors, show visitors, and show management, tearing down early is usually just an annoyance that will soon vanish, but these exhibitors run the risk of doing serious long-term harm to their companies. These people are not only missing sales on the show floor, but also future sales from missed opportunities with potential clients.

Research has shown that 30% of all show floor sales are consummated during the final two hours of exhibit time. Many buyers use the first segments of a show to preview products and develop specifications for purchases. The actual purchase is made at the end of the show. It’s not uncommon to see a visitor walk away angry when he or she returns to a particular booth to do business only to learn that the exhibitor has “left early”.

It is difficult to understand why a company would spend money for show space, an exhibit, staff travel and lodging expenses to come to an event where clients and potential clients pay to visit them, and then leave potential dollars for the competition!

The next time you are tempted to leave a show early, remember that patience and perseverance are as necessary to success as an exciting booth and well-trained staff. Waiting (and working) for every client at a trade show is what separates winners who care about their customers from losers who give them the “bum’s rush”.

SOURCE: Jim Lynn, ShowSell.com

In an industry where most businesses are owned and operated by men, it is easy to overlook woman-owned companies. Most professionals, when searching for an exhibit designer or furniture provider, don’t even think about the difference between doing business with a woman-owned company versus a predominately male one.

For those woman-owned businesses, however, the concept of supporting other predominately female companies is a factor that plays into every decision.

“I focus on buying from other Women Business Enterprise (WBE) members to support each other as a first option,” said DJ Heckes, owner of Exhib-it!, a New Mexico-based tradeshow marketing company. “Then I go through the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) secondly.”

For a company to be registered as woman-owned, it must meet the credentials set by an organization like WBE or NAWBO. The certification process defines a list of criteria the business must meet, such as being at least 51 percent woman-owned and completely operated by a woman. Some organizations, like the Women Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), assign a case worker to visit the company and verify the credentials.

But jumping through the hoops of a certification process is worth the hassle.

“I have worked with many WBE members, and it has improved my overall business,” said Heckes. “The WBE Membership Program provides government-owned agencies a tool to help meet their Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) contracting goal of five percent. Additionally, restricting competition to qualified WOSBs increases our success.”

Becoming a certified woman-owned business also helps boost most companies’ clientele.

“It is valuable,” said Freddie Georges, owner of Freddie Georges Production Group (FG|PG). “It’s contributed to business growth via access to Fortune 500 companies who may otherwise not consider doing business with FG|PG.”

Although it is important for women to support other women, it’s also becoming vital for others to work with predominately female organizations. In a recent article from TIME Magazine, Belinda Luscombe touted the “She-conomy” – America’s migration to a knowledge-based economy where women make up the majority of the workforce.

“In the U.S., women hold sway over 51.3 percent of the nation’s private wealth,” she wrote. “In 2007, women were $90 billion worth of the $200 billion consumer-electronics business. They’re $105 billion of the $256 billion home-improvement market. They’re 44 percent of NFL fans.”

Luscombe goes on to say that there are few industries that do not recognize the female dollar, and therefore, female buying power, which women have a lot of.

According to a study from the Boston Consulting Group, women control $12 trillion in the overall $18.4 trillion in global spending.

With all of this power and spending money in the hands of women, it seems like a foolish thing to ignore woman-owned businesses in the tradeshow industry.

“Most of our customers are initially skeptical about whether or not we are really woman-owned and operated,” said Amanda Helgemoe, owner of Nuvista, a Texas-based tradeshow services provider. “Once they give us an opportunity, it becomes clear to them and they are very respectful of what we are trying to accomplish in this industry.”

Working with a woman-owned business is not only a great idea because of the buying power, but it helps promote gender equality in the workplace. Walmart’s recent strategy to aim new programs and more spending toward women-owned businesses and female workers is helping women all over the world improve their standing and become equal with men in the economy.

“Walmart’s global women’s initiative has the potential to be a game-changer for women and for economic growth,” said Melanne Verveer, U.S. Ambassador at Large for Global Women’s Issues. “By tapping its core competencies as a global retailer, Walmart will empower more women to access markets and develop careers in the global supply chain, transforming their lives and the lives of their families.”

With the idea of promoting woman-owned businesses becoming more mainstream, it is only a matter of time before the tradeshow industry follows suit.

“Working in a male-dominated career field can be challenging,” said Heckes. “What I feel has been the biggest benefit, as well as a competitive advantage, is my attitude toward having an open mind. Women have the ability to be strategic and tactical when needed for adopting change in their environment.”

It’s easy to notice that the trade show world is beginning to revolve more and more around advances in technology. Non-physical forms of marketing are beginning to reign at events. For example, many exhibitors are starting to utilize QR codes and other forms of electronic advertising to supplement or substitute the use of promotional items… but are we forgetting the value of physical media?

According to Forbes, while marketing and advertising are becoming more and more digital, “customers and prospects alike are still human–and as such, the need to arouse the sense of touch will always be present.”  However, to what extent do we still need tangible media?

Millward Brown, a branding company, recently sought out to answer this question.  In a recent report, the organization found that “physical media left a ‘deeper footprint’ in the brain.”  While the study focused on direct mail, its findings certainly apply to the trade show industry.

Millward Brown’s research revealed that:

-”Physical material involves more emotional processing, which is important for memory and brand associations,”

-”Physical materials produced more brain response connected with internal feelings, suggesting greater ‘internalization’ of the ads,”

-”More processing is taking place in the right retrosplenial cortex when physical material is presented. This is involved in the processing of emotionally powerful stimuli and memory, which would suggest that the physical presentation may be generating more emotionally vivid memories.”

It’s clear that these conclusions are not only connected to direct mail; instead, Millward Brown’s analysis reveals much about the physical side of the ad world in general.  According to Forbes, “…There will always, ALWAYS, be the need to factor in the human side, the living, breathing human element when trying to reach your target audience.”  So at your upcoming event, don’t skip the trade show giveaways.  Your branded giveaways could be the key to your company’s next big venture.

SOURCE: www.thetradeshowsblog.com

When it comes to the justification for exhibiting at tradeshows, there is plenty of focus on marketing, lead generation and most importantly, sales. While these are definitely important benefits to exhibiting, there are several other very good reasons for companies to participate in trade shows.

The Investment Community

Companies of all sizes, whether public or private, need to consider that many investment analysts attend trade shows. Where better to gauge a company’s market position relative to their industry than at a show? Financial statements are not the only consideration when deciding on investments. Savvy institutional investors often walk the aisles of shows to better understand current positions and future potential of many different companies.

The Press

Some people may not believe it, but the press is actually present at shows more often than you think. In every industry, people want to see what’s up and coming and . In addition, the information that is published will more than likely be posted on the internet, allowing global exposure. Favorable press coverage can really help your marketing efforts and increase your brand awareness.

Recruiting

Many exhibitors don’t realize that their next event could lead them to recruiting new talent for their organization. When a company comes to a show with a new or larger exhibit, prospective salespeople or managers see a financially strong, growing company, and are much more likely to have interest in possible career opportunities.

Market Research

When a prospect comes to your booth, why not do some market research? The key here is to formalize the information gathered by asking questions that can help benefit your current offerings. The data you collect can provide valuable information for future product or service development.

While these reasons may seem less than enough to justify the investment of exhibiting at a trade show on their own, they all can add to your overall ROI. As such, be sure to consider all of the potential benefits the next time you consider exhibiting.

Outside of lead generation, what are some of the motivating factors that push your company to exhibit at trade shows and face-to-face marketing events?

SOURCE: Trade Show Insider’s Blog, AlexisExhibits.com

We’re all capable of the occasional social blunder in many types of scenarios. The trade show environment is no exception to this either. Many exhibitors can probably tell you about conversation etiquette mistakes made while talking to show attendees. It happens to everyone from time to time but just because these mistakes happen doesn’t mean they can’t be avoided. All it takes is good judgment, a little maturity and a look at the most common conversation mistakes that tend to happen on the trade show floor.

Checking your phone

Technology has become a distraction for many and the phone is the worst offender. No matter how important a text, e-mail or news update may be, checking your phone during a conversation is one of the most insulting gestures. In some countries, the “phone check” is actually punishable by death… seriously. A good rule of thumb for your next event is to avoid using your phone all together when working at your booth. This will prevent you from making this conversational faux pas.

Not knowing your audience

While every show you attend will cater to a specific industry, it’s important to avoid a generic sales pitch for your audiences. Instead, embrace the fact that each conversation you have will give you the opportunity to custom-tailor a solution for the person you’re speaking to. A rehearsed pitch will only have a negative impact on your brand’s credibility.

Talking from your seat

Nothing is more intimidating to a trade show attendee than approaching a table of seated exhibitors. If you find yourself exhibiting behind a table, the best strategy is to stand up when a visitor approaches and talk to them from that position. By doing this, the visitor will feel like you appreciate their presence and he or she will feel more comfortable to keep a conversation going with you.

Cursing

The occasional use of profanity is certainly acceptable in the right situation, but try to avoid using it when conversing with visitors at your booth. Swearing will always come off as tasteless so make sure to keep things PG with your trade show audiences.

Looking over their shoulder

Nothing is more disrespectful than your eyes drifting off over the shoulder of a visitor you are speaking too, as if you are scoping out other prospects before you even finish speaking to them. Even if a conversation feels like it’s going nowhere, it’s important to give the visitor your full attention until they finish speaking for the sake of respect.

Monopolizing the conversation

I’m fairly certain most trade show attendees don’t want to listen to a company’s representative rant and rave about their brand’s illustriousness. First off, it will deter any visitor’s interest in the company because they’ll automatically think the exhibitor has no interest in their individual needs and secondly, it’s just obnoxious. Avoid any kind of sales pitch all together and focus on just having conversations with show attendees.

Interrupting

This is one of the biggest conversation etiquette mistakes, committed by everybody at one time or another. The easiest way to avoid it is simple: just listen. When a visitor comes to your booth, it’s critical to listen to what they have to say and assess the best response. By offering a personalized solution based on what they say, you’re bound to turn them from a visitor to a client. Remember to just listen. It will benefit you in the long run.

SOURCE: MintLife.com