| p>I think you'll agree that most sales and marketing | | | | able to purchase capital products without formal |
| people have very different personalities and depending | | | | authorization from their purchasing people and it often |
| on corporate culture, management styles and direction, | | | | requires sales people making field sales calls to |
| the important functions they direct and manage can | | | | present, demonstrate, negotiate and earn a purchase |
| either work together in harmony or be very challenging | | | | order for the products they represent. |
| especially for successful trade show exhibit planning | | | | The personalities of sales and marketing people with |
| and participation. | | | | regards to tactical trade show exhibiting are very |
| In many corporations, the trade show exhibit program | | | | unique and today's exhibit manager might want to |
| is considered, managed and budgeted as a marketing | | | | better understand the differences to appreciate their |
| support function and usually reports to either a | | | | individual motivations, character traits and operational |
| marketing, marketing communications or advertising | | | | styles in an effort to foster excellent working |
| manager. Trade show exhibiting joins the advertising, | | | | relationships between the two. |
| public relations, sales promotion and sales support | | | | Simply stated, marketing people tend to be more |
| departments as a marketing activity and there in lies | | | | strategic, conservative and long term thinkers, while |
| the potential for friction and general disagreements | | | | sales people are often considered more tactical, short |
| with a sales team's needs, philosophies and | | | | term thinkers, action oriented and impatient with |
| performance mandate. | | | | concepts that don't promise deliver immediate sales |
| In his book the The Gamesman H. Maccoby, | | | | results. |
| developed from his extensive research and interviews | | | | The selling function in many corporations is more |
| with corporate America, four types of organizational | | | | immediate and tactical and many salespeople's |
| personalities: the craftsperson, the organizational | | | | personalities are different from those working in the |
| person, the jungle fighter and the gamesman. His focus | | | | more strategic marketing areas. Most sales people |
| states that no one is purely of one type, but rather a | | | | enjoy the challenge and freedom associated with their |
| mixture depending on the circumstances and | | | | ability to earn what they're worth and often excel |
| challenges confronting each during the course of daily | | | | when matched against the competition. |
| management responsibilities and business pressures. | | | | Sales, however, has a major disadvantage of being |
| The same can be said for the personalities of | | | | judged, much like looking at the score board at a |
| marketing and sales people when faced with | | | | sporting event, where their sales can be viewed, |
| challenges and every day business situations, however, | | | | measured and evaluated at almost any point in time |
| there is a difference between the two and those | | | | and no matter how well they've done, their fame and |
| dynamics often show themselves when faced with | | | | fortune often only lasts as long as their last sale. "So, |
| the tasks of trade show planning and successfully | | | | what have you sold for us today?" are simple words |
| executing exhibit functions on the show floor. | | | | that usually send chills down a salespersons spine. |
| Although the personality traits of each discipline may | | | | The marketing function is usually managed by strategic |
| often blend with top management's insistence on team | | | | people who enjoy research, planning, developing and |
| cooperation and focus on overall company success, in | | | | executing programs that are deemed to be well |
| reality, each person's daily tasks and responsibilities | | | | thought out and usually unfold over time; while sales |
| tend to follow along department lines and philosophies. | | | | are important, there are other quantitative, qualitative |
| Simply stated, the marketing people do what they are | | | | results and analysis that are viewed as equally |
| directed to do and the sales people do what they | | | | important that might add to the research, development |
| directed to do. | | | | and success of future marketing programs. |
| Much of marketing's personality is based on strategic | | | | I've worked on both sides of the sales and marketing |
| thinking and planning. Tasks often include market | | | | aisle and found both to be challenging and rewarding. |
| research, competitive analysis, product introduction | | | | As a salesman in the field, I was motivated by learning |
| program development and the designof selected | | | | the professional approach to successfully selling, |
| communications and advertising campaigns. Marketing | | | | meeting or exceeding my monthly sales targets and |
| communications, web development, direct mail, print | | | | making as much money as I could while enjoying being |
| advertising and public relations activities are all a part of | | | | responsible for managing my own time and resources. |
| the marketing department's mix of duties and | | | | The corporate marketing side of my experience |
| responsibilities. | | | | calmed me down a bit and forced me to become |
| According to Robert A. Grayson, author of the book | | | | more systematic and strategic and less anxious to sell |
| Introduction to Marketing, "Marketing is a commercial | | | | more products faster. The corporate environment |
| process which attends and facilitates the movement | | | | seemed to require me to become more sophisticated, |
| of goods and services through the economy to | | | | less frantic and more professional where time was |
| enlarge and satisfy consumer needs consistent with | | | | measured more in business quarters instead of weeks, |
| the corporation's fundamental objectives." While | | | | months or days as was the case when I was a |
| Grayson goes on to list most of the functions and | | | | salesman in the field. |
| tools of the marketing mix, he does not list the actual | | | | Also, while working in marketing, I appreciated not |
| face to face tactical selling function which is usually | | | | working in the pressure packed environment of sales |
| confined to and the sole responsibility of the sales | | | | and being asked by almost anyone in management, |
| team. | | | | how my sales to target looked. How close I thought I'd |
| The early development of the corporate marketing | | | | come to making my sales numbers and/or how much |
| function as we know it was accomplished at Procter | | | | business I expected to close within any given period of |
| and Gamble when in 1879 they introduced Ivory soap | | | | time. |
| to the consumer masses. It wasn't until the late 1920s | | | | Any sales team's performance can be judged on a |
| that Proctor and Gamble's concept of a brand | | | | daily basis, whereas marketing has more time to |
| management system began to take shape. This | | | | adjust to market trends, purchasing cycles and various |
| innovative marketing organization was officially created | | | | product issues. This dynamic often creates an |
| in 1931 and was based on competing brands managed | | | | environment of discomfort among sales and marketing |
| by dedicated groups of marketing people. The new | | | | people and in many cases exposes the underlying |
| system provided more specialized consumer | | | | tension that exists between the two just below the |
| marketing strategies for each brand and Procter | | | | surface. |
| & Gamble's famous brand or product | | | | For me, the many lessons learned while working in the |
| management system was born and copied today by | | | | sales and marketing departments of large corporations |
| many successful corporations. | | | | culminated when I was asked to join OrCAD Systems |
| Since then, Proctor and Gamble has successfully | | | | Corporation, a new start up Software Company |
| introduced main stays in the consumer world including: | | | | where I assumed Vice President level responsibility for |
| Crest toothpaste, Crisco cooking oil, Head and | | | | both sales and marketing. |
| Shoulders shampoo and Old Spice after shave lotion | | | | I quickly found myself required to effectively blend the |
| to name a few. | | | | strategies of marketing with the tactics of sales and |
| While working at Memorex, management decided to | | | | did so successfully by first attempting to sell product |
| enter the audio tape business which was then | | | | and then using whatever results learned to better |
| dominated by 3M and they cleverly hired a team of | | | | identify and utilize various additional marketing support |
| Proctor and Gamble marketing executives to head up | | | | tools to pave the way to greater sales. |
| the new consumer audio tape division. It didn't take | | | | OrCAD's trade shows were focused on sales and |
| these experts long to develop the ingenious advertising | | | | generating quality sales leads. The leads were rated |
| campaign, "Is it live or Memorex? Reproduction so true | | | | cold-warm-hot and were followed up on one week |
| it can shatter glass", at Leo Burnett Advertising in | | | | following the show. Each lead card distributed had |
| Chicago and within one year commandeered almost | | | | hand written notes of the exchange and the rating |
| 14 % of the world wide audio tape business away | | | | identified by the interviewer indicated the level of |
| from a dazed 3M Corporation. | | | | buying interest. It was also known by the field sales |
| That innovative program was an excellent example of | | | | team members that I would call leads at random soon |
| successful consumer marketing directed by a team of | | | | after the show to confirm that they were contacted |
| professional marketers who knew how to develop | | | | and satisfied with the way they were serviced. |
| and launch a new consumer product using the science | | | | Contrary to OrCAD's trade show sales lead system, a |
| of "pull through" marketing they learned so well at | | | | client of mine first used a give-away promotion to build |
| Proctor and Gamble. | | | | booth traffic and after hearing "I just wanted to win the |
| In contrast to the extremely successful consumer | | | | drawing" from leads distributed after the show, the |
| audio tape division's accomplishments against 3M, | | | | sales team didn't waste their time following up on any |
| Memorex's business to business divisions who were | | | | of that show's leads because the quality just wasn't |
| pitted against IBM and other computer mainframe | | | | there and the promise of making a sale didn't exist. |
| manufacturers were struggling to survive. This | | | | The trade show is a unique tactical, face to face sales |
| untenable situation provided a poignant appreciation of | | | | event, staged for two or three days which presents |
| the unique differences between consumer and | | | | an exhibitor with an entire market of suspects, |
| business to business marketing effectiveness. | | | | prospects and customers considering the purchase of |
| Consumer product marketing teams, like those | | | | products and services. The success or failure of a |
| developed by Proctor and Gamble, are the foundation | | | | company's trade show effort is usually judged by how |
| of many of today's successful corporations where | | | | effectively the leads were generated, followed up on |
| consumers are driven by advertising to stocking | | | | and new sales booked. |
| retailers to purchase featured products. The activity of | | | | The Challenge |
| selling actually takes place in the executive offices of | | | | The challenge for many trade show managers is to |
| various retailers who are pitched to assign their | | | | create and foster a cooperative planning environment |
| valuable retail shelf space to heavily media supported | | | | where the dynamics of tactical sales and strategic |
| new products. | | | | marketing personalities can work together to contribute |
| Business to business marketing however, is quite | | | | their individual talents and perspectives in reaching for |
| different in the fact that few customer individuals are | | | | new levels of trade show sales success. |