You know how sometimes you surpass people in your life? It’s not like you don’t care or don’t love them anymore but you have moved on, you have grown beyond them or their ideals do not match with yours or you just realize that you are done, their purpose in your life has been fulfilled…
…well, this is how I feel about groups, E-course people and things of the like…
Sometimes, no matter how much we WANT to be connected to those groups or groups of people, we realize, we are not connecting with them or the leader anymore. They served their purpose and now it is time to move on, perhaps to another E-Course or group or perhaps onto your OWN.
It is hard, however to do, I realize, even as I sit here with a trigger finger asking myself “Am I ok with leaving this group and the people in it?” “Once I am out, I am out” I better MAKE SURE this is what I want to do….”Am I ready to spread my own wings?”
and what I came up with after careful contemplation is that “My time has past. That it IS just like moving on from people in our lives and allowing ourselves to grow and fly and spread our wings.
You have to. You just have to Spread Your Wings if you REALLY want to FLY.
I love this song from Queen that, to me, says it all…
Sammy was low
Just watching the show
Over and over again
Knew it was time
He’d made up his mind
To leave his dead life behind
Spread your wings and fly away
Fly away, far away
Spread your little wings and fly away
Fly away, far away
Pull yourself together
‘Cos you know you should do better
That’s because you’re a free man
Since he was small
Had no luck at all
Nothing came easy to him
Now it was time
He’d made up his mind
“This could be my last chance”
Spread your wings and fly away
Fly away, far away
Spread your little wings and fly away
Fly away, far away
Pull yourself together
‘Cos you know you should do better
That’s because you’re a free man
If you want to be Free, you have to Fly.
I don’t want to watch the show anymore. I don’t want to just sit back and enjoy it. I want to be IN the show. I want to be the MAIN EVENT. I want to be the name on the Marquee! I want to fly. It’s time to let go of the ledge and FLY.
It’s hard, I know.It’s scary to let go. You worry if you are doing the right thing. It is a big step to step off the ledge and put out your wings and fly. At first it does not come easy. At first flapping those wings is hard and you are flapping so hard you feel like you can barely breathe and your arms hurt and your body hurts and you think you just can’t do it anymore and then…
…all of a sudden…
…a big wind comes up under you and you take flight, your wings move freely with ease and it becomes fun, enjoyable and freeing.
You wonder to yourself “Why did I wait so long to do this? What was I so afraid of?”
You soar through the air with style and grace and when it is time to land for a break you come in with your feet firmly ready to hold on until you are ready to fly again.
This is my lesson to you today…
Don’t be afraid to spread your wings, because if you want to be free…
So glad it was the last of my three sets of shows. Now this is not to say I won’t do any more because I will. However, I will be different and refined about what shows I do, how I advertise them and what I do and when. I was literally beginning to feel psychotic. I mean it. Crazed.
People trying to get in last minute, people trying to send replacements, people still badmouthing me from another show, and the race to advertise and send out press releases knowing full well that no matter what you do, some, or all of your vendors are going to be unhappy with you.
I have come to terms with a few lessons for myself and some tips for myself and others I thought might be helpful:
Do what you love.
When you stop loving it, it becomes work. I was not in love with the shows I was doing and how I was doing them so I changed the plan. Instead of going to shows, I put on shows. Then, I hated that too. So, unless it is a show I will like, no matter what, I refuse to do it.
The whole point is to stop complaining, stop griping and stop worrying, just Enjoy the Show. I apply this to my life as well as to the vendor shows. No matter what happens, I decided on this last one especially to just enjoy the show.
Make Love not War
Some of you might understand the reference. My point here is to be happy. Make friends. Make connections. Get leads. Get contacts. Get leads. Be happy about whatever outcome you get. Be Happy.
Stand Up Get Up Stand Up for your Right
Stand up at shows. If you have to get a cushioned mat or double up a towel to stand on do it. Sitting down at a show says tot he consumer “I am not engaged in your business”. Stand up, greet them, share with them a deal you are having. It makes a big difference. Also get out from behind the booth. Sit on the side or make your booth so you can be in front.
Put Down the Cellphone and No One Gets Hurt
So many times, sadly most especially NEW vendors or young vendors sit at a booth on their cell phones or smart phones. Again, if a customer walks by you and sees you on the phone, you are telling them you don’t care. Besides, not using it will save your batteries for when you need to use it to make a sale. Turn off your apps. Clear messages out. Put the phone down. If you are bored, bring things to do, or take time to talk to the vendors around you. Look at their displays. Network.
Learn from other Vendors
I have changed my booth and displays more than I can count. I do so because I learn from others by looking around at how they are displaying something ask ask them about it. If I really like it, I ask if they mind if I did something like it. Generally, most people are willing and desirous to share. This is also why it is good to put your cellphone down and engage in those around you. It will help you all be more successful.
Talk about your Brand
Develop your 3 minute spiel about your brand. Don’t make them feel like they can’t get away. Don’t talk for hours. Just give them a few tidbits. Share a deal. Answer questions. Ask them about their day, Ask them about the show. Ask them if they are looking for anything imparticular. At least , TALK. Don’t just sit there or stand there like a mouse. They don’t’ know your brand. You do.
The System
I have devised a new plan I am going to start implementing at all my shows from now on. I am going to adhere a sticker to my card or have special cards made per show that say the name or the date of the show. Why? Because then when someone calls me and says “ I got your card somewhere.” I can ask “Does it have a sticker on it or did it come with a special card?” Then they can tell me the date or what the card said and I can start entering it into a tracking system. This way I can see these thing in my new system
Vendor Show Name
Date(s) of the Show
Estimated # of people attended (came to my booth) ( if you make a certain # of items to give as mini gifts then you know how many stopped by the booth once those are gone)
Sales per show
Referral by someone at the show?
Response afterwards
By capturing this date, I then can tell which shows I get the most out of. I am even thinking of creating a Google Docs form that asks Show Survey. How did they hear about it? etc.
Last show I made 30 gifts. They were all gone. So I know at least 30 people came to the show. Then we had stragglers before AND after so I would say about 50 people probably stopped by. I wish it was more like 100 but hey, at least SOME people stopped in!!
Shows are for Leads, Sales are Nice
Most shows were created to get leads. Get info, get contacts. Share your brand. Get your cards out. If you get sales, that is great. It is like the dessert after a meal. This is why creating a Feedback or Survey even if only for yourself, is a good idea. Then you can see where those leads are coming from.
I hate it when others say “That show sucked, I didn’t make any money. I didn’t even get my booth rent back.” Well, honestly, how do you know that? Are you literally saying NO ONE took your card. No one will contact you for business? You didn’t book a aprty? You didn’t hand out your card? You didn’t talk to anyone? Unless you can answer those with NO’s, then you really dont know. Unless you are tracking results and you can see that nothing came in from that show. Then guess what….??? You did get SOMETHING out of it.
You got experience. You made connections. You also learned, Don’t do that show again. lol. Seriously. Or maybe you know about the location. You learned if a location of a show is good or bad.
GIVE FEEDBACK/ SUGGESTIONS
AS Vendor Planners, we DO appreciate feedback. Honestly. If you are unhappy or you have ideas how to make things better, contact us, tell us. We want to know. If you don’t tell us, how can we be better?
No Gossiping or Back Talking
Please just talk to the Vendor Planner. Don’t go talking smack about them. We will hear. I also have been bad about this to other planners. In an effort to help another planner be warned from a bad vendor, I perhaps have spoke too openly about it. I am not perfect and after it was brought to my attention, I realized that sharing my thoughts openly may not be taken the right way. It could potentially make ME look bad and that is not what I want of course. I am not perfect. But I can learn.
Family Emergency
Please use Family Emergency if it really IS a family Emergency. I had six people cancel on me last minute. Now either there was a major crisis this weekend, or some people used that as an excuse not a reason. Most vendor shows clearly state no refund. We are not going to change that because it is or isn’t a family emergency. You are a big kid. Just state. You will not be able to be there. Or tell the real reason if you must say anything. Either way you are not getting your money back, so why lie?
Check the Address BEFORE the Show
The planner should have sent out an email of all the info. The map or Google directions or the address. don’t rely on Social Media, use the info the planner sent you in the email. In a place like des moines, there is Des Moines, East Des Moines, South and West Des moines and many of the addresses sound alike.
Be on Time
If you checked the address, you shouldn’t have to worry about getting lost because you SHOULD know exactly where you are going. Thus, you should be on time. There should be a set up time (s) and you should be set up BY the time of the show. If you are gonna be late, please try to let the planner know. It is not the planners job to chase you down.
Get Confirmation, then Mark your Calendar
It is up to YOU to make sure you have been confirmed for the show and mark your calendars. Hearing “I forgot” lately however did not make me happy. The vendor could have at least tried to still attend my event.
Don’t Book too far in Advance: Replacements Not allowed
With a lot of vendors NOT allowing replacements, it is better for you to book only a month or two in advance, not a year. You will be out money and a replacement WON”T be allowed to show up.
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I know that was a lot of info to digest but I didn’t want to forget to tell you things.
Please comment, send feedback or any other suggestions or questions you might have.
TrishaTrixie™ Sprinkler of Fabulousness 