It's that time of year. Once the 4th quarter hits, businesses start thinking about all they have to get done before the year ends. There are client gifts, employee gifts and awards, a couple more trade shows, and oh, yes, business as usual. It's so tempting to look for shortcuts.

Lack of time is probably one of the biggest reasons for the popularity of Top 10 lists. A list of the Top 10 promotional gifts will surely give you the quick answer you need. After all, you need a gift to give away, so why sift through thousands of products when you can just look at ten?

The fact is, the perfect promotional product depends on a lot of factors. To name just a few:

• budget
• audience
• distribution method
• your main product or service
• your client or prospect's needs
• their client or prospect's needs

In short, what do you want the promotional product to accomplish? It should have a function, a purpose. “Good will” isn't enough. You won't find purposes in a Top 10 list. Most lists of top products are based on sales volume. Do you really want to give away what everyone else is giving away? We always counsel our clients to not simply give something away, no matter what the event. Starting from the goal is a better strategy and gives you a fighting chance at evaluating results.

But in case our headline lead you to actually expect a Top 10 list, here's our Top 10 list of mistakes businesses make with trade shows.

1. Thinking the number of people who come for giveaways is the measure of success.
2. Making your logo or company name the most visible graphic element in your display. Unless you are a widely known brand that needs no introduction, that will not make anyone stop.
3. Distributing expensive literature, or promotional items that are either too cheap-looking or too expensive.
4. Not having enough staffers, causing interested visitors to leave your space before you know who they are.
5. Having staffers without knowledge of your product, causing your company to lose credibility.
6. Having staffers who are not trained on your ideal prospect’s profile, so they waste time with unqualified visitors.
7. Setting up your display after the show starts, or taking it down before the show ends. Even worse: leaving your display unattended.
8. Your staff is sitting down in the booth. If your strategy requires sitting down with a prospect, you should arrange to use an area apart from your booth.
9. Having your staff behind a physical barrier, such as a table. If your space consists of just a table, your staff should remain in front of it to properly interact with your visitors.
10. Letting your staff eat in the booth, or doing anything that does not place 100% of their attention on the visitor.

Avoid these blunders and you’ll be ahead of a lot of exhibitors. When you need to plan what to do, call us at APTCO.