Tips for NAFCU Services Preferred Partners for before, during and after NAFCU’s Annual Conference & Exhibition.

1. Preferred Partner checklist for success
Before, during and after NAFCU’s Annual Conference & Exhibition
P PRE-CONFERENCE (that means now!)
q Request a pre-show opt-in attendee list from Christina, and market to your audience. Segment based on
title, tell them what your booth number is and why they should visit it!
q Set up meetings with key prospects that are registered BEFORE you see them at the conference. Meet in
advance if the opportunity presents itself, or at your booth, grab coffee, lunch or cocktails? Make it
worthwhile!
q Plan your booth marketing strategy well in advance (start now!)
] Make sure goals and objectives have been established and are communicated to your team.
q Booth design
] Be a LEADER! You’re already in our minds, but be creative with your space. Situate the table to
the back or eliminate the table entirely so you can stand in the front of your area to eliminate
barriers!
] Think about what you’ll be giving away at your booth. Where will you display it, any special sig
nage, any special furniture, raffle drums, etc. needed? What does the show decorator offer
that would make your booth space shine?
q Marketing! Marketing! Marketing! Don’t forget to K.I.S.S (Keep It Short & Simple!)
] Decide on your main message: make it easy and memorable. “Just do it!”
] “X” marks the spot! Make sure you reference your booth number on the marketing materials so
prospective clients know where to find you.
] Be sure to send your creative to NAFCU Services for feedback and approval before you send to
Nashville!
] Are you and your company participating in Social Media? Tweet, Blog and post on LinkedIn that
you’ll be at the conference and where you’ll be (there’s that booth # again!). Don’t forget
to advertise on your company website, too!
Just thinking out loud here…
q Offer an incentive for the right kind of attendees to visit your booth. How about a product
discount or free consultation if they swing by?
q you have a QR code? Create one for free! Use it on your marketing collateral or other signage
Do
to drive interested parties to a web page. It’s so easy, a caveman can do it!
q Snack time! If you’re interested in having snacks at your booth contact Christina. Who doesn’t
love to eat? Did you know that you can rent an oven to bake fresh cookies, or you can celebrate
Cinco de Mayo a little late by offering frozen margaritas!

2. P DURING CONFERENCE
In the exhibit hall:
q Make sure your booth setup allows you (and your team) to be visible - clear the clutter!
] Collateral should be neatly organized and personal items should be hidden from view. It’s for
your security, too! Assume anything in your booth or on your table is there for the taking!
q Body language is SO IMPORTANT! Be as active as possible by standing and “working” the area your booth
is located.
] Sitting down can cause you to get tired – there will be plenty of coffee located around the con
ference and don’t forget the granola and other healthy energy snacks for a boost!
q Appoint a booth czar who is responsible for enforcing these rules. It’s good to be King!
] Crossing your arms is only allowed if you’re doing the Macarena; otherwise, it looks like you’re
not interested in having a conversation. We actually encourage the dance - just a suggestion.
] Step away from the Blackberry (or iPhone). You don’t text and drive (we hope) and you
shouldn’t text while you’re an ambassador for your solution and brand. It sends the wrong mes
sage to prospects when you’re more interested in email than meeting them.
] Don’t eat or drink in the booth – keep your eyes on the prize i.e. prospects!
q Be OIE! Open, Inviting and Engaging!
q Keep the phone conversations to a minimum, unless, of course, it’s an emergency. If you forgot your
wife’s birthday we might give you a pass on that one (Ouch! Better call the florist!) However, if you must
take the call, meander to a less crowded area (and tweet #NAFCUAnnual while you’re there).
q Please turn off and stow all electronics including your smartphone, tablet, laptop, PDA, 8 track, Walkman,
Boom box, etc. in the overhead bin or under the seat in front of you. If you have an 8 track… well, we
won’t go there…
q Work the crowd! Sit with them at lunch and reception time. Is this seat taken? Or, why not invite them to
your booth for a snack?
q Don’t cluster – you talk to John or Jane every day, this is your chance to meet Adam and Amy a.k.a pros
pects. If you’re at a reception, at a breakout session or in your booth, divide and conquer! How about
some friendly competition?
q Ask open ended questions and take notes so you remember what you spoke about. Is he/she planning a
trip to Phoenix? Write that down… it could be useful in your follow up!
q Educate. Build a rapport – how are you enjoying the conference? Margarita anyone?
] See volunteers as an opportunity, as a potential entry point to a credit union or the all-important
gatekeeper! Post-show emails asking them who the right person would be to talk to
about widgets can often yield a referral inside. I see the gates opening as we speak…

3. q DO NOT pack up before the exhibit hall hours have ended. You’ll look a little silly when a prospect comes up
to chat and you’re out of breath and out of collateral.
Yep! There’s an app for that…
q Rolodex? What’s that again? You can now scan business cards directly to your cell phone’s contact list
and guess what? It’s FREE! In your App Store search for: CamCard, CardMunch or ScanBizCard.
Welcome to 2012, folks!
q QR codes are the way of the future. Download an app that allows you to scan them so you can show
prospects how easy it is. You’ll look like a genius (because you are), and it’s FREE! In your AppStore
search “QR” and you can choose which one you’d like to download.
Other must-attend events:
Preferred Partner Best-Practices meeting (learn best practices, network with other partners), General Sessions
(network with credit unions, see great speakers, free food), PAC Cruise and Friday night event (networking), your
organization’s speaking sessions (gather leads, help answer questions).
P POST CONFERENCE
q Remember to follow up with prospects soon after the conference. The information will be fresh on their
minds - and yours, too!
] Send a personalized email (or snail mail) thanking them for coming by to speak with you about
‘XYZ’. Most likely your booth was not the only stop they made while they were in Nashville
– so impress them with something that you wrote down. Remember our earlier suggestion about
his/her upcoming trip to Phoenix? Have you been to Phoenix? Suggest your favorite restaurant!
] Get personal! The free chotchkies were for their grandson? PERFECT! How is little Johnny doing
anyway?
] Connect on LinkedIn! They’ll be in the know about the next credit union event you’re heading, the
latest educational resource you posted and of course your expert advice you give in the Credit
Union LinkedIn groups. A surefire way to stay top-of-mind!
] You can also pick up the phone and call them. I know, it’s like writing in cursive. It’s a form of com
munication that is quickly being forgotten, but hey – that works too!
] If you were fortunate enough to have a speaking slot at the conference we will have recorded it,
and will have them posted within a few weeks. We might even have written a blog post about it
too. Use these in your follow-up contacts to reinforce your Preferred Partner status.
q Request a post attendee list from Christina.
] Reach out to those that attended that you didn’t have an opportunity to speak with, but they
could be a possible lead. Nashville can be quite distracting with all the guitars and cowboy
boots floating around, so give them another way to reach out to you now that the conference
is over. Be sure to also offer them something educational and useful like a whitepaper, case study
or article…or maybe the session presentation from your organization. After all, sharing is caring!