Clever Ways to Get Customers: Idelisa Benjamin

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Kevin Price of PriceofBusiness.com, which is the website for the Price of Business Show on Bloomberg’s home in Houston, TX recently interviewed Idelisa Benjamin, who is the Managing Partner and Creative Event Director of Flawless Moments. She has over sixteen years of experience in the meetings & event industry as well as a Bachelor in Business Management concentrated in Hospitality Management. Idelisa’s been blessed with the opportunity to plan events in over 26 different countries and the list keeps expanding. She’s always had a keen eye and passion for helping companies reach their maximum potential by organizing events that produce results and perfect platform for individuals to learn. The primary reason she branched out to co-own a company is to give clients more individualized attention and have a better control to really partner with companies we know we can help.

Tell me about your firm (number of employees, location, type of companies you work with, etc.).

We are an international meeting, event & incentive company that step up and help mid-size to Fortune 1000 companies plan their events. Our philosophy is that the best way to motivate people, create awareness, and increase sales is to create those special moments that they won’t forget. We’ll provide them with the right amount of creativity, logistics, and knowledge to execute their next moments flawlessly.

We office out of Dallas with 2 employees but have strong partnerships with décor companies, catering, hotels, promotional items, audio visual, and any other organization that we might need their products for the events.

Type of Companies we work with: small to mid-size companies in any industry. We have a presence in the food service, telecommunication, financial services, multi-level marketing, and local Dallas associations.

Tell us your story about clever things you have done to get a customer?

One of the growing trends we have seen is clients partnering with advertising and marketing agencies to help with the company branding and packaging. Because of the creativity that the agencies can provide the hiring company has extended ad agency’s duties to include event design. This unfortunately sometimes cuts out the event planner and the logistics of planning and executing the actual event is left to chance. Every dollar and every moment matters and that’s where we come in. We are reaching out to advertising and marketing agencies as an extension of their team and the clients to ensure the logistics are successfully executed.

Do you know of other examples of clever things businesses have done to get customers?

I met a gentleman yesterday at a networking event and we were discussing different approaches. If he and his wife go out to dinner, they tell the host that they need a table of 4. Now remember he went with his wife and he only has 2. The clever thing is they find a couple that’s also waiting for a table and start to chitchat with them. When his name is called, he asks the couple if they would like to join them. If no one is waiting, then they go to the bar and see if they can find someone there to talk up. I found this amazing because we do wait quite a bit to sit down here in Dallas. It gives you plenty of time to talk to people that come in after you.

What lessons, if any, do you derive from these stories?

Leverage your partnerships and find those businesses that offer complementary goods. Networking isn’t just about finding potential clients. Finding creative ways to partner up with your vendor is another way to get your foot in the door with clients that are already working with someone that offers complementary goods. Also remember it’s a two-way street and if you find an opportunity to bring them in do so.

Are you actively looking at other clever ways to get customers? If so, where do you research such ideas? Do you have any other creative projects in the works?

Every 3 to 6 months we look for creative avenues to obtain new clients because it does take time to build those relationships. Referrals can always be a top way to acquire clients. But we love the challenge of trying new things. In our industry finding someone that needs our service isn’t easy and takes time, especially with the negative stigma that events received in our down economy.

A lot of my research comes from networking with people. Everyone is a connection at one point or another. The clever ways we come about getting customers is finding a way to grab their attention and to get our foot in the door.

Contact information:

Idelisa Benjamin

214.608.8088

www.flawless-moments.com