I know that readers of this blog--all two of you--are anxious to hear more high-powered insights into booth marketing. So here you go: never staff a trade show booth with two people who share the same first name.

I don’t know why this is an issue, but for some reason it really spooks some people. At the PIHRA conference, where I’m posting this, my associate and I will occasionally encounter a situation like this one:

“Oh, your company does benefits and payroll outsourcing via the web? That’s wonderful! I’ve been looking for a service like that for ages!”

“Well, we’d be pleased to discuss our value proposition with you.”

“Terrific! Let me give you my business card as well as the business card of my company’s CEO, CFO, primary investors, and every other executive I know who makes expensive business decisions! My name’s Martha!”

“Nice to meet you, Martha. I’m Greg, and this is my colleague Greg.”

“Uh....you’re both named Greg?”

“Yes. Now, as to the nature of our services--”

“You know what, I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later.”

“But--”

“No no, it’s okay. And hey, you two have a nice trip back to your home planet.”