Who does this process better? That's what you need to figure out. Then, dream up a reason why they should confide their successful ways to you, free of charge. Now, take their secrets, bring them back to your organization and do it even better.

Welcome to benchmarking, one corporate buzzword you probably can't afford to overlook.

A product of the Quality movement, benchmarking emerged a decade ago on the manufacturing floors, human resource offices and engineering conference rooms of such Fortune 500 stalwarts as AT&T, General Motors and Xerox. Aware that foreign competition was eroding their market shares, the blue chips began to adopt a major attitude shift. Humbly, they began with the assumption that their competitors were not lucky, but smart. They assumed those competitors were doing something right. They began by realizing that if they didn't continually reevaluate their processes and make changes -- often revolutionary changes -- they would be eaten for lunch in the not-too-distant future.

They began by shifting the focus away from results and toward processes. That shifted the emphasis, temporarily, away from numbers and toward tougher how-and-why questions. Questions that insiders have traditionally skirted: "How satisfied are our customers?" Or, "What do they complain about?"

Then someone asked, "Can we categorize and rank customer complaints?"

"How many people talk to a customer who calls with a complaint?"

"How many calls came in before the problem was solved?"

"How much did each glitch cost us?"

With the questions came brainstorming. Rather than looking within company traditions and culture to solve the problems, benchmarking teams set out to determine who else might be dealing with the same issues. They turned, not surprisingly, to companies who were not competitors but who had developed reputations as being The Best in particular areas. Federal Express for logistics. Motorola for creating a learning culture. McDonald's for customer satisfaction and standardization.

The benchmark team did the unprecedented and began meeting arriving flights on the tarmac. Armed with stopwatches and ledger pads, they found that it was the process of emptying the cargo belly that slowed things down.

Then they asked, "How do we speed it up?" To find the answer, they looked for an analogous process. Who else removes a lot of objects and replaces them in a hurry, over and over? One joking reply: the pit crews at the Indianapolis 500. No one laughed. Pit crews help the driver exit a tight space, assess hundreds of complex mechanical parts, make replacements and slide the driver back in, fast.

Networking their way into the racing industry, the airline's benchmarking team brought their stopwatches and ledger pads to the pit stops. What they learned they applied to the tarmacs of airports around the world. On-time departures improved exponentially. The tortoise had successfully benchmarked the hare.

So why is benchmarking as rare in the exposition industry as an epicurean at a barbecue?

"The first time word gets around that a successful trade show completed a benchmarking process, everyone will be doing it," says Michael Hunter, Chair and CEO of Atlanta-based Hunter-Wells International, a sales and marketing consultancy. "Benchmarking is a way to take a giant leap forward, as opposed to making continuous small improvements," explains Hunter, who also chaired the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals' First Annual Competitive Intelligence and Benchmarking Conference last spring. "Successful producers understand that what they are selling is a product. And products get stale if they don't evolve -- if they fail to change with the market. If your product development process isn't fast enough to keep up with those changes, your product starts to look old. The market looks elsewhere."

So far the exposition industry has been able to remain innocent of a practice that, in other industries, has become Motherhood and Apple Pie. "How can I put this diplomatically?" muses Alan Konopacki, President of Chicago-based INCOMM International, specializing in exhibition research and sales training. "The trade show industry is not as sophisticated as some others."

Given the text-book definition of benchmarking, show managers agree: It's not done. But if you take a broader definition -- one that encompasses the internal process of evolution and change, then show managers benchmark their events every day. "There are a whole host of things that we take a look at to measure the success of a show," says Fred Favata, President of Fairfield, CT-based independent show organizer Expocon Management Associates Inc.

"In the exhibit area, we look at the number of bellwether organizations -- do you have them in your show? Do they use your show for new product announcements? We look at renewal rates of both large and small exhibitors -- do they upsize? In the attendance area, we identify a profile and set targets for the types of individuals and organizations we need to attract -- are you attracting these types of individuals?" The list goes on. Near the top: profit margins. "We set goals for ourselves and measure against them," he says.

Recognizing that benchmarking is a whole lot more than taking a baseline and setting goals, Favata concedes, "There is some being done, but we need to do a lot more." Expocon uses data from outside the exposition industry, for example, to look at the ratio of sales people to overall employees, and at the revenue per employee. "That goes to overhead -- are you building up your organization through revenue-type people?" He notes that setting up a benchmarking program through an industry association would make benchmark data available for members to share.

One impediment to the process is the show manager mindset: the exposition industry is truly unique. Favata cautions: "I think, when you go across industries, you need to be very careful that you're comparing apples to apples. You need to be fair to yourself. Whether you're looking at advertising, or manufacturing or publishing, be sure that their processes are truly comparable."

Start with an honest look in the mirror.

"What business are you in? If you say 'trade shows,' I'd suggest you might be on the wrong track," says Roger Dow, Vice President and General Sales Manager of Marriott Lodging and co-author of Turned On: Eight Proven Principles for Energizing Your Customers, People and Profits. "The real question is: What business do your customers think you're in? They couldn't care less about the inner workings of trade shows, but they're deeply interested in getting information out about their companies and products. In their eyes, you're in the information distribution business."

Now what? Rafael Aguayo, Managing Partner of Islandia, NY-based Millennia Management Associates, would direct you to study your processes. "How do things get done? Who does what? How long does each step take? You'll be doing quite a bit of measuring to obtain this knowledge," says Aguayo, who is a disciple of legendary quality expert W. Edwards Deming and author of Dr. Deming: The American Who Taught The Japanese About Quality.

You'll see how costs, previously hidden in a maze of departments, functions and purchase orders, begin to emerge with chilling clarity. You'll see, for example, the true price tag of landing a new exhibitor versus retaining an existing one; the actual profit margin of that direct mail campaign; and whether your new sales incentive plan increases or lowers profits.

Invariably, you'll begin to see process duplication and outright waste. Cutting the obvious fat will be the easy part. What comes next makes the science begin to look a bit like art. You'll need both creativity and a broad knowledge base (absent that, to be handy with a database search). You'll begin to brainstorm. What other organizations operate using processes similar to yours? Especially, which ones thrive doing those processes that are the heart, soul and nerve center of your operation?

"I would begin with the question: Who's superb at information distribution?" suggests Marriot's Dow. "Perhaps CNN is the place to start." Not unlike an exposition, CNN collects and distributes information to a broad customer base, and maintains and grows that base to appeal to advertisers. "I would also ask: Who's superb at employee motivation and recognition? Take a look at Mary Kay."

Once you stop looking for your own image -- association, independent show producer, or event management company -- you'll go through the looking glass into a fascinating realm of possibility:

• Supermarkets move tons of merchandise, much of it irregularly shaped or with a short shelf life, from multiple distributors. They create brand loyalty among customers.
• Retailers from flea markets to Gallerias create a buzz for their selling environments, where boutique stores and independent retailers pay rent and share revenues.
• Online service providers bring together large numbers of qualified people for information sharing that leads to purchases.

Any and every industry is fair game.

Some you already know through reputation (often bolstered by big-dollar corporate image campaigns). Invariably, companies that win national and international quality awards, like the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, are besieged with appeals from companies eager to clone their success. Articles in prestigious business journals, such as Harvard Business Review, often feature companies (or individuals) seeking recognition and ego-stroking, which you can profitably supply.

Alternatively, you can locate your own benchmarking ideals by finding excellence close to home. Identify candidates based on personal experience: they're your exhibitors, suppliers or former employers of your employees.

"There are so many good ideas in the heads of the people we hire, who bring them from other companies and other industries, if we're only able to recognize it," contends Favata at Expocon.

After identifying your paragons, what then? Many would-be benchmarkers get stopped at the gate, because of what could best be described as grubby networking manners -- the benchmarking equivalent of eating with your fingers and slurping your soup.

"Don't be a bloodsucking leech!" warns Sarah Olberding, a pleasant tone taking the chill off of the admonition. Olberding, Information Center Manager for the Cincinnati-based Association for Quality & Participation, points out that benchmarking has its own clearly defined protocol and culture. "You don't call someone else demanding information. It's a two-way street. You need to focus not on what they can offer you, but how you can reciprocate. Whether you use terms like benchmarking, competitive intelligence, best in class -- what it really is, is sharing. It's an extension of networking. And you'll be amazed at how much people will share if you approach it in that spirit."

Be prepared to sell yourself to your prospective benchmarking partner with the same professionalism you'd use if going tête-à-tête with a prospective exhibitor or sponsor. They've likely been approached before and want to hear why they ought to work with you. Make the most of the usual sales tools: warm leads, solid professional or personal references and evidence of a stable track record. Be persistent.

Successful benchmarkers are people who read widely, keep up with developments in other industries, strike up and maintain friendships with a diverse array of people, are curious in their outlooks and worldly in their tastes. Their frame of reference far exceeds the boundaries of their industry. They're good at asking questions, so people are flattered by their interest. They're also good at answering questions, providing relevant information as well as citing other useful sources. They're skillful networkers, able to get information and insight by phone calls rather than hiring a team of consultants to undertake a research project (although sometimes that's necessary too).

Benchmarking is an ongoing process, not a done deal. Those who participate are always on the lookout for a partner with whom they can benchmark next. If you do this right, you'll one day be hearing from other organizations eager to benchmark you.