Posted December 5th, 2008 by Karl
Attendees come to trade shows and exhibitions full of the idea that exhibitors (i.e. you!) have their full attention on them and them alone.
Use this attitude to your advantage.
Train yourself and your trade show display staff in making simple pitches to attendees; you may have the best product or service but you can still end up losing the sale to a competitor simply because they said it more plainly than you did.
Keep it simple, on topic and to the point!
Don’t be afraid to sell; too often I pass by booths and overhear what I personally call “The Flower Dance”; a member of the booth staff is in discussion with an attendee but instead of talking business they feel reticent in coming forward with their pitch and are asking about kids, the car they drive, vacations, house prices in fact almost anything but the product or service they are there to promote and sell!
Attendees expect to be pitched at so make your pitch for pete’s sake!
Attendees are also full of an ego; like I sad earlier, they come to the show thinking that your attention is going to be on them and them alone so apply a little human psychology and pander to this.
I use free giveaways as a tool to stroke an attendees ego; they feel they are getting something special (and I admit, I do use good high-end promotional gifts) but they are a double edged sword; they are mine to give or not as the case may be; you want my gift Mr or Ms Atendee, then you are going to have to earn my generosity!
I always link my giveaway with a behavior which for me is certainly a meaningful business discussion where I can qualify my prospect and decide whether the lead is worth pursuing or not. Sometimes I give the gift anyway depending on my mood and whether I am looking to create a lighter atmosphere, but for the most part, you want my gift you give me your time and business needs so I can see if I can fulfill them.
It’s that simple!
Posted November 9th, 2008 by Karl
Trade shows work in that they generate huge levels of interest in business offerings and provide the ideal forum for networking and building relationships.
That is the tag line you would expect to read anywhere when it comes to promoting trade shows themselves as a business service but the facts also speak for themselves irrespective of the marketing spin.
- 77% of trade show attendees have “product interest” BEFORE they attend an exhibition
- 96% of first time exhibitors would like to exhibit again
- 78% of first time exhibitors DO exhibit again
- 87% of exhibitors use trade shows and trade show displays as their primary face-to-face marketing and sales activity
- 8% of 2006 trade show exhibitors reported spending more money than they made at trade shows; or in other words, 92% made money out of trade shows instead of losing it
- in excess of $800 billion in new sales was generated at US trade shows in 2007
Trade shows work for business which is why they are so successful; reading the trade show news bulletings that drop through into my email inbox, I never read about a show being closed down or cancelled; if anything the number of trade shows is actually increasing as other businesses in this sector try to carve out a niche for themselves in this lucrative market.
The implications for individual companies looking to promote themselves and grab a share of the customers with orders and check books in ther pockets, is to choose carefully from amongst the trade shows that are offered. In times of economic constraint, it is best to stick with what you know works rather than try anything fancy and off the wall. Research trade shows operating within your business sector first before trying exhibiting at unrelated trade shows (the premise being if you stand out you get more interest); keep costs down but do not penny pinch on your presentations (consider sharing a booth of you are looking to cut costs) and maintain a professional presence with timely follow-up after the show has ended.
Posted November 1st, 2008 by Karl
Trade shows have a life of their own no matter whether they are going to last a day or a month; you will quickly find that each individual trade show event you attend, whether as an attendee or as an exhibitor will take on a rhythm all of its own.
Tapping into this pulse is something that experienced trade show afficionados are excellent at - they have to be!
Everything is compressed into frenetic bursts of activity in a very short period of time. If you are with a big company, corporate expectations are high and a big mistake is that they are set far too high while smaller companies where budget really plays a crucial limiting role can frequently be overwhelmed by the routine and the demands placed upon them in order to succeed against the big boys.
Prior preparation is vital!
On the day you are selling and networking; if you are still trying to get organized with your trade show display you have fouled up so pay attention.
Get yourself organized for the day; book everything in advance from your marketing collateral to your hotel or route to the trade show.
Invite your customers and business partners; promote your attendance well in advance of the tradeshow; don’t be shy about shouting from the rooftops that you are exhibiting as this is your primary responsibility - there are no refunds if you don’t sell anything or break even.
Schedule your day; I know you’re going to be busy trying to attract and develop new relationships but be professional and demonstrate that to your prospects and clients. Don’t rush a meeting just because someone else is hopping up and down; book them an appointment either for the day or after the show itself; after all it’s what visitors are their for!
Capture your prospect and booth visitor information; collecting business cards or if you are using scanners and barcodes, make sure your system is in operation and works to collate all of the information which will allow you to follow up.
Follow UP!
Too many times, prospects are waiting for the call from an exhibitor only it never materializes - make sure it’s not your call they are waiting for and follow up all of your leads and prospects.
Posted October 31st, 2008 by Karl
You’ve decided to take the plunge and booked space at a tradeshow; you have your display arranged and now you are marking down the days to when you will be on the floor at a busy venue with hundreds of potential customers looking to give you orders.
Now here’s a real world reality check.
You still have work to do!
Those exhibitors who manage to snatch failure from a surefire opportunity tend to be lazy - they do nothing to prepare for the tradeshow and believe that simply booking space, throing some money at a display and turning up on the day at the venue is all there is to having a successful tradeshow.
The truth is there is a lot for you to get right before the tradeshow which will dramatically affect your success at the event.
The organizers are going to be doing some marketing for the event (indeed how much marketing they are doing is something for you to consider when electing tradeshows to exhibit at) but there is a great deal you can do to generate interest and attention for your own presence.
Make sure you tell all of your customers that you will be exhibiting; send them a mailer or an email with details of the date, time, cost, venue address and your location in the exhibition hall so you can be located easily. Do the same for your prospect lists and you can add some spice by offering a giveaway such as a gift, a hotel break or dinner at a local eatery depending on your budget.
Exhibiting is something that as far as your customers and business contacts are concerned, is newsworthy - tell them!
Don’t forget to tell your suppliers as frequently they may be exhibiting themselves (giving opportunities for cross referrals of visitors) but also they may be interested in helping you to defray the cost of the tradeshow. If you are selling insurance policies, then a provider of life insurance policies is likely to be interested in helping you on the day with practical and financial help, indeed they will have a budget set aside for just this kind of marketing activity and so do many, many other industries and service providers.
Issue a press release to your local media regarding your presence at the tradeshow. You may think this is small potatoes but in fact, many newspapers are desperate to fill space in their paper so fax them a one page release stating the time, venue and location together with your business information and that you are of course, going to be there.
Some tradeshows also carry a list for mailing purposes of those who are attending whether it be as exhibitors or as attendees. Ask the organizer for any such contact lists and contact them prior to the tradeshow so they know who you are, that you will be there and especially, where you will be located in the tradeshow arena; many forget to add this crucial piece of information and so are never found!
Posted October 29th, 2008 by Karl
For around $600 you can have a table top pop-up display which will give you a very professional presence at any tradeshow exhibition and as you gain experience of tradeshows you will want to invest more in your exhibition display but before you trade your still new display for something bigger and more expensive, consider how using accessories can achieve teh same impact without the increased cost.
Lighting always makes an atmosphere if handled properly, and you can gain a greatly enhanced presence and impact statement with proper illumination and your tradeshow supplier will be able to help you with how to go about this. Lighting accessories are available starting from as little as $63 though how much you will spend is going to be determined by the look, feel and impact your display set-up is going to make.
When you pay for space at a tradeshow, use every inch of it to your advantage - leave nothing to go to waste. A simple table top pop-up display looks a 100% better if you have a table covering to set it off rather than a bareback table. More than this, for as little as $150 you can set your table display off to perfection with a table runner displaying your company logo or name and you don’t need to stop there if you want a real impact statement with applique and full printed graphics turning a humble table into a banner advert for your business.
One thing you will notice about any exhibitors booth is that they always have literature available for attendees to look through and take away. It is important that literature is to hand whenever your staff need it for a potential customer who has come to pay you a visit and in this respect, formally organizing your booth literature is a good move rather than simply scattering some brochures on a table. Using literature stands, either freestanding or table top, will allow you to keep your marketing collateral easily accessible by your staff and potential customers. They also add to the professional image you will be looking to portray and they frequently become the focus of an attendee’s attention when they visit your booth.
A professional looking, free standing literature stand can cost as little as a $42!
Attendees walking around a tradeshow all day tend to get worn out and tired feet so there are two things you can do by simply using your own flooring. Tradeshow flooring can be used to provide a contrasting image from your neighbors (as you choose the color) and ensure an overall image for your booth no matter what the decor is at the venue. As tradeshow floowing is typicvally made of a cushion material it is a welcome relief for those sore feet too!
A 10 x 10 section of tradeshow flooring will cost as little as $195 and comes in a range of colors and textures from simple colors to wood and veneer effect.
Finally, for this post at least, think about the airspace you are renting; you don’t just pay to use the floorspace and you want to make sure you get noticed so think about a hanging sign that can be suspended above your booth and be seen over your competing exhibitors. Suspended signs are a great way of attracting visitors to your booth as well as acting as a marker for those who are actively looking for you at a tradeshow.
A hanging sign with your business logo or message imprinted with professional graphics start from as little as $1,995.
Posted October 27th, 2008 by Karl
Attending a tradeshow as an exhibitor does not come without a cost; there is the fee charged by the event organizers together with your costs of attending and setting up your display together with any associated marketing collateral and getting the word out that you will be exhibiting.
Tradeshow exhibition fees can start from as low as a couple of hundred dollars and rocket upwards to hundreds of thousands. How much a tradeshow organizer is going to charge will be determined by demand amongst potential exhibitors and the likely expectation of revenues that will be generated by exhibitors.
Remember, you should look at exhibiting at a tradeshow as a profit making exercise and not as a cost item!
There is also the associated costs of travelling and manning the tradeshow exhibition which are going to vary depending on how far away the event is from your base of operations.
The booth itself is not going to represent a significant chunk of change which runs contrary to most people’s expectation. When you consider the cost of a display is also to be spread over several tradeshows as it will be used repeatedly, the cost becomes a very small fraction of the overall investment.
A standard table top display with professional business graphics can cost as little as $615 and provide a very inexpensive but highly professional display. For a hi-tech, state of the art booth you can pay anything up to around $20,000 and typically this will be covering approximately 300 square feet.
Where you will fit in respect of your investment will be largely determined by your bank balance of course, but where money is not a major constraint, then by your perception as to how profitable tradeshow exhibitions are going to be.
It is not unusual for newcomers to start off with a table top display together with accessories and marketing collateral that comes in at a budget under $1,000 but within a few months or a year, or returning to order much more expensive booths, displays and kiosks. This reflects the underlying value that exhibiting at a tradeshow represents for businesses and is the reason why we continually urge you to look at the activity as one which is making you money rather than costing it.
At the basic end of the market, a display or booth is likely to be manned by you or your staff; modern displays are simple to set-up and require no skills (a table top display is likely to take no more than five minutes to set up). As you become more experienced and start looking at how you are going to attract even more attention to your presence, you will probably consider bringing in other staff to help with manning the exhibit such as entertainers (magicians are a favorite) or using free gifts and giveaways.
Many of the costs of exhibiting at a tradeshow are discrete costs which you control and only incur as and when you wish, but the answer to the question, “How much will this cost?”, simply becomes meaningless as you can spend until you have no money left!
Posted October 24th, 2008 by Karl
Tradeshows are very popular from small, local exhibitions to huge, international events attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors and providing the launchpad for new products and services for companies with the budget to afford them. Finding out where tradeshows are taking place is a simple and easy task but this is not the obstacle that is in front of you; the real question is how are you going to narrow down those tradeshows that satisfy your requirements including meeting your budget, generating sales opportunities and ultimately profits for your business.
Back on earth, small and medium sized businesses looking to use tradeshows will find a very wide range of events that they can use to promote themselves and their offering. Simply opening a newspaper with a decent circulation and heading to the business classifieds section is going to give you some information on what tradeshows are taking place and where in any major city or region. In practice, we need to be a little more rigorous than taking a “hit or miss” approach as there are factors outside of the tradeshow event itself which will have an effect on our decision.
Budget is frequently a major consideration for initial efforts in the tradeshow arena (and we’ll cover that in our next post) but no matter what your budget you can make use of any tradeshow simply for the price of admission.
There are plenty of resources to help you locate tradeshows you may be interested in and your first calls and enquiries should be directed at your trade associations and chambers of commerce who will maintain lists of tradeshows in the area and in your industry sector. The internet is obviously a great source of information as well and there are numerous listings where you can find tradeshows selected for consideration on strict search criteria. You will be able to assess information on prior tradeshow history and data such as numbers of exhibitors, who they were and who has already booked to exhibit in a tradeshow you may be considering yourself. There is an enormous amount of business information made available, not least as tradeshow promoters like to blow their own trumpet with respect to how much business their events have generated and are likely to make in the future!
Check out some of the following which will help you to start off with:
TSNN: The Ultimate Trade Resource
Trade Show Exhiition association
TS2 Show
Before you commit yourself to exibiting at a tradeshow, take your time to go and visit several in your locality and get a feel for the convention and what is actually happening. Specifically look for how well a tradeshow is delivering what the organizers have promised; how busy is the show? How many exhibitors are there? Any empty slots and booths? What is the venue like - neat, clean and professional with an atmosphere for doing business?
Simply attending a show will allow you to network both with exhibitors and other attendees so go prepared and have a stack of business cards to hand.
There is no substitute for experience and using some shoe leather and atttending a tradeshow that satisfies your requirements in terms of visitor numbers, opportunities for doing business and your budget will allow you to properly assess how you will be able to take advantage of a tradeshow when you come to exhibit yourself as well as in setting realistic sales targets and marketing goals.
Posted October 22nd, 2008 by Karl
Why should you attend and exhibit at a tradeshow?
Probably the most frequently asked question by businesses who are considering their first tradeshow and probably the simplest and easiest to answer.
The answer is simply - profits!
Tradeshows generate billions of dollars in direct and indirect sales every year for businesses using them as part of their marketing strategy.
No other sales activity comes close in terms of ROI and effectiveness than tradeshow exhibiting.
Consider this; ask yourself how many sales calls one of you or one of your reps can make in a day?
Three?
Five?
Ten?
Now think about how many people you can talk to you who are actively looking to engage in business discussions at a tradeshow exhibition?
Thirty?
Fifty?
A hundred?
Tradeshows are highly effective at bringing people looking to do business together. Attendees are looking for products and services to meet their own needs and demands while they will also be attempting to keep abreast with market developments themselves - remember they are in the same business you are in; making money.
There is a sales maxim, “If you want to hunt lions, go to Africa!”, and this definitely applies to tradeshows with their huge attendance of potential customers looking for products and services to satisfy their requirements.
Tradeshows are Cost Effective Routes to Market
Many businesses considering exhibiting focus on the cost aspect of the exercise to the exclusion of the real objective; making sales and profits.
Experienced exhibitors do not do this as they have prior experience of the success that tradeshow exhibitions bring them them. Experienced exhibitors treat tradeshows as a key profit center and not as a cost center.
Think about the cost of a traditional sales call. How much does it cost for a sales rep to find a prospect, make the appointment, pay the visit and close the sale?
The cost of one in-person sales call varies depending on location and business type but it is usual to find the cost in the range $250 to $700 per sales call when you factor in al the costs including salaries, benefits and employee costs as well as the direct sales costs. This is before the production of marketing materials and samples.
A local tradeshow exhibition will probably run to approximately $700 for the day; in other words the cost of one in-person sales call.
When you are performing a cost-benefit analysis to assess whether exhibiting at a tradeshow is going to be worth the money invested, accurately assess the cost of in-person sales calls and compare this to the dozens of in-person sales opportunities that a tradeshow will provide.
So what do I need to get started?
Placing yourself in a position to seize the revenue opportunities presented by tradeshows requires you to decide what you are looking to produce from the effort. Obviously, sales and profits are key business motives but just as with any sales activity you need to get back to basics and realistically assess what your sales targets are going to be. Then you need to plan how you will achieve them and we are going to be dealing with these issues and where to exhibit in future posts.