Community
Announcements

E-mail Sign Up

How do Georgia Technology professionals get plugged in?

We respect the privacy of our
subscribers and do not
disclose e-mail addresses.

Become A Member

Membership in TAG puts you in good company: a who's who of tech leaders and pioneers.

TAG is an unmatched way to network with peers, grow professionally, find a job or hire an employee, and hone your skills.

Learn the Benefits of Membership…

Exclusive for TAG Members

TAG's monthly IT Job Trends Report about the Georgia IT job market and skills in demand.

Establish a Trade Show Strategy that Produces Results!

Back to

Jan 8, 2007

Establish a Trade Show Strategy that Produces Results!

By Al Simon
Simon, Inc.

If you’re spending huge sums on trade shows and then wasting most of that investment, these ideas can help improve and increase the effectiveness of your trade show strategy:

1. Set up productive appointments in advance. Schedule meetings with targeted prospects, either at the booth, in your hospitality suite, or over breakfast or dinner. Confirm these meetings assertively—just because you’ll already be there doesn’t mean you should “be wimpy” when booking these meetings.

2. Incorporate a strategic attack plan into your trade show strategy. Leverage the time and energy available to achieve optimum results. Draw up a plan with specific goals such as:

Re-establish relationships with former customers.
Refresh relationships with current customers.
Make sales calls on a specific number of new prospects.
Learn about new market trends.
"Listen" to the current market.
“Shop” the competition.

3. Execute your trade show strategy as a team. If you attend the show with colleagues, assign individuals to certain parts of the show plan. Take advantage of the talents and interests of team members as well as their personal contacts. Meet early each morning to discuss your trade show strategy and establish the day's tactics, and then meet often throughout the day to debrief about prospects, strategies and new ways to attract people into your booth.

4. Arrive a day early and stay a day later. Arrive the day before so you are rested and organized on the first day of the show. This will also allow you to make opportune calls on other early-arriving participants. Stay a day later so you can meet with hot prospects who might otherwise suffer “show fever.” The dreaded show fever afflicts all trade show attendees approximately 12 to 48 hours after the trade show ends—and kills your opportunity to sell. Plan these “before” and “after” activities well in advance, because people often make travel arrangements early to get the best deals. In fact, they often block the time “before” and “after” trade shows on their calendars for personal time. Consider a golf or fishing outing, or other activity that will attract prospects and get them away from other distractions at the show.

5. Work the booth professionally. Eye-catching displays, self-scoring tests, 7-10 minute “closed curtain” presentations and drawings and contests are part of a trade show strategy that will attract people into your booth. Understand, however, that people do business with people, which means you will need to re-tune your bonding skills for these “brief encounters.” Are you unknowingly chasing people away by lingering in front of the booth like a tiger about to pounce? Get away from the booth and scout the coffee & Danish tables, roam the isles, and see what is getting people’s attention. Steer people to your booth like a sheep dog.

6. Learn how to sift the prospects from the suspects—quickly! You don’t have to tell your story to everyone…and it’s okay to ask questions to qualify your audience. Too many salespeople working trade shows drop immediately into their “spiel” when someone pauses even a second or two in front of the booth. Ask the browsing person “What is catching your attention at this show?” rather than the worn-out “How are you today?” Then be quiet and listen!

7. Do NOT serve as an educator at a trade show. Instead, ask questions to determine who gets your time and energy when the show is over.

8. Recognize and utilize the accelerated pace of trade show selling. While you are engaging one prospect, three better prospects could be passing by. Learn how to “juggle” prospects simultaneously and quickly determine what they want.

9. Consider doing something big and different. Try a novel approach to your trade show strategy that your customers and prospects will remember. Activities such as a hot-air balloon ride don’t take that much time, can be done early in the morning before the speakers and workshops start, and will get you noticed even by non-participants.

10. Debrief. At the end of the show, look at your plan and assess your results. What worked? What didn't? What will you do differently next time? Compare notes with your colleagues (which you should have been doing throughout the show). What's your trade show strategy post-show, and what activities are you going to perform?

The Trade Show can be a wonderful opportunity to fatten your pipeline. Use these tips to optimize your trade show strategy—and watch the revenue roll in!

Al Simon is President of Simon, Inc., an authorized licensee of the Sandler Sales Institute, an international sales training and consulting organization. Contact him at info@SimonSaysSell.net or www.SimonSaysSell.net.