Trade Shows: Maximizing the Opportunity

A good way to find new prospects is to exhibit at trade shows. You have a booth where people come to find out more about what you do. You talk to prospects and you hand out literature. But what if you don't have the financial and other resources to be an exhibitor? Can you still use a trade show to develop good sales leads? The answer, of course, is yes. Here are some tips for prospecting at trade shows:

If you are a non-exhibitor

1. Take the opportunity not only to network but educate yourself about the newest developments and trends. Here are three ways to accomplish this.
   • Carry a small tape recorder. Record things you want to remember to do or the names of people to see. Capture new ideas. Adapt ideas from other industries.
   • Ask interesting exhibitors lots of questions. Look at the brochures and ask the exhibitors to clarify anything you don't understand. Take or record notes.
   • Spread out your resources. Don't roam the room with your co-workers.
2. If you're not exhibiting, have an advertising specialty to give away. People may throw out brochures and papers from booths, but they rarely throw out an advertising specialty (other than one more pen or key chain). Learn from those who attend as well as from those who exhibit.
3. Ask the exhibitor the name of the person you should contact for your specific goals. Write that name on the exhibitor's card. Ask if you can use the exhibitor's name when calling your contact person (so you won't be making a cold call).
4. Network at every opportunity.
   • Talk to people who wander from booth to booth. Find out their interests. What draws them in?
   • Use the buffet as a networking venue, not as if it were your last meal. It's hard to speak with a full mouth. It's hard to shake hands while you balance a plate and a glass. And it's hard to exchange cards when you've got dip-covered fingers. Try not to carry more than one thing from a buffet table. It will give you a free hand to help someone else — a great way to start a conversation and introduce yourself.
   • Attend educational sessions with the people you want to meet. Introduce yourself, talk, and share your learning experience. Now you have something in common. You've already begun a relationship. Visit before the seminar. Ask for the cards of the people sitting on each side of you. Turn around. Who is sitting behind you? Who is in front of you? If you decide to respond to a question or ask a question, say your name, company, and/or what you do when you respond. For instance: "I'm Karen Susman, national speaker, trainer and coach, and I'd like to ask ..."
5. Rest. Freshen up often. Your discomfort and pain can show on your face.
6. Stay organized. Discard unnecessary materials at the end of each day.
7. Evaluate the best prospects at the end of each day. Use this approach:
   • Using the floor plan in the show literature, go back over your tour, booth by booth. Think about each of the people you met, the companies they represent, and how likely they are to be a prospect for your products and services.
   • Create "A," "B," and "C" lists for prospects. Put the hottest prospects into the "A" list, moderate prospects into the "B" list, and the rest into the "C" list.
8. Develop a battle plan to turn contacts into selling appointments. For your hottest prospects, make a note on
   • what you know about them
   • how you might best start a conversation with them
   • what you could say that would be of interest or importance to them
   • who the key decision-makers are
   • how you might get to the decision-makers
   • when the best (quietest) time to approach each prospect is
9. Implement your plan. Start by practicing your strategy on a few of your "B" list potential clients. When you feel comfortable with your approach, turn your attention to the "A" list.
10. Remember, the people you are approaching are there to sell, not to buy. So don't expect people to spend much time with you at the show. You are doing well if you have
    • introduced yourself
    • confirmed their agreement to meet you later
    • taken their business card
11. Send postcards from the show site to key people in your network. Tell them you've got some great new ideas for them. Follow up when you return home.
12. Follow up immediately with important contacts. Even a brief note will remind them of you and your company. Handwritten notes are so unusual that the recipient will be impressed. If someone requests information, get right on it.

If you are an exhibitor

1. Be proactive. If you're working the show, don't stay behind the table. Ask visitors about their businesses so you can show them appropriate products or information. This means you must listen attentively. Don't sell your product or service; sell what the product will do for your visitors.
2. Sponsor an award or contest. This could be a draw or an award for guessing the number of brochures you brought to the trade show. Or sponsor a contest for the most creative way your services can be used. How about sponsoring an award for industry person or emerging leader of the year? Doing so will give you national recognition.
3. Be ready with "case histories" of your successes. Help visitors by painting a picture of how they could use your products: "Just imagine ..."
4. Talk to as many people as possible so that you can qualify them. The trade show isn't the time for small talk. If they meet your initial criteria, take the conversation to the next step and probe further to determine if your ideal prospect profile is achieved.
5. Leave literature in a public place. Nearly all shows have literature tables out front. At the top shows, these are strictly reserved for paid exhibitors and regularly policed to remove non-exhibitor materials. At most local shows, however, the rules are looser or are not enforced. At these, consider leaving a few copies of your brochure on the table, and return a few times a day to make sure your pile is neat and visible.
6. Invite clients that have had success with your product or service to be part of your exhibit. There is nothing so powerful as a personal endorsement. Offer them something tangible in return.
7. Keep your booth neat and clean at all times to make it as inviting as possible.
8. Avoid having too many salespeople on duty at the same time for fear of intimidating buyers. Leave open spaces for people to wander in and get comfortable in your space.
9. Project a relaxed atmosphere to encourage people to visit and open themselves up to your conversation.
10. Be aware of different greeting practices of other cultures, particularly if the show you're exhibiting at attracts an international audience.

If you are a speaker, or on a panel

1. Get to know the other panelists before your presentation. This will make for a better presentation, and you'll be networking and building relationships with other movers and shakers. Keep in touch afterward.
2. During the formal presentation, take good notes on areas that apply to your selling. Before and after the presentation, talk to as many of the people around you as you can, and collect business cards.