|
www. Trade Show Marketing Advice .org |
Absolutely Free Advice on Trade Show and Event Marketing
Trade shows are the most cost-effective "face-to-face" marketing method available today. They allow an exhibitor to meet with hundreds of motivated potential customers. Unfortunately, too many exhibitors waste much of the potential marketing value because they don't following a few simple rules...
trade show marketing articles | unrelated humor | about us / contact us
PLAN, QUALIFY, FOLLOW-UP
3 simple steps to make your next
trade show a success!
by Bill
Repeat after me... plan, qualify, follow-up. Now say those three words again. These three concepts are so simple, but it seems to me, are also so often overlooked by many exhibitors. Too often I have seen exhibitors that instead (1) try to do everything at the last minute, (2) want to talk to and sell to every passerby, and (3) then go back to work and wait for the phone to start ringing and the orders to start flowing in... May I instead suggest the following approach:
I. PLAN [before your show]
One of my favorite quotes is "Failing to plan is planning to fail."
I couldn't agree more. Plan for your trade show, and start early.
a. Determine your Purpose: What is the purpose of
exhibiting at this show? Are you introducing a new product? Trying
to get new customers? Do you just have to be seen there (if so, make it
worth it).
b. Set Goals: I want to meet x new prospects a
day. I want to get $x of new orders a day. I want to contact x
current customer and arrange to show them our new widget at the show.
c. Make a Checklist: what do you have to do?
Secure a booth space? Order carpet, power, etc? Do you need a
portable booth? Do you need graphics? Do you need the graphics
designed? Do you need new literature? Do you need to contact current
customers and let them know you'll be at the show?
d. Assign Responsibility: Who has to do what?
(this is really easy for a one-person exhibit)
e. Create a Timeline and Set Deadlines:
f. Pre-show Promotion: let people know you'll be there
(postcards, emails, phone calls).
g. Create an Incentive for them to visit your booth:
Consider some kind of drawing or handing out trade show giveaways.
h. Plan, plan, plan...
II. QUALIFY [at your show]
It always surprised me how many booth staffers tried to sell
to everyone. I suppose they thought they could sell refrigerators to
Eskimos too.
Do be sure to greet everyone passing by, but if they talk to
you, QUALIFY them. Ask if they are in the market for your product or
service. Ask if they have a problem (that you have a solution for, of
course). Ask if they are using any of your competitors. Ask if the
prospect is a decision-maker or influencer. Ask these questions, but then
listen. Give them a chance to talk. Determine what the likelihood of
they or their company ever buying from you is.
If they are not a qualified prospect, thank them, and move
on. If they are, continue your discussion. Get their contact
information, and get some kind of personal information as well and make a note
of it (this will help with your follow-up later). If you think you can get
a sale, by all means go for it. Don't put off until tomorrow what you can
accomplish today.
I think of qualifying trade show prospects as a simple
mathematical formula. If you have 4 good hours of prospecting a day (240
minutes), would you rather spend 5 minutes each with 48 people when 80% of them
would never buy from you (so the 9 good prospects only get 5 minutes of your time
just like the others), or would you rather spend 2 minutes each qualifying the
48, and then have 16 minutes each for your 9 real prospects. I'd rather
have 18 minutes total for each of the 9 real prospects, not just the 5 minutes
that the refrigerator salesman has.
There's a lot more to do at the show [see
what to do & what not to do at your booth],
but qualifying prospects is to often overlooked or misunderstood. So
remember... qualify, qualify, qualify.
III. FOLLOW-UP [after the show]
You're back from your show, you're tired, and you have a pile
of mail and a folder full of emails to go through. You've got two meetings
to go to, and your boss wants to go over a new project with you. You've
just worked a Saturday, and you think you deserve some comp time. Your
buddies are over at the coffee maker talking about the game. You've got
too much to do. You gave all your prospects your business card and
brochure, so they'll call you when they're ready to order. You've done
your job.
Stop. Assume that your business card and brochure are
in a plastic bag with 50 other companies on the floor in your prospect's office.
He's in the same boat as you. He'll get to the plastic bag when he gets
time, which turns out to be never, and three months later the entire contents go
into the office recycling bin.
I found that I could double or triple my new customers from a
trade show by doing one thing... follow-up. Call all of your prospects
within 3 days of getting back to work. Hopefully you wrote a personal note
on the back of each prospect's business card so that you can mention it and show
that you remember him. Don't stop with one call. Call back in two
weeks, and then in a month. You aren't cold-calling because you already
know your prospect. Follow-up is more work, but with all the work you
already invested in preparing for and going to the show, it's a waste to not
finish the job. So remember... follow-up, follow-up, follow-up!
trade show marketing articles | unrelated humor | about us / contact us
other trade show websites marketing websites other interesting websites
Quote of the Month:
"They can because they think they can."
Virgil
email us - advice-911@TradeShowMarketingAdvice.org
Trade Show
Marketing Advice
http://www.TradeShowMarketingAdvice.org
copyright protected 2008
all rights reserved - USA