plus some mistakes to avoid.
by sandi leyva
events are fabulous ways to leverage face-time selling activities. if you have eight leads, it can take you eight hours or more of one-on-one selling before they have had a chance to get to know you.
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in an open house, speaking or at trade shows, you have the chance to meet hundreds of people in a compressed amount of time. that’s why marketing at events is so effective. it’s a great use of your marketing time.
if your ideal client hangs out at trade shows or conferences, then renting a booth in the exhibit hall is one way to allow prospects to interact with you. profiting from trade shows is a science that requires lots of preparation, trade show-specific sales training and a solid followup system that includes a strong selling function.
your display table/booth
you will need some marketing materials for your exhibit space. here are some ideas you can choose from:
for the space:
- a stand or banner(s) for the back. it depends on the size of the show; you might be able to have a tabletop display, which takes less space. this is the one we’ve ordered at displays2go.com: http://www.displays2go.com/p-9151/banner-stands-with-a-retractable-design-31-wide-silver?o=1-1897
- any equipment you need to demonstrate your product or service
for the table:
- a drape for the table with your logo and/or website address
- a fishbowl or similar to capture business cards for a drawing. this is your lead generation.
- something decorative to give the table some height. we use fresh flowers in a vase ordered from a local florist.
- a pc monitor or video display to show your product, service or website
- your marketing materials: flyers, business cards, promotional items
- some vendors use candy or food to attract visitors.
you will also need to carefully select your staff to work the space during the hours of the show or conference. it’s important to get friendly, smiling people who know about your business and how to represent you well.
selecting the conference
which conference you choose to exhibit at can be crucial. your ideal client must be in attendance, and this is something you must research carefully.
i have made many mistakes with trade shows, and here are two i will admit so you can learn and avoid the costly expenses i incurred.
- i exhibited at an ewomen network conference a few years ago when my ideal clients were women. my table did poorly for a number of reasons. my reputation was not well known among the group; i would have done much better had i spoken from the stage or done some national volunteering for the group. for that group to ever pay off for me would be a multi-year investment of time and money, so i did not get a good roi.
- i exhibited at an natp conference recently, and my table did poorly. many of my clients are members of this group, so i thought it would be perfect. and although natp members are my ideal client, are in my specialty industry and are current clients, i still goofed because the demographics didn’t match up. at the conference, no one needed clients; they were all looking for exit strategies. the natp participants’ average age was about 65, but worse, all of their practices were full. i didn’t ask enough questions of the natp exhibit manager to avoid this mismatch.
if you do choose to exhibit at trade shows, i highly recommend you plan to do it every year for many years. this shows dedication and consistency to the group.
how to select your trade show? we create a spreadsheet that lists all of the major events in our industry. we include two columns: expected attendance and cost of the exhibit space. we compute exhibit space cost divided by attendance to get cost per head. we compare that cost to the other trade show opportunities for the year. then we look at other costs such as hotel, air and staffing to make our final decision.
hidden fees
in addition to paying exhibit fees with the conference host, you may also incur costs from the hotel or the vendor that the conference host has secured to serve the exhibit hall. these costs include electricity to your space, equipment rental, shipping and setup costs. some cities require union personnel to handle everything that goes in and out of the hall, so please check in advance so that you will know what your costs are going to be.
our display is so small that i usually check the bag on the airline and lug it myself to the event. alternately, you may be able to arrange shipping via a local fedex office, the hotel or the trade show vendor.
local options
it can be very cost-effective to rent a display table at a local event, where small businesses gather and find out about each other. this could be hosted by your local chamber or another group. check around to see what the options are, and make sure your ideal client will be present.
pet peeve
one last comment on trade shows: if you are attending a trade show as a participant and do not have an exhibit space, do not market to the people exhibiting or the other attendees while they are in the exhibit hall. that’s just really bad form, and i see it at every show.
as a marketing option, trade shows are best left to the experienced, extroverted entrepreneur. one option that achieves almost the same thing for a lower cost is to speak at the same conference. this ensures visibility, demonstrates your expertise and allows you to collect information from prospects who approach you after your speech.