Trade Show Savvy
Make sure you maximize your efforts before, during and after attending a trade show, conference or seminar. It's amazing how many companies neglect to do this -- and end up spending a lot of money for very little return. The following tips will help you maximize your time and effort at these events:
- Encourage people to stop by the booth with a pre-event "teaser" mailing. Have small give-aways or enter them in a drawing for a larger prize if and when they show up to the booth with their pre-event postcard or ticket. Not only will you see if your direct mail efforts are working, but you will be speaking to people who are already pre-disposed to hearing about your company and who want more information.
- Draw up a list of questions to ask prospects who come to your booth to help focus your sales pitch. You might also want to do some role-playing or background reading about getting information from customers without turning them off. Find out what their specific needs or challenges are and make a note of it. You can refer to that information during the follow-up.
- Send out follow-up faxes, postcards or handwritten notes to every lead or prospect. The goal is to schedule a sales call with them as soon as possible following the show. This should be done within two weeks of the event. Your information will still be fresh in the prospect's mind and you can remind them of the specific needs they discussed with you and how your business can help.
- Be sure to attend the networking functions. This is a great time for some one-on-one conversation, but don't try to close the sale here. A simple "can I call you next Tuesday to discuss this further?" type of question will almost surely get a "yes." Meet and speak with as many people as possible and be sure to take plenty of business cards with you. Take the prospect's business card and jot down any pertinent information on the back. It will help you keep track of who said what until you can get the information into a database.
- Add prospects/leads to your company newsletter mailing list or regular
promotion list. Make sure they know about your products/services in
a timely manner.
You've spent a lot of time, energy and money to attend a trade show. Make the most of it.
© Liz Seegert/Marketing Communications.
All Rights Reserved.
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