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Trade Show Victory!
So you're going to have a booth at a trade show. How exciting - or how terrifying - depending on your state of mind! First of all - remain calm - you're not the first person to do this. There's some easy to follow tips that will ensure success at the show, and give you follow up business too. Preparation ahead of time is important. Gather all the supplies you'll need. Brochures, business cards, product samples, entry forms for a draw, professional signs and any audio visual equipment you'll need. Be sure to ask for electricity from show organizers well in advance if you will need it. Also, do not let any piece of marketing literature leave your booth without contact information on it - people MUST know how to get in touch with you after the show. Make your booth look GREAT! It doesn't have to cost a lot of money - ask a friend whose got a sense of style to help you create something that is eye catching but doesn't cost too much. Don't over crowd your display area because people get overwhelmed and pass by; but on the other hand, don't have so little that people think there's nothing to see. Make sure your sign is professionally printed and hung straight! Once you've set up your booth, stand back about 20 feet and objectively take a look at it. Is it welcoming? Is your sign easy to read? Can people tell what you do BEFORE they get to your booth? These are critical issues that you need to answer before the show. At the show be friendly - wear a name tag and smile. When people come by your booth, you've a VERY short period of time to catch their attention. This is the time you need to have something to say. Create a 15 - 20 second "speech" you can recite. For example, if you sell children's wall murals, why not try this, "Hi there, I'm Julie Lewis and I use paint to create a magical room for your child or an experience that will take you anywhere in the world with my wall murals." Sounds more exciting that "I paint wall murals", doesn't it? Let's try another one, "Hello, I'm Alex Brown and I create marketing programs for my clients that really make them be unforgettable!" By having something prepared in advance, you're always ready to gain a new client! If you're unprepared you will look very unprofessional. Encourage everyone who walks by to take a brochure, sample your product or enter a free draw. ALWAYS have a free draw - give away a good prize - it doesn't have to be expensive. Use the draw entry forms to follow up on with a sales letter, or put on a mailing list for future business. I'm always amazed at the number of business people at trade shows who don't have a draw, and then have no way to follow up with potential customers! Create your draw entry form so that it will provide you with more information than just name and address. Get the standard contact information, but also ask questions specific to your products or service. Something like: "are you planning to buy our type of product in the next six months?" or "have you heard of our product before?" - Things like that will give you a conversation starter when you call them after the show. If you worry about "bothering people" by calling them, you can add the following at the bottom of the entry: "I do not wish to be contacted." - and be sure to leave a check box next to the sentence. This allows those people who really only entered the draw just to get a prize to be easily weeded out. This way you don't waste your time isn't wasted calling them, and you don't bother people who don't wish to be called. Most people do NOT check off the box that says "I do not wish to be contacted - so don't worry that you will not have anyone to call. After the show - call or contact all those people who stopped by your booth, and indicated an interest in one of your products or services. Try to get in touch with them within a week at the most. Keep track of those people who find you through the trade show and later buy from you. Figure out how much your expenses were to be in the show (include booth rental, your time, items for your display, gas to get there, parking, etc.) Now figure out the profit (include expenses for materials and supplies to make your product - don't forget shipping & packaging). Now you have your ROI (return on investment). THIS IS A CRITICAL number that will allow you to assess whether or not it is worth doing this trade show again. Some trade shows prohibit direct selling at the show - they only allow you to take orders. In this case you MUST do follow up. Do NOT assume that people will call you - they WON'T! If you don't believe me - answer this: How many times have YOU called someone you met at a trade show, even if you just adored their product? If you don't like doing follow up phone calls, hire someone to do it for you. If you're not going to do the calls at all - don't even bother doing the show - you're wasting time and money. Make sure that pick up business cards from all the other exhibitors at the trade show as well. Some may be immediate customers, while others may have the potential to become strategic partners. Be sure to send a hand written letter of thanks to the show organizers. If the show has been successful for you, make sure you're on the list for next year. Lastly don't expect immediate results - trade shows take time to pay off (IF you do your homework after the show!) Each trade show you do will teach you something - be open to learning. Smile, wear comfortable shoes, drink lots of water and get plenty of rest before and after the show! AND DO YOUR FOLLOW UP! Wendy McClelland 2004 © wmcclelland@shaw.ca Biography: Wendy McClelland is a motivational speaker, marketing consultant and business coach from British Columbia, Canada. She has been a nominee for Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year, and is a Canadian Achiever! She has hosted and produced radio and internet radio programs, and spoken to business groups throughout Western Canada and California. Wendy's first website won numerous awards, including being named as "one of the best business sites on the 'net" by the New York Times. Wendy's life mission is to "motivate people to think without boundaries" and it's also the name of her website! Visit www.ThinkWithoutBoundaries.com">www.ThinkWithoutBoundaries.com and to sign up for Wendy's FREE email newsletter just send email MORE RESOURCES:
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Top 6 Reasons Why You Need a Remote for PowerPoint Presentations A top complaint from audience members is that many presenters put too much emphasis on PowerPoint and technology while neglecting the message and interaction with participants. One way to deliver more effective presentations that improve your connection to your audience is to add a remote control to your presentation tools. How You Can Save On Conference Calling In recent years, companies have recognized the need to expand their businesses in the international arena. Breakthroughs in communications and transportation have facilitated this move and have enabled these companies to trade in various countries all over the globe. Improve Your Bottom Line with What You Say When was the last time you thought about what you were actually saying to potential clients? Are you closing the deal more often than not? Or maybe it's time to revamp your elevator speech or introduction.Remember potential clients do not want to hear statistics about you and your company; they want to know how your product or service will benefit them and make their life easier. How to Make Good Use of Your Web Conference Session Preperation is vital when conducting a successful videoconference session. Thus there are a number of steps to remember prior to the videoconference session itself:Always test the equipment before hand. How To Run Your Greatest Conference Ever Like most good achievements, a magnificent meeting depends on planning and preparation. These are essential to a good conference and this article explains the basics of what you need to do. Creating Your Presentation Success With a Positive "I CAN" Attitude According to the Lamalle Report on Top Executives of the 1990s, one of the most important factors in determining financial success by those earning over $250,000 is being enthusiastic and having a positive attitude (46%). Apparently, successful people never underestimate the power of positive thinking. Painless Presentations Did the "Painless" part of the title get your attention?Speaking in front of a group ranks with death of a family member and loosing a job when it comes to the emotional toll it takes on some people.If you are one of those folks who look for any excuse not to give a presentation in a meeting, social club or your church take heart. How to Prevent Presentation and Speaking Disasters I just got back from my whirlwind speaking engagements and it occurred to me that you might be interested in these recent experiences (especially since speaking in the number one way to increase to raise your visibility and credibility in the industry). In a matter of two weeks, I spoke at two different conferences. Powerpoint Sales Presentations Are Boring - Stop It! As the meeting began, the project manager of the buying committee told me that the key decision-maker would miss the first 20 minutes or so of my presentation. This was a very competitive sale that I was working on at the time. Incorporate Humor in Your Next Speech Some speakers say, "I could never use humor in my speech; I just don't feel comfortable with it." I believe that anyone can use humor and that it is a valuable tool in speaking. Dump that Overhead Projector! What is it about overhead projectors that causes us to become lousy communicators? Why do our speeches or presentations lose much of their steam when we use overheads?Well, for starters, we often give more attention to the overheads than the audience. It can't be helped. Choosing the Right Work Shirts for Your Small Business Company attire says a lot about your business philosophy to your customer. Company shirts project professionalism and advertising. Tech Tips: PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts for PowerPoint Slide Shows Whether you use a mouse or a remote control to navigate through a PowerPoint slide show presentation, it is also handy to use keyboard shortcuts. Here is a selection to try:? Run a slide show: [F5]. Powerful Presentations: How to Write and Deliver a Presentation to Remember If the mere thought of standing up in front of an audience makes your knees quiver, you should know that you're not alone. Public speaking is one of the top fears listed by Americans and for good reason- most of us don't do it very often. Just Say No to PowerPoint: Enough is Enough! Have you ever been slideswiped? You walk into a meeting and once everyone has arrived, the lights are often dimmed and the show begins. The presenter clicks the mouse again and again, showing you slide after slide until you can take no more. Communication Barriers and Simplifying the Communication Process The communication process can be much more difficult than a person thinks. Unfortunately, many times a presenter does not realize that their message is being lost until it is too late and they have gone through an entire meeting/lecture talking away about something that their colleagues/audience thinks is absolutely meaningless. Death by PowerPoint! The most critical job of a manager, when you boil it all down, is communication. To be successful, a manager has to be effective in communicating one-on-one, in writing and in groups. Using Your Audience to Your Advantage Regardless of what response technique may be convenient in a given situation, one thing is certain for the aware trainer: different techniques will drive you deeper and deeper into the realm of subtlety, which is precisely where the art of using response points belongs. For most trainers, these direct questions will be the best method to determine how well the idea presentation is progressing. Is This Thing On?: Keeping Your Audiences Attention First and foremost, you must deal effectively with your own emotions, ego, hang-ups, inhibitions, and fears. This will release you to focus on the audience is their attention level. Tips for Thinking on Your Feet If you really aware and alert, your audience's behavior - faces, bodies, and their hands, will literally transmit scores of "messages." It is possible to judge how well you're being received, how much attention your audience is paying to you, and often how close your objective is to accomplishment.
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