TRADE SHOWS: WHY EXHIBIT? WHAT ARE THEY WORTH TO YOU?
Trade shows give you the chance to meet new prospects, reinforce existing customer relationships, and expand product or brand awareness.
But let's face it - trade shows also cost time, money and effort. When all of these are tight, you might be tempted to decide they just aren't worth it.
Before you decide trade shows just aren't worth it - take a look at some facts.
DID YOU KNOW?
The average cost to close a sale originating at a trade show is less than 2/3 the cost for leads from other sources.
75% of people attending trade shows arrive with
a specific goal in mind.
Closing a sale from a trade show lead takes an average of 1.6 personal sales visits versus 3.7 for non-show leads.
You can talk with as many prospects in an hour
as normally takes a day.
Bottom-line:
1. Trade
shows shorten the sales cycle so each sale costs less to close;
2. Attendees are arriving
these days to meet specific needs;
3. Shows are the next
best thing to bringing prospects to your office!
If 57% of attendees only attend one show a year, and 40% of the people at any show are first-time attendees - you have to ask yourself, will they meet (and remember) you or your competitor?
Do yourself a favor - exhibit at trade shows!
To be successful in making connections that lead to sales through trade shows and networking events, read our other Tips on Selecting, Preparing for, and Following Up After Trade Shows.
And if you need help - with your booth (from table top to20 foot gullwing) or with imprinted apparel, memorable giveways, or table coverings, call the Tangible Branding Experts at Imprinted Originals, LLC.
Sources: Center for Exhibition Industry Research, Data Strategies and Group, Exhibit Surveys, and Lorimer Consulting Group
SELECTING THE RIGHT TRADE SHOW OR CONFERENCE
Trade shows serve two main purposes: reinforcing relationships with businesses that already know you, and introducing yourself to new prospects.
In this tipsheet, we look at five critical inputs to choosing the "right" trade shows. We also provide links to help you look for them online.
Critical Decision Inputs
1. Your Business Or Sales
Goals:
What is your primary goal? Exposure of your company or product to the largest possible audience, or to a select group which is most likely to purchase?
The trade show that met last year's goal may not be the right one for this year's targets. You must be clear on your current business goals, and who you must reach to meet them.
2. Your Target AudienceThe number of attendees may be important, but at least as important is their purchasing profile. The closer the typical attendee is to the profile of your best client, the more worthwhile a show can potentially be for you.
Attend shows where your clients expect to see you. Not
being at a particular show can be interpreted as weakness, and your competitors
can get a chance to introduce themselves.
Remember, shows within your own industry don't necessarily bring you into contact with the greatest number of your clients. Go where your clients go.
3. Your Budget
You are looking for events that offer the best results, at the least cost to value ratio. If your budget is limited and you must restrict how often you exhibit, make sure to focus on those shows most likely to attract your best potential customers. Sometimes a low-cost regional show can provide you with exactly the leads you need. On the other hand, a higher-priced show may offer contacts which make the investment worthwhile.
4. Your Resources
On staffing: you must balance between taking care of
your current clients - leaving staff at the office - and meeting prospective
clients. If you can, take along those who do the best at making connections.
That might be your president, it might be your receptionist.
As far as your booth setup - it is not necessary to spend a lot, as long as you present your company in a coordinated, professional manner that delivers your message memorably.
5. Sources Of Information
On Shows
The quickest way to do research on which shows to exhibit
at? Ask your clients which are their must-attend shows. In addition, contact
professional and trade organizations that your customers belong to, in order
to determine whether they sponsor or recommend any particular shows. Also,
contact regional trade organizations and even local exhibition halls for their
schedules. They will be planning up to a year ahead in most cases.
Also, use the internet to research trade shows by industry,
location and date.
You will find the following online resources useful in researching trade shows:
TSNN.com bills itself as "the leading online resource for the 22nd largest industry in the world - the trade show and exhibition industry - data on more than 15,000 trade shows and conferences."
This site includes education, health, and media as well as technology.
Exhibitor Online Magazine www.exhibitornet.com/shows/index.asp
Lists shows by category, month, location, or partial show name.
In conclusion, choose your shows based on the results you need to achieve, then commit yourself to making the most of them.
PREPARING FOR YOUR TRADE SHOW You have less than 10 seconds to catch their eye and convince them to stop.
What do they see? Do your displays, brochures, promotional items, even the
clothes you are wearing, carry a focused, coordinated message?
The Scene: Lugging a bag bulging with brochures and
giveaways, a prospect heads towards you. Their glance roams your booth.
If someone approaching your booth knows - immediately - whether they should (or should not) stop to talk, then you have prepared properly.
KEYS TO PREPARING FOR SUCCESS
1. Select your goals upfront. This is the number one key to trade show success. Make your objectives clear, quantifiable and easy to convey. Make sure your vendors helping you prepare know them, as well as those who will staff your booth.
2. Every decision you
make must be geared towards achieving your goal. Displays, brochures,
show apparel, and promotional take-homes must be selected and designed to
all work together to (a) attract the right people to your booth, (b) help
qualify your prospects and capture their contact information, and (c) leave
a positive impression that will last beyond the final day of the show.
3. Decide how you will measure results, and what will be an acceptable outcome. Make sure the measurement method is reasonable and understood by your everyone in your booth.
4. Select your shows based on where your best prospects and current customers will be expecting you. In addition to shows sponsored by your own trade and professional organizations, check out websites such as Trade Show News Network (www.TSNN.com) for more options.
5. Build traffic to your booth in advance
of the show. The simplest way is by sending
letters or emails to invite current customers and key prospects.
A more involved, but even more successful,
way to attract visitors is by preparing a promotion, such as sending them
part of a custom puzzle, the cap of an expensive pen, or information on a
raffle to be held. You want to send anything that will put your company's
name on their must-see list.
Consider setting up specific appointments during the show - this demonstrates
respect for their time as well as reinforcing the business purpose for their
visit. Plus you will be sure to get adequate time to spend with them.
6. Make up and follow a preparation timeline.
Using a checklist will help ensure nothing
gets forgotten. And, as a big bonus, you will avoid the surcharges that rushed
orders and shipping require. Procrastination can be very costly.
Preparation Timeline Template
Your actual checklist will depend on how large the
show will be, whether travel is involved, and what kind of statement your
company is intending to make.
6 - 12 months in advance (if possible):
For all size shows:
a. Visit the previous year's or a similar show.
b. Select your primary objective. Is it prospecting, relationship building
or new product introduction?
c. Review exhibitor information, select booth size/location.
d. Define preliminary budget and confirm needs with in-house departments.
4- 6 months in advance
For all size shows:
a. Select staff for your booth.
b. Select the products or services you will focus on.
c. Identify your booth setup, design, and purchase or updating needs.
For major shows:
d. Contact and determine timelines with exhibit-related
vendors.
e. Decide if you will participate in educational forums at the event.
2-3 months in advance
For all size shows:
a. Define advertising or other pre-show promotions.
b. Develop demonstrations, educational and other support materials.
c. Select show promotional products, booth apparel, marketing materials.
For major shows:
d. Prepare media kits and staff briefing packets,
if applicable.
e. Obtain insurance if necessary.
f. Make transportation and housing reservations.
g. Make sure all orders are in for supplies and booth setup.
2 weeks to 1 month in advance
For all size shows:
a. Create lead capture forms and tracking systems.
b. Compile packets and craft letters ready for immediate follow up.
c. Train staff in booth do's and don'ts as well as products/services
d. Order clothing, promotional items and badges.
e. Confirm adequate supplies on hand.
f. Follow up on all shipping, installation and supplier orders.
Showtime!
a. Booth staff travels early, plans for
contingencies, and gets plenty of rest.
b. Check booth set-up and equipment before the show opens.
c. Read through our "Exhibitor Do's and Don'ts", and other tipsheets,
to use your time at the show most effectively!
TRADE SHOW EXHIBITORS DO'S AND DON'TS
To make the most of your trade show experience, consider these tips:
DO'S FOR THE TRADE SHOW EXHIBITOR:
1. Set up clear goals for the show. Your marketing
materials should be focused on your message, and your banners and exhibit
should clearly display exactly who you are and what you are offering.
2. Everyone in your booth must know whether the goal is new prospects, reinforcing
existing relationships, or finding out more about your market. Clearly defined
goals help you keep focus and track results.
3. Be sure to use good booth behavior. Stand near the front of the booth,
make eye contact, and start up conversations. Never hide behind your displays
and try not to block them either!
4. Make sure everyone knows how to qualify and get information from prospects.
Ask "why are you here?" then write down their questions, concerns,
and interest - and ask how they prefer to be contacted.
5. Practice good communications - listen more than you talk. Learn how to
disengage from unqualified prospects politely - thank them, show them you
have noted their concerns, and move on.
6. Make it interactive! Offer information, give little quizzes, provide tip
sheets. Engage their brain and they will remember you. And you will learn
more about them, which will help in your follow-up.
7. Have everyone dressed in synch with the exhibit theme or colors. With "identity-ware"
staff or denim shirts, your company name should be on the left breast and,
optionally, personal names on the right side.
8. Provide giveaways that remind your visitors of your products and services.
They should be useful or striking, so prospects will take them back home or
to the office, and see your name on a regular basis.
9. Anticipate typical questions and practice answers, including questions
to ask in return. Rehearse demonstrations in advance. Hand out materials only
at the end of presentations, to help you keep their attention meanwhile.
10. At longer shows, have daily meetings on what is and isn't working. Keep
your team's morale up!
DON'TS FOR TRADE SHOWS:
1. Don't sit down, eat, or use cell phones in your
booth. Don't stand around talking with each other!
2. Don't hand out brochures or giveaways without getting information in return.
Annotate your leads as you go.
3. Don't arrive without a plan for following up on leads. Send a thank you,
possibly including a gift, to the most likely or most valuable prospects,
and if you can remind them of your conversation, all the better.
4. Don't have just anyone staff your booth without training or being brought
up to speed on your objectives. Train tech people in appropriate trade show
behavior, just as you train salespeople in features and benefits.
5. Don't overwhelm prospects with long answers when a short answer might do.
6. Don't assume every prospect is a sale on the spot. Better to use your time
to build relationships.
7. Don't forget to introduce yourself to the other exhibitors - they are potential
clients, vendors and partners.
8. Don't say too much. Be careful about providing your competitors with business
intelligence.
9. Don't let your people focus only on the products or services they know.
Make sure they know who to refer a prospect to in order to maximize their
exposure to your company.
10. Don't forget - trade shows are about putting your brand, products and
services into tangible form for customers and prospects. Keep everything consistent,
professional and on track with your show objectives!
HAVE A GREAT SHOW!
PROMOTIONAL GIVEAWAYS - WHAT WORKS?
Do you plan on giving away promotional items to visitors to your trade show booth? Should you? If you do, what should you give?
It has become such a commonplace that "something" should be given out at a show that all too often just "anything" is. In that case, it won't do any good.
First, why use promotional
giveaways?
Essential Rules of Giveaways
There are a few key points to remember when you select
promotional items for your business or organization, whether for holiday thank
you's or as trade show giveaways.
#1 Are you trying to get
as many people as possible into your booth?
If your business is consumer oriented, uses a "mass
marketing" business model, or is new and trying to introduce its products
or services as widely as possible - you want high booth volume. In this case,
you need a giveaway that is generally well-received but not too expensive
because of the quantities required.
Candy provides a strong draw, as do fun or interactive
items. But remember, though these will get people in your booth - they won't
do anything in themselves to make them remember you. If your goal is simply
to attract lots of people - to fill out a questionnaire or to hand a coupon,
for instance, then you do not need an imprinted giveaway.
If your goal is to draw lots of people you plan to qualify further, though, you probably will want a second item, imprinted with your company's brand or product information, to be given only to those who have qualified.
#2 Are you looking for
a particular kind of prospect?
If your services or products are geared only to specific
industries or individuals, then your goal is to find viable prospects without
giving out a lot of costly gifts or spending too much time with inappropriate
visitors.
An excellent way to have your prospects pre-qualify themselves
is by offering something that matches their needs or interests. In this case,
you want to provide a gift that your prospect will take with them and be likely
to keep on hand long past the end of the show - but it must be clearly branded
to keep your company name in your prospect's mind or it is a waste of your
money.
For example, once upon a time, I received a "Dogbert" stress toy at a show. I kept it for years because it was well targeted to my professional profile, in the software industry - but since it did not have a company name or logo, all those years of potential positive branding were lost to whoever decided to "save" on the expense of imprinting.
#3 Are you looking to reinforce relationships and
promote your brand through increased product/service knowledge?
In this case, your promotional goal is to get specific
information to current customers to motivate them to expand your relationship,
say through an upgrade or add-on purchase. In addition, this is a situation
in which you could clearly benefit from the planning and execution of a pre-show
promotion.
A pre-show promotion works by advertising your involvement
with the show in advance, to current customers and known prospects. This usually
involves an enticement to bring them to your booth. If they bring the coupon
you have sent or emailed them, or mention a particular offer number, for instance,
they will receive a special gift.
A twist on this theme is to send part of a gift to them, with the remainder available at the show. An amazing percentage of people will arrive with half of their imprinted gift or puzzle piece, ready to receive the rest of the item. This may be the chance you have been waiting for to talk with specific high-profile prospects.
#4 Are you looking for
increased name recognition?
An established vendor in a niche market might take a giveaway and add a spin to it. At a clothing industry show I attended, for instance, one manufacturer gave away hundreds of bright red shirts, along with raffle tickets. They offered one $100 gift an hour to someone spotted wearing the shirt within the convention hall, and, at a predetermined time near the end of the show, they gathered everyone who was wearing their shirt into a giant room and picked a raffle - for a brand new laptop. This whole process was incredibly expensive - but it was a rare person who walked away from that event without at least knowing the name, and almost certainly having paid attention to, their product, because by the final day of the show, there were literally hundreds of people wearing identical red shirts. Even I, who own a laptop already, had my bright red shirt on, for that hour.
Who Will They Call?
In a nutshell, if you spend the time to consider
your goals before the show - and use that information to select your giveaways
carefully - they can not only help get the right people into your booth, but
at the end of the day, they will be more likely to make it back to someone's
office or home, to sit with your branding before your customer's eyes day
in and day out, until the day when they need your product or service, and
it is you they will think to call.
Key #1: “Seize the Moment”
Three to six seconds. That’s how long it takes for someone to walk past your booth. A well-designed booth will actually help attendees “pre-qualify” themselves by doing three essential things quickly: capture the attention of appropriate prospects, set the tone for future interactions, and signal to others not to stop.
Key #2: “Know What You Want”
Before design can begin, you must identify your goals for the show, establish what success will mean, select your target audience, and define your message or theme.
Is your primary goal increasing market share? Introducing new products? Extending product awareness? Does success mean exposure to the most people? Or just to those who match your best prospect profile?
Key #3: “Design With The End in Mind”
Everything in your booth must reflect the message you have chosen. Your theme could be about a product, your company’s profile, or a specific benefit to your clients.
Let’s say your theme is “Working With Us Is Like Taking A Vacation”. This will drive a number of decisions besides your graphical design - ranging from clothing to lighting to giveaways and even possibly the equipment in your booth. Develop a plan with your vendor based on your goals, target audience, type of show, and budget. It is far better to have one simple, well-developed theme than a hodge-podge of splashy effects.
Key #4: “Don’t Confuse Booth Design With Anything Else!”
Your booth is not a brochure. Don’t include too many details and don’t overdo fancy fonts or effects. It’s also not an advertisement. Don’t design to “sell” – trade shows are rarely about closing deals on the spot.
Your booth’s job is to start a dialog between you and appropriate prospects. Or to inform current customers about new ways you can serve them.
Key #5: “Look with Your Customer’s Eyes”
You need to understand how a display is “read” – much like a webpage – starting at the upper left and then across to the right and downwards in a Z-like fashion. Approaching prospects look for clues about whether to stop. Give them a “headline” in the top third of your display area, with your name, major brand, or tagline.
They will then look for product or service category and major benefits. Finally, they may want to see “trust indicators” such as industry credentials, a client list, or testimonials.
Keep all text and important pictures above the sight line, use photos recognizable at a distance, and size your lettering about an inch for every three feet it must be read.
Don’t use too many words, and better to use a few perfect photographs than too many. The best way to balance all these requirements is to use an artist experienced with large format design.
Use these keys to design your booth – and you will attract the right prospects to meet your show goals!
There are only three important things to remember after a show:
1. Follow-up
2. Follow-up
3. Follow-up.
TURNING LEADS INTO CONTACTS and RELATIONSHIPS INTO SALES
Fact: 89% of exhibitors go with the intention of gathering leads, but only 21% of the leads are followed up on. Don't let this happen to you!
Unless you went in the interests of winning a prize for your booth, or for a working vacation in a conference hall, we can assume your participation at the trade show was about creating or maintaining relationships with current or potential customers.
1. Always follow up with your leads, in a timely fashion. Contact your leads while their contact with you is fresh in their mind. This also allows you to demonstrate that you are true to your word.
2. Have a "lead fulfillment" system for following up in place before you go to the show - then use it. Also, be prepared with materials you will need in advance, including letter or email templates.
3. Make it personal if possible. Here is where you will reap rewards from noting down details from your conversation with them, about their concerns or interests. You will be more likely to remember them, and they will have an easier time pulling up your memory as well. They will be flattered by the attention, and this will put you steps ahead.
4. If you receive an attendee list, don't hesitate to contact people that did not get a chance to visit your booth. Chances are, they have forgotten who they visited.
EVALUATE YOUR TRADE SHOW EXPERIENCE
1. Meet with your booth staff and ask about their experiences. Did the layout work? The materials? The giveaways? Were there questions no one was prepared for? What are their recommendations for the next time?
2. What changes did you make onsite? Take note of what changes you made and evaluate their impact. Modify your preparation guidelines / checklist for future events to incorporate what you have learned. Don't expect yourself to remember next time, and don't make yourself re-invent the wheel.
3. Check your stats compared to your expectations. Were your goals met? Was this show a good match for your current business needs? Evaluate viable lead ROI.
IN SUMMARY:
Before the show: set goals and make sure everyone knows how to accomplish them. At the show - have everything working together towards reaching your goals. After the show - follow-up, evaluate and track your results against your goals.
