You have a chance to put your business on display at a small business trade show or networking event. If you choose to participate as an exhibitor, you need to leverage that opportunity and turn it into a business generator.
In an earlier post, I discussed that I generally prefer to attend events rather than participating as an exhibitor. I am a strong networker and feel too confined standing behind a table. Besides, it's far more cost effective, in my opinion, to attend rather than exhibit. But if you enjoy exhibiting and want to build your prospect pipeline, there are things you can do to improve your response rate and get a better return on your investment.
Get a prime location
The front and back of the venue are undesirable. Register early and negotiate or pay for a key location somewhere in the middle or on an end. For first-come, first-serve events, it pays to arrive early and claim a key spot. Also, find out what the rules are for visual obstructions and noise. I've participated in some of the largest trade show events in the country and I appreciated that my neighbors could not obstruct my view, access to my booth or noise. If you feel that a neighbor is detracting from you, find a show manager and complain. If they don't solve the problem, ask to be moved or get your money back.
Invite people in
I don't like shows where people stand behind tables. I will often move the table to the back or remove it altogether. I want people to come into my space and out of the aisle. If you can get them to stop, you can have a deeper conversation and qualify them.
Keep it simple
You don't need to put all of your products on display. Sell yourself. If you sell insurance or pre-paid legal services and people aren't in the market for your product, they'll blow right past your table or booth. But, if you focus on selling yourself by making eye contact, greeting people and asking them what they do, they'll engage you.
Don't be a "Mr. Cheeseburger"
I worked a number of manufacturing trade shows for several years. There was one gentleman who was always at the same shows. His booth never had any traffic. Either he was in someone else's booth talking or telling jokes, or his was in his booth eating a cheeseburger or pizza. His appearance was sloppy and he always had grease stains on his shirt or tie. Hence the name we gave him..."Mr. Cheeseburger". Stay in your booth and be professional.
Business Card Raffles
DO NOT hold a business card raffle. If you are going to give something away, collect information that will help your business. I use a small entry form that explains that all information must be filled out to be eligible to win a prize. I ask for name, telephone number, business, email, website and mailing address. Then I ask them to check off products or services they would like to learn more about. Then I ask when they might be making a purchasing decision - now, 30 days, 60 days, 90 days or longer. I now have information that I can put into my contact management system.
Make them return to your booth or table
When I give something away, I always give away one prize every hour. I tell them I have a drawing at the top of the hour and that you must be present to win. I always get a crowd to gather just before the drawing. I draw an entry, look at it and say, "Before I announce the winner, I just want to remind you what my business is." I use this to give a 2-3 minute sales pitch. Then, I announce the winner. If there is no winner, I draw until I get a winner.
Promotional Giveaways
I'm not a big fan of handing out promotional items when I exhibit. But, if you are going to give something away, it needs to be something useful. As I write this, I can identify 14 items on my desk that I've gotten from companies at events. I have five pens, two coffee mugs, a thumb drive, a ruler, a couple of letter openers, a highlighter, a stress ball, and a floatable key chain. These are all things I use regularly.
Tag Team Approach
I've trained a lot of companies in trade show marketing. I always recommend a tag team approach. One person is the "scout" who engages people. The "scout" greets people and qualifies them. Once the scout determines that there is a fit, he/she introduces them to an "expert". The expert is the person/people who find out more about the prospect's needs and further qualifies the prospect. It's the expert's job to collect contact information and rate the quality of the opportunity.
Rating System
I rate every single prospect that I talk to. I use the A-F grading system. An "A" lead is one that I am confident will become a client/partner relationship. A "B" is a warm lead. "C" is a cool lead. A "D" or "F" are not worth following up.
Follow Up
Once the show is over, the work begins. You need to follow up every qualified lead. Sort your leads according to grade. Then, make immediate contact with the "A" and "B" leads while you are still fresh in their minds. Most people don't do a good job following up after exhibiting at a show or event. If you do, you'll be a step ahead of most of your competitors.
If you follow these simple tips, you'll be a better exhibitor and earn a better return on your marketing investment.
For more information about how BTK & Associates can help you become a better trade show and event marketer, visit www.btkmarketing.com or call 317.493.8964.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
To Exhibit or Not to Exhibit? That is the question?
This past week, I attended a new "networking" event that debuted in Indianapolis. The purpose of this event was to give business owners, entrepreneurs and sales people a chance to peddle their products and services to each other and attendees. The question that I was asked by a few people that exhibited or attended this event was, "Do you think it's better to be an exhibitor or to simply attend and network?"
The same question can be asked about a chamber of commerce trade show event or small business expo you'd find in other cities. Are these events really worth it or are there better uses of your networking time and energy. It depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Let's look at some of the things you should consider.
Cost
How much does it cost to purchase a table or booth? They can range from $50 for smaller events to thousands for very large, multi-day events. You need to determine you overall cost of exhibiting and then calculate how much business you need to close from the contacts you make at the show. Let's say the table costs $200. Add in printing of sales collateral, signage, and promotional give-aways. I then figure in my time. Just for example, let's say you are an attorney that bills out at $175 per hour. If you have an hour of set up and and hour of tear down and the event is eight hours long, you've suddenly got almost $1,600 plus your other expenses...for a total cost of $2,000.
Location
Just like any other business, location is extremely important. Is the event easily accessible? Are people going to take the time to drive there? And, is there enough parking for exhibitors and guests? In the case of this particular event in Indianapolis, the parking was very limited and people who did park further away had to track through mud. And there were several cars that simply left because there were no parking spots.
Timing
When is the event scheduled? If it's during the weekday, are people going to be able to take time off from their jobs to attend? Will people actually fight noon time or rush hour traffic to make their way to an event? Personally, I believe small business trade shows are better attended if they are held on Fridays; psychologically they can finish their work week and attend an event without feeling the pressure our guilt of returning to work.
Exposure
Does your table or booth stand out? Every show has prime real estate. Where your table or booth is positioned within the flow of traffic is critical. If you are in the very front, people will often blow right by you. If you are located in the back, people may never get to you. At this particular event, I went through the same room five times before I finally found one of my vendors who was located around a corner behind a door. Her location was horrible.
Goals
What do you want to accomplish? For some people, they like standing behind a table all day and engaging in chit chat with people who stroll by. But it's kind of like fishing in the same spot all day in hopes of landing the big one that swims by. When you are exhibiting, you really don't have time to become engaged with other businesses or with many of the people attending. And let's face it, most people who exhibit have no idea how to effectively work their booth. But, I'll address that issue in another post.
Audits
One other VERY IMPORTANT thing to ask an event organizer is for an audit. If you invest $1,000 in an event and they sell you on the point that there is going to be 5,000 people in attendance and only 1,000 actually show up. Your cost per person went from an anticipated 20 cents to $1. That's an increase of 500%.
If the organizers are not able to produce an independent audit, then understand that their numbers may very well be inflated or include other exhibitors and workers. Ask for a list of attendees from a previous show or after the event. You are looking for the number of attendees. If they are proud of their attendance, they'll share it. If not, they've probably got something to hide.
Goals
The next time you have the opportunity to either exhibit or attend an event, you need to think about what you want to accomplish. Do you want to generate qualified leads? Do you just want to build your brand awareness? Do you want to form strategic relationships? If you don't have a clear goal in mind, then you are wasting time and money.
For me, I prefer to simply attend these events. My goal is to find potential vendors, business partners, and a few potential clients. But I never go into these events thinking I'm going to land the big fish. I don't need to invest a lot of time and money and have found that I am much more productive as an attendee. I've learned that I can build stronger relationships with both exhibitors and attendees in the days and weeks following an event simply by applying my networking skills.
For more information on how BTK & Associates can help you leverage your next trade show opportunity, visit btkmarketing.com or call 317.493.8964.
The same question can be asked about a chamber of commerce trade show event or small business expo you'd find in other cities. Are these events really worth it or are there better uses of your networking time and energy. It depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Let's look at some of the things you should consider.
Cost
How much does it cost to purchase a table or booth? They can range from $50 for smaller events to thousands for very large, multi-day events. You need to determine you overall cost of exhibiting and then calculate how much business you need to close from the contacts you make at the show. Let's say the table costs $200. Add in printing of sales collateral, signage, and promotional give-aways. I then figure in my time. Just for example, let's say you are an attorney that bills out at $175 per hour. If you have an hour of set up and and hour of tear down and the event is eight hours long, you've suddenly got almost $1,600 plus your other expenses...for a total cost of $2,000.
Location
Just like any other business, location is extremely important. Is the event easily accessible? Are people going to take the time to drive there? And, is there enough parking for exhibitors and guests? In the case of this particular event in Indianapolis, the parking was very limited and people who did park further away had to track through mud. And there were several cars that simply left because there were no parking spots.
Timing
When is the event scheduled? If it's during the weekday, are people going to be able to take time off from their jobs to attend? Will people actually fight noon time or rush hour traffic to make their way to an event? Personally, I believe small business trade shows are better attended if they are held on Fridays; psychologically they can finish their work week and attend an event without feeling the pressure our guilt of returning to work.
Exposure
Does your table or booth stand out? Every show has prime real estate. Where your table or booth is positioned within the flow of traffic is critical. If you are in the very front, people will often blow right by you. If you are located in the back, people may never get to you. At this particular event, I went through the same room five times before I finally found one of my vendors who was located around a corner behind a door. Her location was horrible.
Goals
What do you want to accomplish? For some people, they like standing behind a table all day and engaging in chit chat with people who stroll by. But it's kind of like fishing in the same spot all day in hopes of landing the big one that swims by. When you are exhibiting, you really don't have time to become engaged with other businesses or with many of the people attending. And let's face it, most people who exhibit have no idea how to effectively work their booth. But, I'll address that issue in another post.
Audits
One other VERY IMPORTANT thing to ask an event organizer is for an audit. If you invest $1,000 in an event and they sell you on the point that there is going to be 5,000 people in attendance and only 1,000 actually show up. Your cost per person went from an anticipated 20 cents to $1. That's an increase of 500%.
If the organizers are not able to produce an independent audit, then understand that their numbers may very well be inflated or include other exhibitors and workers. Ask for a list of attendees from a previous show or after the event. You are looking for the number of attendees. If they are proud of their attendance, they'll share it. If not, they've probably got something to hide.
Goals
The next time you have the opportunity to either exhibit or attend an event, you need to think about what you want to accomplish. Do you want to generate qualified leads? Do you just want to build your brand awareness? Do you want to form strategic relationships? If you don't have a clear goal in mind, then you are wasting time and money.
For me, I prefer to simply attend these events. My goal is to find potential vendors, business partners, and a few potential clients. But I never go into these events thinking I'm going to land the big fish. I don't need to invest a lot of time and money and have found that I am much more productive as an attendee. I've learned that I can build stronger relationships with both exhibitors and attendees in the days and weeks following an event simply by applying my networking skills.
For more information on how BTK & Associates can help you leverage your next trade show opportunity, visit btkmarketing.com or call 317.493.8964.
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