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TRADE SECRETS

How to cash in at trade shows.

By Dick Wheeler

Think of your tradeshow exhibit site as a branch office of your firm. Since customer prospects are going to be visiting your booth, you'll want to give them your best look and greet them with your most competent representatives.

Recent exhibit industry reports suggest that prospective buyers attending tradeshows today are often arriving in buying groups ñ consisting of several company representatives with the power to make instant buying decisions right there on the exhibition floor.

According to Tradeshow week's 1999 Data Book, 86% of show attendees either made or influenced buying, 85% had not been called on by a salesperson prior to the show, and 75% left the show having made at least one purchase.

So, take a fresh look at your approach to exhibiting at the next tradeshow. What can you do to present your firmís products or services most effectively? Does your exhibit booth need a tune-up or replacement? Are booth staffers merely there to hand out flyers or are they trained to close potential sales? Have you properly prepared and set clear objectives for your next show appearance?

Here are several tips on how to have a successful tradeshow exhibiting experience:

Select the Right Shows

What shows are your target market prospects and competitors attending? Check out tradeshow directories on the Web. Get statistics for show attendance and a profile of attendees. Consider location of the show site -- if it's a regional event you can count on between 40% to 60% of attendees coming from a 200-mile radius of the show location. Be selective in where you locate your booth on the exhibit floor. Study the floor plan -- avoid dead-end aisles, freight doors, poorly lit corners, and obtrusive columns.

Set Realistic Objectives

Set exhibit goals to reinforce your overall marketing objectives. Make sure the goals are reasonable and attainable, share them with your exhibiting team and set up systems to measure your results and validate your objectives.

Build a Compelling Display

Assess how you want to appear on the exhibit floor. If you have a major new product or service to be presented, youre not going to want to be just another obscure pipe and drape, 10 x 10 footer. Consider using dramatic graphics and adding some elevation to be visible from a distance on the show floor.

New technologies can bring real drama to your booth -- 3D video/laser image displays suspended above, your own interactive Website on large screen, robotics, holographics, waterscreen projections. Take advantage of your exhibit supplierís expertise on graphics, portability and cost management.

Recruit the Right Staff

Although the sales function of your firm is usually fundamental to exhibit booth staffing, you'll want to make sure that you have representatives who match up well with the positions of those who visit your booth. If they are engineers, you'll want your tech people to be available.

If top managers show up, your executives should be expected to be on hand. Be sure they are well trained, enthusiastic and committed to being your ambassadors. After all they have the responsibility of making or breaking future relationships.

Send Pre-Show Notices to Attendees

Tradeshow surveys report that three quarters of show attendees make out their schedule for exhibit visits and seminar attendance in advance. Make sure you are on prospective customersí lists by informing them in advance through direct mail, Email or personal phone calls of your booth location and what you are offering that will interest them. Perhaps offer an incentive as a reason to visit your display. Link it to a direct prospect benefit and make it redeemable only by visiting your exhibit.

Understand Show Services

If you use your own staff to set up your exhibit, you'll probably need to have supplemental assistance from show services at the exhibit hall. These are representatives and union laborers who are skilled in providing a range of support services which include carpeting, furniture, lighting, phones, drayage and security.

Complications can result and costs can run up rapidly for such services if you have not planned properly nor carefully read the rules, regulations and contracts in the exhibitor service manual. By pre-ordering these services 10-30 days prior to the show you can save 10-20% or more on the floor price if you wait. To help you hedge against the unexpected, investigate whether or not your exhibit supplier will handle these functions for you. Many now provide complete set-up coordination for a fee and the burden is on them to ensure a seamless assembly.

Control Costs

Exhibit booth assembly is just one of the many costs involved in launching a successful show. For starters, establish a realistic budget. Pre-plan thoroughly and stick to meeting your deadlines. Last minute charges are costly. Consider portabi

lity when buying a display ñ you can save substantially on new modular portable exhibits that pack and unpack easily and can even be transported by car or shipped as airline baggage.

Consider renting a booth, especially if you are not yet sure about future show appearances. Pack a show box with all the essential handy items one usually scrambles for at the last minute scissors, Velcro, tape, extension cords, stapler, light bulbs, pens, etc. Book travel early and consider Saturday night stay-over rates the extra hotel night might be a lot less than the extra airfare.

Follow Up Immediately

The hard work doesn't end when the show closes -- this is when you have to diligently follow up on all those sales leads. It's best to respond quickly (within 3 to 5 days after the show) and have a well-planned strategy to close sales with these prospects. Industry research shows that sales leads from a tradeshow are closed in half the time and at almost half the cost as leads from other sources.

Consider inputting leads from the show directly into a computerized system and transmitting it daily back to home office staff, who can react immediately by mailing out required information or materials. A good lead management software program is essential to expediting further contact with prospects. Successful tradeshow exhibitors suggest you commit at least a third of your budget to the follow-up process.

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