January and February are traditional home show and trade show months. If you are planing on attending one of these events this spring make sure you do more than just show up.
For a small business, the investment in attending a tradeshow is significant. Make sure you get your money’s worth buy keeping these four things in mind.
- Pre-show planning and promotion – Let people know you will be at the event. Contact customers, prospects and vendors and ask them to drop by your booth. Ask conference organizers for a list of attendees. These lists are often available before the event. Review who will be at the event, and develop a plan of attack
- Exhibit and handouts – Remember to leave lots of time to produce your booth and marketing material. ( Typical turnaround time for printing, is about two weeks. Avoid rush charges by starting your design work now. ( Need a little help, call us! )
- At the show – Trade shows are the ultimate “just looking” event. Not everyone who walks into your booth is a good prospect. So don’t treat them all the same. Instead of pushing hard for a sale in your booth, ask lots of questions of visitors. Qualify the contacts and identify the people who will make the best prospects after the show
- After the show – Successful after show follow up begins before the show. Have packages of material prepared and ready to send as soon as you get back. Then all you need to do is include a brief note, and slap a label on the package. Clear your schedule for a few days of post show calls to set appointments and close the sale.