Attending a trade show can be a lot of work, but if you have a concrete plan going in, then there's no need to stress. Below are six tips on how you can get the most out of attending a trade show.
1. Inform customers of upcoming trade shows
When planning to attend a trade show, let your customers know when the show is and that you will ask any questions they have of the manufacturers who are attending. This would be a good email blast topic once or twice before the show. It will also give your customers a heads-up that you will be gone for a few days and paying in advance would be appreciated.
2. Plan ahead
Sure, you want to have some fun and renew old acquaintances at events like trade shows, but your primary reason for being there is work. There are four reasons to attend these events, and in descending order of importance they are: education, more education, deals, and fun.
Manufacturers and company product managers put a lot of work into organizing and getting ready for these shows. They are 100 percent ready to answer every question you may have. They are also ready to teach you the best ways to demonstrate their products and handle objections.
Make a list of the products you want to learn more about and what your selling challenges are. If you are consistently getting objections that are hard to handle, a trade show is the place to speak to the manufacturers and learn the answers.
Click here for some questions to consider before attending a trade show.
3. Downsize your inventory
There are products that are on special every year with excellent deals: screwdrivers, consumables, toolsets, etc. Do your best to run your inventories down on those products before the show. Have your own promo to unload them. Use them as a BOGO and create some fun. It would be a shame to get to the show and be overloaded with product X just when the show has some super-duper special and you can’t take advantage of it.
4. Tabulate your spending at the show
Some of the better trade shows have software to help their jobbers continuously tabulate their spending so you don’t go over budget. If you attend a show that doesn’t offer this helpful aid, take a break once or twice a day to reconcile where your spending is. If you take a few moments during the day you won’t have to use your evening time doing it.
5. Make a sale at the show
If you find an interesting product, call your customers from the show floor. You may just sell the product before you even have a chance to order it.
6. Attend product training sessions
Most shows have several schoolroom product training sessions. Some are hosted by important manufacturers and some are hosted by the company whose show you are attending. Attend them. Yes, you might have been selling that product well, but there is always something new to learn ... and maybe there is a new product they are introducing that you know nothing about. If you attend a training session that does not offer a great feature, advantage, benefit demonstration, stay late and ask for one. The best companies have their demos in writing.
