In the past, I’ve written tons of articles for salespeople on ways they will drastically increase the number of orders and accounts they carry back from a tradeshow floor. I wholeheartedly stand by that advice. From a producer’s perspective, trade shows really are excellent thanks to making a year’s worth of sales in only a couple of days. But during this article, I would like to supply some advice to business owners and executives. That’s because I’ve worked with enough of you to understand that tradeshow booths and exhibits aren’t just an opportunity to form money – they’re also a considerable expense, sometimes running into the many thousands or millions.
That’s not the type of cash anyone wants to throw away. And so, while your front-line salespeople could be dreaming of a replacement car or dwelling, you’ve got budgets, revenue projections, and shareholders to affect. You do not have the posh of hoping your next tradeshow works out the proper way… you would like to seek out ways to form things happen.
And so, for all of you working hard at the highest, I offer a couple of the way to double the profits from your next tradeshow:
Have a game plan.
I’m usually an enormous fan of letting sales managers and departments do their thing without tons of out of doors interference. When it involves planning a tradeshow, however, I counsel you to urge involved and confirm that there is a game plan in situ to shut the maximum amount of business possible. From positioning to marketing materials, tradeshow discounts to floor models, confirm everything is about up for enormous success.
Don’t save a couple of dollars from losing a couple of thousand.
Flights, hotel rooms, and other expenses are likely to be inflated from the week before the tradeshow to the week after. That’s a pain, but don’t let it stop you from booking the only convenient options available. You would like your team exposure fresh, relaxed, and excited to seek out business.
Use professional exhibitors.
Lots of companies recoil from using professional exhibitors and demonstrators because they appear sort of a waste of cash. After all, who can boast your products better than your own sales and marketing staff? The matter thereupon thinking is that the majority of your employees aren’t getting to be solid public presenters; and if you’ve got a couple of that are, that’s all the more reason to possess them available to figure with clients who need private demonstrations, not engaged showing off the essential features of your newest line.
Invest in training.
If it looks like my whole column is advice on ways you ought to spend money, I apologize. But the very fact of the matter is that I’ve seen too many sales departments that skimped on preparing their teams after the corporate has spent six or seven figures fixing the tradeshow. That’s no thanks to the plan, in no thanks to the beginning of the tradeshow a winner. Good tradeshow sales training is often accomplished during a day or two for a fraction of what you’re spending on travel, so ignore the expense and remember the investment.
Get the foremost sales, not the fastest.
As I constantly remind salespeople of my seminars, your odds of getting an order fall drastically once you and your prospect have both left the tradeshow… but they do not drop to zero. Having a robust system for capturing the names of decision-makers, and following up with them after the show has ended, do make a massive difference in how you view the results of your tradeshow a couple of months down the road. Do what you’ll to get accounts and orders while you’re on-site, but don’t hand over on those that got away. Albeit you simply find yourself closing two or three out of ten, those are still better numbers than you’d achieve from cold calling or spam, so get the foremost out of some time and money by winning the sales that are there to be won.
Carl Henry may be an adviser. He focuses on helping companies within the selection of top sales and customer service talent. Carl is additionally a licensed Speaking Professional and, therefore, the author of several books and articles associated with sales, sales management, and customer service. He conducts seminars and webinars for clients worldwide.
