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Posted: 2006-06-06 / Author: Dennis Conner
Attending Trade ShowsAttending Trade Shows: Almost all products being sold in the market today have already
been sold before by their competitors but what makes other
products a hit despite their being new in the market? Most
entrepreneurs say it is a matter of marketing your products to
your target market.
Marketing can be done in various ways depending on the
expertise of the marketer. However, one common way to market a
new product is through participation in trade shows. Trade
shows are held at any time of the year and they do attract
buyers and prospective customers.
There are general trade shows but you can choose from niche
trade shows depending on your area of business. Companies join
trade shows not so much for actual selling but most importantly
for showing off their products and for the possibility of
getting bulk orders during the trade show.
A company or a sole proprietor planning to join a trade show
should take note of the following:
1. Able personnel to man the trade show booth. A trade show is
not just an ordinary selling venue but it is a venue where
prospective clients abound so make sure that you send your best
personnel to man the booth. Some companies take trade shows for
granted and allow inept personnel to watch the booth. The
people who are put in charge of your trade show booth can make
or break your product. A good staff with public relations skill
can attract more clients to your products. It is also important
to instruct your booth personnel to dress properly depending on
the venue of the trade show. Business attire will always be
safe.
2. Invite visitors to your booth. The booth personnel must be
trained and instructed to invite visitors to the booth. Most
visitors walk away from trade show booth when they see the
staff busy with their own thing. Tell your staff the main
reason why they were assigned to the trade show and that is to
get as many visitors to see your products. Booth personnel
should be able to answer questions from the visitors because
the visitors may already be potential customers. A booth demo
will catch the attention of visitors especially if the demo is
useful to them.
3. Prepare your brochures, leaflets and business cards and make
sure you do not run out of them. Always expect plenty of people
to visit trade shows so never be caught without your marketing
tools. Imagine if a potential client asks for your brochure or
your card and then you cannot give him anything just because
you did not prepare for an influx of people. It is better to
have plenty of left over marketing materials after the show
rather than miss the opportunity of showing off what you have
to offer.
4. Keep a visitors’ book. Most companies who join trade shows
require visitors who get their free marketing materials to sign
up in a guestbook. However, only a few of these companies will
communicate with the people who signed in their guestbook. Be
creative and use the guestbook as a sourcebook for potential
clients. The people who visited your booth and who got your
materials are definitely interested in your products or else
they will not even glance at your booth. Why not take advantage
of their contact information? Mail them a thank you letter
along with more information about the product and where they
can buy the products.
5. Promote your products but do not be too pushy. Visitors are
often turned off by very eager booth personnel who call out to
the visitors using their loudest voice. No one would want to
visit your booth if your personnel are boisterous. Allow the
visitors to go inside your booth and look at the items you have
on display but always keep a welcoming smile. Entertain their
questions and try to respond to them accordingly. Never shout
your words of welcome to the visitors since they might feel
defensive all of a sudden and decide against looking at your
products.
About The Author: The author is a regular contributor to
http://tradeshowstrategies.com where more information about
trade shows is available.
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