Trade shows.
Love them? Hate them? Either way, you might benefit from some quick lessons on how to improve your results.
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| The SHOOTING, HUNTING, and OUTDOOR TRADE Show Is held annually in Las Vegas Nevada In January |
We are a little over a week away from the biggest event of
the year for people in the shooting hunting and outdoor world – the annual SHOT
Show.
For me, it is the
biggest show of the year. One of my business partners has already attended the
Dallas Safari club convention, shortly after shot is SCI, and then, in February
is the Great American outdoor show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Archery
Trade Association is sandwiched in-between DSC and SHOT Show- so there’s a good
chance many of you will not be home except for a few days from January through the
end of March!
…Of course, in the meantime you still need to run your business, service your
sales accounts, etc…
During my 20+ year career in executive sales, I set record
after record for trade show lead generation – often developing and bringing back
double the amount of leads as entire teams attending other shows.
How was I able to do that?
As with most things,
having a specific plan and a system will always outperform just "showing
up and seeing what happens."
You can START with the following advice:
You can START with the following advice:
1. Have an absolutely COMPELLING REASON for someone to meet with you or stop by your booth. Often this is in the form of an “Irresistible Offer.” This should be tied to a deadline- at the show or, even MORE SPECIFICALLY at EXACT TIMES during the show. (Hint: See all those RSR carts wheeling around the SHOT show? I’ve often wondered why they are the only ones to do that…)
2. Say what you do in one clear sentence. One of my favorite things to do is to walk
around the floor and see so many companies with
what I call "marketing mistakes.". If you’re not Coke, Pepsi
or Nike then you probably should tell people what you do upfront. If your
company makes machinery that reads your mind, don’t spend money on a sign that
says “technology for you” –
State CLEARLY: WHO ARE YOU? WHAT DO YOU DO? As uncool as it might be, you’re
better off saying something like “Our Machines read your mind”.
3. Set up as many meetings as you can ahead of time. Is your
business (as mine is) with the vendors at the show? Set your meetings
"geographically." Try to spend your day on each area whenever you
can. Are you a vendor? You should have your pipeline full before you even get
there. Many times My entire schedule was booked from the moment I landed until
I fly back home. Many times I eat on the run between appointments.
If you have a break, you’re doing it wrong. If you haven’t set up meetings ahead of time, go do it now. Jump on LinkedIn, email, go walk the floor. Don’t wait for these people to find you, go hunt them down
If you have a break, you’re doing it wrong. If you haven’t set up meetings ahead of time, go do it now. Jump on LinkedIn, email, go walk the floor. Don’t wait for these people to find you, go hunt them down
4. Go to events. After the floor closes don’t go back to
your hotel room, get out there, go to the after party, ask around as to who is
where. Get with industry "insiders" for drinks at the bar and pick up
a round. Mostly, get out there and shake some more hands. It's always worked
well for me.
5. Throw a party.
This one is great, and can really bring results. Invite all of your IDEAL prospects to a “hospitality suite” for an hour. It’ll cost you a few hundred dollars, but if your average customer is worth several hundred to several thousand dollars, ONE customer makes you money and has opened the doors to potentially hundreds of others.
5. Throw a party.
This one is great, and can really bring results. Invite all of your IDEAL prospects to a “hospitality suite” for an hour. It’ll cost you a few hundred dollars, but if your average customer is worth several hundred to several thousand dollars, ONE customer makes you money and has opened the doors to potentially hundreds of others.
6. Focus your efforts. Is your biggest push to get into
retailers? Negotiate contracts or orders with distributors? Interview
manufacturers about their newest and greatest product? Sell to factories? Find
potential partners? Pick your focus and stick to it. The time in Vegas flies
and SHOT Show is huge. You’re better off spending all of your energy on that
one focus, making sure it happens than spreading your resources thin and not
having an impact anywhere.
7. Have a post-SHOT plan. Don’t just take your fistful of
business cards and go back to your office in Wherever Town. Make sure you have
a clear plan of action for after the show is over. How are you following up
with your leads? Did you discover a product and is there a bigger story to
tell? Make sure it aligns with your focus and get it done asap. The longer you
wait to follow up, the less likely it will be to ever turn into a deal.
8. HAVE FUN.
This one should be obvious, as everyone likes to have fun, right?
There’s more to it, though. People like to be around people that are fun. They like to do business with people that they like. I’m amazed at how “serious” some people are at the show- and that includes the people trying to sell tickets, raffles, etc.
This one should be obvious, as everyone likes to have fun, right?
There’s more to it, though. People like to be around people that are fun. They like to do business with people that they like. I’m amazed at how “serious” some people are at the show- and that includes the people trying to sell tickets, raffles, etc.
Any trade show can be a massive opportunity for those who do
it right- and a massive expense to the rest of them. It’s really not all that
complicated – sticking to the basics really works.
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| SHOT Show Industry Day at the Range has grown popular with a large number of vendors- allowing influencers and buyers to "test out" products and then attend SHOT Show the next 4 days. It is also a great example of "Hosting a Party for your Prospects! |
Want more tips on how to get the most from your tradeshow
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