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Trade Shows / 04.30.14 / By Chase Howells

GUEST BLOG – Tradeshow Success: Preparation is Key

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By Rita Ortloff, Marketing Manager, Initial Call, Inc.ritaortloff

I am well aware of the painful bite that a tradeshow can take out of a marketing budget. But I also know that, as much as I love a business world that has evolved to include web-based meetings and telecommuting, there is something to be said for meeting face-to-face with others in your industry. Nothing can take the place of it. Tradeshows still matter.

The dollars required for travel, booth registration, staff expenses and attendence at a conference can be staggering… which is why it helps to prepare in meaningful ways so that a show provides a real and measurable return on investment. Otherwise, you return from a whirlwind week of handshaking with nothing to show for it but a handful of business cards and jet lag.

Step #1: Prepare

At Initial Call, we recommend you start with pre-show preparation. Most forget this simple step. Make a list of your goals for the show. Are you there to gain clients? Meet suppliers? Spy on your competition? Although tradeshows are great places for chance meetings, we suggest you make calls prior to the show to set up meetings during the event. Even if it’s just a quick stop by the booth to say hello, having pre-scheduled appointments makes your tradeshow efforts intentional. Too busy just trying to get yourself to the show to worry about calling? Hire an outside firm to handle this for you. Initial Call does this sort of work all the time with great success.

Step #2: Work the show

This part is what we think of when we think of tradeshows: standing in your booth shaking hands with everyone and feeling like a desperate politician. But this part matters. Have accessible handouts that are simple to read with clear ways to reach you after the show. Some shows work better if you have a gimmick. A prize or fun chachkies to hand out are always good. But here’s the real kicker: have a system for following up with any potential leads. Whether it’s separating those promising business cards from the rest, or marking them in some way, make sure you have a method for finding those leads after the show! Otherwise what’s the point? In addition to manning your own booth, get out there and walk the floor and meet others. The same rules apply: have a system for logging and following up with any leads you may encounter.

And finally, Step #3: Follow-up.

After days out of the office at a tradeshow, it’s easy to let that envelope full of potential leads grow cold while you’re dealing with everything you missed while you were gone. However, this is a huge cause for missed opportunities. Make a commitment to reach out to those leads immediately when you return. If your business is such that you simply cannot spend the time following up, we recommend you hire an outside firm to do this work. Simply adding the names to your database and following up with a phone call dramatically increases the likelihood that your tradeshow investment will pay off. And isn’t that what tradeshows really are, an investment?  Make sure the next show you attend is a success!
So, Now What?

Feeling overwhelmed? Take heart! We love to help our clients with the gritty part of the communications game.  You have a business to run and products to sell! Let us make your pre-show calls, follow-up with your leads, and in some instances we can even work your booth at the tradeshow.

Make your 2014 tradeshow dollars count.  

Sincerely,

Rita Ortloff
Marketing Manager, Initial Call, Inc.

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About Initial Call

If you need help with sales, it’s time you spoke with us. We’re a firm of high-caliber sales consultants providing everything you want in your permanent employees, but with all the benefits of contracting.

Yes, we do appointment setting. But let’s be clear, we are not a call center, nor are we merely telemarketers. We are much more.

Are we right for you? Contact your FrontLine Exhibits account manager to discuss further.

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