3 Strategies for Trade show Success

In the past two to three weeks, I’ve been working with a client to get them ready for the trade show success. I’m going to share with you what we’ve been working on and some strategies that have worked for me in the past, along with what we’re currently focusing on.

Trade Show Preparation and Invitation Strategies

Now, for trade show success, there are some things that you need to do before and during the event. Before the trade show, what you want to do is to invite a few people.

If you’ve been trying to reach out to Company XYZ or a bunch of people without a reason to call them, now is a good reason.

You can call a list of potential customers and invite them to the show, especially if you have tickets to give away. Usually, presenters receive tickets to distribute among their network.

You can call them up and say, “Hey, it’s me from Company XYZ, I wanted to invite you to this trade show, TradeCon, or whatever the name of your show is. We’re going to be there, it’s going to be fantastic with coffee, draws, and some fun activities. Would it be alright if I send you an email reminder and email you the tickets?”

After getting their email, you can follow up, mentioning your booth number and section, and express your excitement to meet them.

Then, the day before the event, send them an email reminder. Don’t forget this step; you don’t want to waste the effort you put into making that phone call. These are potential clients.

Networking at a Trade Show

You can also call potential referral partners and invite them to the show. For example, if you run a landscaping company and a potential referral partner for you is a concrete company, and you’re both going to the Home Show, you would call the concrete company and say, “Hey, it’s me from the landscaping company.

Clients often ask me about concrete, and I could potentially refer business to you. So, I’d like to invite you over and see how we might be able to do business together.” Again, ask for their email, send them the reminder and ticket, and have them come by.

Part two, before the show, usually, you would get a list of all the vendors that are going to be there. Some of these vendors could be potential customers or referral partners.

Identify them and call them up, saying, “Hey, it’s me. I just saw you on the list. I’m super excited about this show, and we’re going to be there. I’d love to meet you while I’m there. Would you be open to grab coffee, wine, beer, water, dinner?” By giving them a heads up, introducing yourself, and sharing information about your company, you increase the chances of them noticing you at the event.

Improving Engagement and Sales at Trade Shows

While you’re at the show, if you meet a potential customer or referral partner, and you can take some time off to meet with them, do it. Even if it means shutting down the booth temporarily. That one customer or referral partner could significantly increase your sales. So, establish rapport, tell them what you do, and either sell them then and there or set up a meeting for later. You want to keep prospecting.

Networking and Prospecting at a Trade Show

One quick and important thing about engaging people: Years ago, we would sit at the booth, smiling and offering candy or pens, but there was no real engagement. So, I decided to move in front of the booth and start engaging people directly.

When people walked by, I would ask them a question that almost always got a “no” for an answer. For example, “Do you know about Product ABC?” If they said no, I’d offer a quick intro. Then, I’d qualify them by asking about their line of work.

If they were qualified, I’d do the intro and demonstration, grab their contact info, and try to book an appointment. If they weren’t qualified, I’d ask for a referral.

Effective Lead Generation

Another important aspect of going to the show is list building. This involves gathering contact information from potential clients through a draw or a deal. But one big mistake people make is doing nothing with the stack of business cards they collect.

So, use an app to scan the business cards and enter them into your CRM. Send them follow-ups and put them on your monthly email list. Don’t abandon the list; it’s a waste of time and money.

These are a few things we’ve been working on with our clients over the past few weeks. Try them out, they work! And don’t underestimate the power of these strategies.

Following Up on Leads for Trade Show success

If you have questions, send me a private message, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

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Have a great trade show, have fun, and good luck growing your business!

Mostafa Hosseini,

your business and marketing coach.