How Salespeople Can Get the Most Out of Their Next Trade Show

What do you think is the most important factor that goes into having a successful trade show? The location of your booth? No. It’s the preparation you do before a show that will help you achieve the best results.

Here’s what you should be doing to prepare so you get the best sales results at a trade show.

You will have a limited amount of productive sales time at a trade show, so you will want to maximize your time with meetings with key prospects or alliance partners. The best way to maximize your time is to plan your schedule before you go.

Some trade shows provide lists of attendees before the show. Use the list to determine which prospects you want to meet. Contact them a few weeks before the show since it’s more likely they’ll have time open on their calendar. Your prospects’ time might be limited if they’re also manning a trade show booth, and you might have to meet early or late in the day. Be flexible and open to scheduling meetings during breaks during the day.

You have work to do if your product or company is not a well-known brand. When you set up your appointment, be sure you are ready with a reason from your prospect’s point of view about why it’s important that he or she should meet with you. Then prepare your prospect with the right expectations.

You want to communicate that your company is trustworthy and competent. You want to demonstrate that your product or service is superior. Tell your prospect that you will be sending him information to review so he can get the most out of the meeting. Sending the information before you meet will also demonstrate that you have attention to detail. You don’t want to use your limited and valuable time to demonstrate your competence and credibility.

The information you send should demonstrate your proof of performance and credibility. You can include customer testimonial letters that highlight company performance and results. You also can create a timeline that shows company recognition and milestones.

Be sure to explain the significance of milestones that might not be understood by a prospect. For example, there is no need to explain a “Best Builder” award if you are in the construction industry, or if you received a well-recognized award from your industry trade association. However, you should explain the significance of the number of qualifiers for an award as well as what an award signifies if your prospects are unfamiliar with it.

Every sales meeting should move you forward in your sales process, and you need to set objectives that accomplish that. The only way for you to know if a meeting is successful is if you achieved an objective. This means that you should set a sales objective for every meeting that you schedule.

Setting sales objectives beforehand forces you to consider the information you want to learn at the meeting and what you want to get that you don’t already have. Consider setting objectives that you can control. For example, you can’t control whether someone gives you a referral or not; however, you can ask for a referral which is in your control.

Set minimum and maximum objectives so you are certain to stay motivated during the entire sales process. You might not achieve the maximum objective of making a sale, but you certainly can achieve the minimum objective of asking for a contact’s name at a particular company. Once you have achieved an objective, you can feel positive knowing that you are moving forward, even if it’s slowly, in your sales process.

With so many qualified buyers gathered in one place, trade shows offer the perfect forum for making a sale. Next time you’re at a trade show, you can save some of your valuable selling time with a little strategic preparation.

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