When talking with clients and potential clients I often ask why they are exhibiting at their trade show.  I understand this is an odd question because they will use my services if they are exhibiting, but I want to make sure my clients are exhibiting for the right reasons.  Here are the most helpful questions to ask yourself if you want a successful trade show exhibit:

- Why am I exhibiting at this show?

- Is my target market attending the show?

- Will exhibiting help grow our business?

- I am just exhibiting because I always do…is there anything else I can do to maximize this opportunity?

Does my booth:

- Clearly convey exactly what I do in a way that will solve my target markets problem/pain?

- Allow me to stand out from other exhibits at the show?

- Have a layout that attracts people into the booth rather than repel the potential leads?

- Have an attendee/qualified lead exhibit flow mapped out?

- Contain trade show booth trained exhibit staff with assigned roles and understands their objectives.

Does my strategy include:

- A pre-trade show strategy that will attract qualified leads to our exhibit before the show even begins?

- An at-trade show show strategy that will utilize our unique opportunity to gain brand awareness, roll out a new product, social media opportunities, maximize the number of qualified leads into the booth, which will increase sales?

- A post-trade show follow-up strategy that will yield a high return on investment and successfully get show lead responses and help convert them into sales?

- A trained sales staff that understands the marketing strategy and how to use the social media and other great techniques to increase their lead to sale conversions?

If you answered no to any of these questions or don’t really know what I am talking about here, feel free to contact us for a free exhibitor assessment where we will look at your exhibit design and strategy to provide you with free exhibitor consulting that will help you improve your results and lead to greater success!

Most people give up on their New Year’s resolution workout plan within the first three weeks of January.  Then everything is back to normal at the gym – it’s not crowded.  People come to the gym with the mindset that in one week of lifting weights or walking on the treadmill or taking a cardio-kickboxing class they will see instant weight loss.  The gym provides you with the tools to get you healthy.  But, you need to know how to use them correctly to achieve success.  If no weight loss occurs, people perceive exercise as a waste of time.

In general, the correlation between exercise and diet that results in successful weight loss is simple.  If calories in is less than calories burned, then you lose weight.  This is a simple concept, but weight loss success requires discipline and attention.

Relative to trade shows, if you had access to systems that increased your trade show qualified leads in the range of 50% – 600%, would you use it?  Of course you would.  Now that you have increased your leads, what did you do with them?

Based on CEIR statistics, 79% of all trade show leads are not even contacted.  If you had a tool that would allow you to follow up with a qualified customer before they even left your booth, would you use it?  How many more sales do you think you can make from that show?  I have clients that have not hired me back to help them work their booths because they could not close sales after the show  If no sales, people perceive trade shows as a waste of time.  A closed loop system is necessary. Trade show exhibitors must go into a trade show with a plan, not just for setting up and being there, but also for what happens afterwards.

The correlation between trade show leads and sales is easy to understand.  Success happens when you take the qualified (warm to hot) lead from the trade show floor and proceed toward closing the sale.  Then, track and record your follow up opportunities and finalize as no potential, marketing potential or closed business.  Now you can truly know your return.  This too is simple but requires discipline and attention.

Like exercise, lead generation is invigorating because there is a lot of activity with the hope of great results.  Did you get results?  Could you achieve more?  I want you to have success.  Maintain your focus or hire an expert.  The best is that if you do, not only will you have done your exercise to generate leads, but you will have become fat with sales.