Four Ways To Dramatically Improve Your Trade Show Sales
There are ways to significantly boost your trade show sales rate and your booth staff’s success at getting leads and closing on the show floor. Studies of successful trade show exhibitors show several key processes that are consistent among the exhibitors that meet their sales and marketing goals at trade shows.
Here's the top four tips; if you've been doing it wrong, a few simple changes in your approach might make a world of difference in your trade show profitability.
Light Box Displays help attract attention
Large monitors help with product demos.
What You Might Be Doing: Describing your Products Features and Capabilities to Visitors
What You Should Be Doing: Asking Visitors a Few Good Questions
Every other exhibitor at the show has been talking the ears off of the attendee who’s about to enter your exhibit. Don't be just another talking head!
We’ve all heard the adage that prospects only listen to one radio station: WII-FM (What’s In It For Me?). So if you’re using up valuable time talking about what you think might be their problem, or about some one else's problems, you’re not discovering what’s keeping your prospect up at night.
Trade shows give you the opportunity to ask the visitors what their problems are, so you can tailor your demo to their specific needs. Don't waste that opportunity!
Ask them about their problems. Get specific. And once you know their problems, you can gently shoo them away if your products don't fix their problems. Just that simple qualification process saves time, leading to increased trade show sales all by itself.
If you find that they have a problem that fits your solution, then you can show how your product can make that problem disappear.
Be sure to dig deep enough to find out what the real problem is. Maybe your prospect manufactures widgets and their production capacity is limited. Your first thought might be to show them how your product can increase their capacity. But maybe the real problem isn’t how many they make, but rather the cost per unit. Before you can suggest a solution, be sure you have a solid understanding of the customer’s problem.
Trade shows are a unique environment where people come looking to find something that will solve a particular problem.
If your product does help, show them how - and now, you know which points to emphasize. You can use them to show how your product or service solves that their problem quickly, economically and simply (or in whatever way matters most to them).
While you do the demo, ask a few more questions:
- how did that prospect hear about your company?
- what made them choose this particular show to attend?
- did someone refer them to your booth?
The answers to these questions will give you valuable insights that will help your future marketing plans.
What You Might Be Doing: Negotiating Based On Price
What You Should Be Doing: Adding Value
It doesn’t take a great salesperson to sell a product cheaper than the competition by cutting the profit margin.
What separates good selling from great selling is being able to show how your product adds value, even if it costs more than your competitor’s.
When closing on a prospect, ask yourself this question:
“How can I add value to my product or service so this prospect will see my offering as the best solution available?”
Maybe you didn’t do a perfect job of digging up what the prospect’s primary needs were on the show floor. If not, now’s the time to tackle this. Show them how your product or service is better than the competition’s (based on their unique and specific needs).
Hanging signs increase your visibility
What You Might Be Doing: Saying “We’ll Talk Soon”
What You Should Be Doing: Asking For A Time Frame
Spell things out for your prospect so he or she understands the next steps. And keep hold of the reins. In other words, you want to be the one driving the process from here on out, not waiting for them to steer.
Ask when the company will be making a decision on the product or service you’re selling. This will do two things: first, it tells you how serious they are. If they don’t know when they want to buy, you might question if they’re going to buy. Secondly, asking when they’ll be deciding tells you how to handle your lead follow-up.
Is your prospect from a big-name company that won’t make a decision for a year? If so, you can put more of your immediate efforts into the start-up that’s ready to make a quick decision.
The big-name company will still be there a few months down the road.
What You Might Be Doing: Using a Tired Old Trade Show Display
What You Should Be Doing: Using a Trade Show Booth That Will Maximize Your Trade Show Investment.
Exhibiting at trade shows is expensive. But it can be incredibly profitable! Working to improve your trade show sales also means having the right trade show booth. If what you’ve been using has grown old and worn out after a few too many shows, or doesn't fit your growing needs, American Image Displays can help. Let us show you how to improve your exhibit, with everything you need to tell your story and attract attention on the show floor.
We'll ask you some good questions, and then we’ll show you what we can achieve. Call (888) 977-8076 or email [email protected].
PS. If you are starting to wonder if trade shows are a good investment of time and resources, read the Top 15 reasons why exhibit at trade shows, and make sure you're getting all the benefits you can from your trade show marketing.
