How to Use a Trade Show to Get Business

How to get a customer to order product from you is a question that most business owners ask themselves every day.

 Getting new customers can be easier said than done at a trade show. Tactics that you use to attract a new buyer at your headquarters might not apply to a trade show situation. After all, you can’t take a visitor to your exhibition to a nice lunch or play a round of golf with a potential client when you have a booth to run.

 There are many ways to use a trade show to get new business. Effectively marketing your company, utilizing trade show displays efficiently and good old fashioned customer service go miles at a trade show.

Marketing your business is nothing new to you, but marketing inside trade show displays might be. You are competing against hundreds of other business who do a variation of the same thing that you do - don’t be the booth that gets skipped because they had a boring exhibition!

Market your exhibition as if it were your sole source of income. You would never open a store that had one poster of a product in the window and no name, right?

Posters, video and banner stands are extremely important at a trade show. Keep posters and banners consistent and simple. You want to create brand familiarity and too many or mismatched themes can confuse a potential client. Televisions provide both light and information, key elements in attracting a patron from a distance.

Have lots of informational brochures, catalogs, and promotional items available. Leave plenty of floorspace open for product demos. An uncluttered booth creates an open, unstressed atmosphere which will keep visitors in your booth longer.

Of utmost importance is your company logo. Your logo is your brand and, when used correctly, will be remembered by visitors. A large banner with your logo and a very brief description of your company should be prominently displayed. Anything given to a visitor should have your logo on it, from brochures to the bag holding promotional items. You can also get your logo or motto printed on almost anything, from table covers

Tradeshow displays can be extremely effective marketing tools. With thousands of options available, your company can dazzle potential clientele with just a few well placed displays, no matter what your budget is.

Too many booths rely on the “table in the front, products in the back” setup. Reverse it: products in the front and tables in the back. Use a small table for sitting and a large table for your “information center”. Use literature holders throughout your booth so that visitors have every opportunity to pick up information. These stands are available from tabletop sized to several feet tall. Small frames containing a brief description placed next to a product can be quite helpful as well.

 Display shelves and surfaces are necessary to keep your products organized and easily viewable. Display your products in an interesting manner and keep it uncluttered - you want your visitors to spend time looking at a decent sized sampling of what you have to offer rather than skim past an overabundance of product.

 Most displays also offer lighting options, from shelving to light boxes. This is an excellent way to make your products or posters really stand out.

 Mismatched displays look unprofessional, which will turn off potential clients very quickly. Maintain one theme throughout your booth.

While a smile and helpful attitude are protocol at headquarters, you’ve got to shine at a trade show. Patrons have been getting pampered all day long with free stuff and exclusive offers. How are you going to stand out?

 In addition to your displays and marketing, you and your employees should attract business as well. A trade show is a constant stream of first impressions and, as you know, you only get one crack at it.

 Dressing and acting professionally will instill a sense of confidence in a visitor. There should always be someone on hand to answer any questions a visitor might have or ask them if they need assistance with anything. If they just want to look around for a while, let your brochures and description frames be the “silent salesman” - being overly helpful can turn away a potential client just as easily as being outwardly rude.