1. Pay attention to paperwork If I can give you only one piece of advice for selling at a trade show, it’s to keep a solid paper trail. By this, I mean:
- Prepare clear signage, pricing and other information for customers.
- Always have literature to hand out — at least a business card and a brochure.
- Track your inventory — know what you came to the show with and what you left with.
- Write down leads, ideas and things to do in a notebook throughout the show.
- Record every sale, so you can reconcile your finances within a few minutes each night or when you return home at the end of the show.
I cannot stress the last point enough. Poorly kept records at a trade show can cause days of struggling to make your accounts balance. You’ll tear your hair out trying to fill in the gaps for missing EFT and cash register receipts, account for missing cash sales or re-counting your inventory. What should take 20 minutes can waste over a week if you don’t pay attention to detail! 2. Make your stand beautiful I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that customers buy dreams and solutions, not products and services. So entice customers into your stand with a mix of hooks and visual merchandising. The hooks are easy — a complimentary good bag and special prices, or even just free lollies and pens work. However, visual merchandising is a skill that takes time to develop:
- Use your wall space. Turn copyright-free images from Flickr or Wikimedia into evocative posters, add words, then get them cheaply printed, laminated or mounted onto foam core.
- Place your most important items between eye and knee level.
- Create groups — put like items together and work in sets of three.
- Rotate displays every day of a longer trade show to entice customers back with a fresh, new look.
- Think outside the square … surprise and delight people with unexpected ways of showcasing your products and services.
- Look for inspiration on the web — Pinterest is the ideal place to search for appealing display ideas.
3. Browse before you sell Trade shows are an industry unto themselves — many businesses make their living from trade stands, so, if you go to enough, you’ll see the same faces again and again. Learn from them! What set-up do they use (mesh, hooks and skateboards are essential trade show equipment)? How do they visually merchandise? What signage do they use? How do they direct foot traffic? How do they bump in (set up) and bump out (pack up)? Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself and ask questions. Yes, technically, other stands are your competition, but there’s a camaraderie to these events, so you never know what friendships and partnerships you may develop. 4. How to sell The key to selling is not to sell — customers are savvy to every trick in the book and are jaded. So instead, aim to:
- Be yourself
- Enjoy yourself.
Essentially, you need to be real, which takes the pressure off both the buyer and seller, and, instead, allows you to start conversations and build rapport. The best conversation starters at trade shows are to ask people where they’ve come from, why they’ve come to an event and/or if they’ve heard of your company, brand or product before. And then … make sure they don’t leave empty-handed. By this, I mean make their day by being delightful and then make sure they leave with at least one brochure that highlights the features and benefits of your product or service and your contact details. For trade events that last longer than one day, potential customers primarily use the first day or two to gather information, which will inform their buying decisions — you want to make sure they’re reading your literature in their hotel rooms at night! 5. Get the goss Trade events are perfect places to network and gather research. If you can, schedule meetings in advance with people of interest you know will be in attendance — there’s always somewhere you can grab coffee and have a quiet chat. This is where having at least one other person to fill in on your stand is vital. Also be prepared for chance encounters. This is where my tip about enjoying people really pays off — unless you start conversations simply for the sake of making someone’s day or having fun while you work, you’ll never know connections or opportunities are passing through your stand. While you’re talking to people, get the low-down on what else they’re buying or finding most useful at the event. And observe what type of people are attending — you’ll soon discover very distinct demographics go to particular days of events that extend over multiple days. This will help you target your sales in the future. 6. Look after your health Finally, a magnificent performance is only possible if you look after yourself at a trade show. My top four health tips are:
- Wear comfortable shoes because you’ll be on your feet all day!
- Keep hydrated with electrolyte drinks and eat healthy food. Trade show snacks are usually full of fat and sugar — not to mention triple the price elsewhere — so do a trip to the supermarket the night before.
- Swap alcohol for early nights. Drinks and late-night socialising are for the “cool kids” at trade events, but make it way too hard to function during the day when you’re doing the work that counts.
- Follow WHS — especially make sure you wear a high visibility vest and enclosed shoes during bump in and out (setting up and dismantling).
