As a small business coach in the Chiropractic industry, I speak at a few events and put up a table. It's not a big trade show sort of deal, but there is traffic walking by our table.
What are some good practices to pull people in and educate them on what we offer (coaching, audio programs, retreat, etc.)?
Trade shows are excellent for:
1. Exposure - getting your name out there to the industry. If you are looking to get established (i.e. you are just starting out) attending let's others "discover" you. If you are established it let's others know you are still in the game.
2. Recon - you get a chance to literally MEET some of your competition. Grab their marketing materials and even take time to meet them (sometimes strategic alliances are possible!). You may also discover some trends in the industry that you can integrate into your strategy. As well trade shows can be great networking events. Be sure to collect as many business cards as you hand out.TIP: make notes on the back of the card to remind you why you took it so you'll remember the conversation when you get back home! Then take the initiative and follow up IMMEDIATELY.
3. Lead Generation (this seems to be specific to what you are asking) - gathering contact info from those that expressed interest and getting them into your funnel. I have developed some excellent ways to do this - to get them into the booth (or over to your table) and to engage them.
4. Sales - if you have product on-hand (which I HIGHLY recommend) or a way for people to "sign up" then and there you can actually generate pretty good income for the day. My goal for every trade show is to generate AT LEAST as much income from the booth as I spent to get there (so I AT LEAST break even for the event).
If you are interested in discovering more about how to do these things - give me a call.
Have fun... And best of luck to you!
I work in an industry that has been dominated by another company for more than 20 years. At our national association's annual conference, I have access to 750-1000 prospects passing by my booth and the many others in the room. However, the work we do is SIGNIFICANTLY different from this long-standing competitor. In fact, the only way a prospect would ever choose to work with us is if they fully understand the differences and that takes time. In other words, we had to find a way to spend 3-5 minutes with 50-60 of our best prospects...as opposed to 5-10 seconds with each of 1000 prospects.
We have been incredibly successful because our booth was designed to immediately separate our 80/20 Rule prospects from the rest...to create a VIP experience that brought those prospects in to our booth...and afforded us the time we needed to visit with them at length, explaining the real value proposition we offer our clients that nobody else in the industry can.
If this sounds like the sort of situation you find yourself in, and you'd like to spend some time talking about some specific suggestions that will allow you the same opportunities, I invite you to schedule a call. It's worked for us and I'm quite positive I can share some strategies that we've used...strategies that will help you get what you need out of YOUR next show.
Thanks!
Jay
It is critical to create awareness of your presence at the event prior to being there. If you use social media platforms, attendees connected to the event will start noticing your posts on the SM platforms. At the event it is important to speak with whoever walks by and make eye contact with them. I always recommend to simply network with the attendees and avoid "selling" them your services. Creating relationships is crucial. If you go to different events, your industry colleagues will start noticing your presence at various events. Create "breathing rooms" for the people you are networking with. It is all about building relationships. Good luck!
I'd suggest a few different ideas, the way you word your messaging, etc is crucial. Let me know if youd like to hop on a call.
