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ASTONERBUNTINGPUBLICATION

MAXIMIZINGYOURROI:HOWTOJUSTIFYYOURTRADESHOWSPEND

AGUIDEFORMARKETERSOFHOME&BUILDINGPRODUCTS

TheTRADESHOWEssentialGuide


TABLEOFCONTENTS

INTRODUCTION• Isthetradeshowdead?

PRE-SHOWPLANNING• Choosingwhichshowstoattend• Settingtherightgoals• 5keystodesigninganeffectivetradeshow

booth• Planningbeyondthebooth

ATTHESHOW• Overview• Thetop5tradeshowmistakes• It’sajungleoutthere• Fromzerotohero• Qualifyingleads:The10-minutetechnique

POST-SHOW• Evaluationandfollow-uptips


INTRODUCTION

Itdependswhoyouask.Industryassociationsandtheorganizationsrunningtheshowswilltellyoutheyarealiveandwell,andattendeesconsistentlyseevalue.Manufacturerswillsaynothingisgoingon,theshowsareslow,nooneisthereanymore,andit’sawasteofeffort.

Whysuchagapinperception?Itcomesdowntowhatthebenchmarkis.Whenmanufacturersseeadeadshow,theyarecomparingcurrentattendancetotheboomyearsofthelate1990sandearly2000swhenhousingandconstructionwereboomingandthehallsofVegaswerepackedwitheagertradesmen.

Conversely,whenorganizersdeclaretheirlatestshowatriumph,theyarecomparingittothedarkyearsof2009and2010,whentheindustrywenttogroundlikefrightenedrabbits.

Thetruth,asever,liessomewhereinthemiddle.Wemayneverseeanythingliketheboomyearsagain,buttherehasbeensignificantrecovery.Andwhilefewerpeoplearewalkingthefloor,thosewhohavespentthemoneyandtimetobethereareseriousaboutdoingbusiness.It’snolongerjustaVegasboondoggle.

Whentheindustrywasbooming,tradeshowpracticesdidn’tmatter– allyouhadtodowasshowupwithadecentbooth.Everyonewassellingasmuchastheycouldmanufacture.Now,inleanertimes,tradeshowparticipationgetstheblamewhenit’sreallytradeshowpracticesthatareatfault.

Tradeshowswillbealosingpropositionforthosewhocontinuetodowhatthey’vealwaysdone,withnogoalsorstrategy.Butembracingthecombinationofpropergoalsetting,pre-showprepandpost-showevaluationwillgiveyouanadvantageatanyshowyouchoosetoattend.

IstheTradeShowDead?


ChoosingWhichShowstoAttendThefirstelementofpre-showplanningisdeterminingwhichshowstoattendinagivenyear.Noteveryshowwillbeworththeinvestment,andit’simportanttofocusontheonesthatwillhavethemostvaluetoyourbusiness.

Avoidexhibitingatnewshowsintheirfirstyear.Forthese– andanyshowthatisnewtoyourcompany– walktheshowforthefirstyeartogetasenseoftheaudienceanddecideifitisworthexhibitingthenextyear.Ifitisyourfirstyearatashow,besuretoaskforadiscountonyourboothspace.Showorganizersareanxioustogetnewbloodandwillgenerallyagree.

LookforopportunitiestopresentseminarsorofferCEUs.Tradeshowsthatareannexedtolargerconventions(likeAIA,forexample)canstruggletogettheattentionofbusyprofessionalsfocusedonkeepingtheircredentialsuptodate.OfferingaCEUcoursegivesthemsomethingmorethanasalespitchinreturnfortheirtime.Showsthatallowyoutopresentgivemorechancestoconnectwithyouraudienceandareabetterinvestment.

Doyourhomeworkonanyshowyouareconsidering.Inadditiontocheckingouttheshow’ssiteforspecsontheaudiencesizeanddemographics,searchforreviewsoflastyear’sshow.Industrybloggersinthearchitectanddesigncommunityareagreatresourceforunvarnishedopinions.

Whenyoudoplantoexhibitatashow,reserveyourspaceassoonaspossibletogetaprimeboothspace.Youdon’twanttogetstuckwiththelocationleftoversassignedtolast-minutebookings.

PRE-SHOWPLANNING


POPQUIZ!WHYAREYOUATTENDING

ATRADESHOW?

Ifyouransweris“tosellmyproduct,”thinkagain.Nooneisbuyingatatradeshow.Theyarekickingtires.Window-shopping.Seeingwhat’snewintheirworld.Especiallyinthehomeandbuildingproductsindustry,wheretheroadtospecificationislongandtherearemultipleaudiencesandinfluencerstoconsider.

Settinggoalswillenableyoutoevaluateshowperformance.Ifyoudon’tdefinesuccessupfront,howwillyouknowwhetheryouachievedit?

Avoidvaguegoals like“increasingsales,”“generatingleads”or“worldpeace.”Beclearandmeasurable– Xnewleads,Ydataupdates.Getanextstepandareasontofollowupwithalead.Thatisthepurposeofattendingtradeshows– fillingthetopofthatfunnelwithsolid,qualifiedleads.

- AllisonSchiding,CreativeStrategistSBA

PRE-SHOWPLANNING


5KeystoDesigninganEffectiveTradeShowBooth

1|RemembertheAudienceOnesizedoesn’tfitall:yourboothneedstoappealtothedemographicofthespecificshow.TheattendeesatafacilitymanagerstradeshowwillhaveverydifferentstandardsforboothdesignthanAIAorNeoCon.

Aboveall,remembertheTradeShowZombie:attendeesareoverwhelmedandover-stimulated.Theyaresurroundedbymoreinformationthantheycanpossibleprocess,sotheystaggerthroughtheshowwithathousand-yardstare.

2|The5-SecondWindowYouhave5secondstoattracttheattentionofattendeeswalkingbyyourbooth.Inthistime,youshouldcommunicate3piecesofinformation:

• Whoyouare• Whatyousell• Whytheyneedit

3|DesignforaCrowdIt’seasytomakeabooththatlooksgoodempty,butwhatwillitlooklikewhenitisfullofpeople?

• Placemessaginghighenoughthatitcanbeseeneveninabusybooth• Eliminateclutter– indesign,inmessaging,andinstaffing

PRE-SHOWPLANNING


4|SkiptheSeating• Chairstemptstafftositdownandlookinattentive• Comfychairsattractloungers:existingcustomerswhohangoutatyourboothanddistractstafffromthejobofgatheringqualifiedleads

5|Show,Don’tTell• Nobodyisgoingtostandaroundreadingyourbooth• Ademoisworthathousandgraphicpanels:ifyoucanshowyourproductinaction,goforit.Butdon’tforceitifitdoesn’tmakesense• Remember– thejobofthegraphicsistogetattentionandsparkinterest.Conveyinginformationistheboothstaff’sjob.

PRE-SHOWPLANNING


PlanningBeyondtheBoothTheboothisn’teverything.Recentfiguresshowthatoutoftheaverage400boothsatatradeshow,thetypicalattendeevisits21.Thatmeansyourboothhasabouta5%chanceofbeingvisitedbyanygivenattendee.

Furthermore,75%oftheirstopsaredeterminedbeforetheyevensetfootontheshowfloor.Sounlessyouwanttorelyonbeingoneofthe5boothsoutof400thatarespontaneouslyvisitedbyanattendee,pre-showpromotioniscriticaltoasuccessfulshow.

Therearemanyopportunitiesforpromotionthroughtheshoworganizersthemselves,fromadplacementsinprograms,emaillistsorbanneradsontheshowwebsite.Youshouldalsopromoteyourshowattendanceandboothlocationinyourplannedadvertisingschedule,socialmediaaccountsandthroughPR.

Planningforashowisanindividualtaskaswellasadepartmentalone.

Startbyreachingouttoyourconnectionsandlettingthemknowyou’llbethere.Findoutwhoisattendingfromyourlistofprospects,customers,mediacontactsandindustrypartners.

Determinewhatnewinformationandupdatesyouneedbasedonthegoalssetfortheshow.Whatdoyouintendtolearnfromnewcontacts?Howaboutexistingprospects?

PRE-SHOWPLANNING


Getthetrainingyouneedtopresenteffectively.Ifyouarepartofalargecompany,thatmeansunderstandingthevaluepropositionforeveryproductordivisionthat’spartofthebooth.Youshouldbeabletospeakintelligentlytoanyvisitoraboutanyaspectofyourcompany.

Onceyouhavetheinformation,makeityourown.Practicepresenting.Asgoofyandold-fashionedasitsounds,tryrole-playingwithcolleagues.Recorditandgiveeachotherfeedback.Themoreyoupractice,themorenaturalyourpresentationwillbe.

Planyourstrategyforwalkingtheshowflooraswell.Makealistofboothstovisittogatherinformationandinspiration:competitors,strategicpartners,thoughtleadersintheindustry.Alsodeterminewhichseminarsandnetworkingeventstoattendsoyouhavegoodconversationstarterswithwhichtoengagevisitorstoyourbooth.

PRE-SHOWPLANNING


ATTHESHOW

Therearealotofpartiesinvolvedinthedecisionsmadebeforetheshow.Uppermanagementmaydecidewhichshowstoattend.Aspecificdepartmentmaydesignthebooth.Butwhenitcomesdowntotheshow,you– theindividualmanningthebooth– arethefaceofyourcompany.

Surveysindicatethatabout85%oftheimpressionavisitortakesawayfromanytradeshowboothisdeterminedbytheboothstaff.Notthegraphics.Notthedemos.Notthebags,pens,stressballsorothertchotchkes.Thestaff.

Everyemployeescheduledtostaffthatboothhasachoice.Youcanstandaroundforeighthoursaday,threedaysstraight,andfeellikeyou’vewastedyourtime.Oryoucanhavevaluableinteractionswithrealprospectsthatbecomerealleadsandrealsales.

Youcanbeatradeshowzerooratradeshowhero.Thechoiceisyours.Eitherway,youhavetoputinthetime.Whynotputintheefforttobeasuccess?

I’mattheshow.Nowwhat?


ATTHESHOW

You’veinvestedtensofthousandsofdollarsinyourtradeshowpresence:thespace,thebooth,theswag.Theflights,hotelsandmeals.Theonlythingstandingbetweenyouandasuccessfulshowisthisrogue’sgalleryofvillainsthatstalkeverytradeshow.

Don’tmakethetop5tradeshowmistakes:avoidthesevillainsatallcosts.

TheTop5TradeShowMistakes

1|TheSalesmaniac• Isrecognizedbytheirresistibleurgetohawk,shill,peddleandpushproductatallcost.• ThespiritoftheSalesmaniacoftenovertakesshowplannersandstaff.Todefeathim,focusoninformationandarmyourselfwithquestions.•Heispowerlesstotakeoverwhenyouarelisteningratherthantalking.

2|TheWingIt• Harmlessasitappears,theblindflyingWingItisthemostdestructiveofalltradeshowsuper-villains.• ThebestdefenseagainsttheWingItispre-showgoalsettingandtraining.• Itthrivesonoverconfidenceandego,butcan’twithstandconscientiousplanning.


ATTHESHOW

3|TheMadScanner• Aterrifyingcaseoftechnologygonebad,theMadScannerhasreplacedtheFishBowlofbusinesscardsinthepantheonoftradeshowcriminals.• Itindiscriminatelyattackseverybadgeinsight,maniacallyequatingascanwithalead.• TheonlywaytoneutralizetheMadScanneriswithnotes,detailsandqualification.

4|TheBoothofaThousandPanels• ThishideousbeasteatsmoneyandspellsdeathtoROI.TheBoothofaThousandPanelsoftenworkswithasidekick,theToweringTableofFlyers.• Disorientedshowattendeesfleeinterrorfromthewall-to-wallcopyandstacksofproductliterature.• Theonlywaytobeatthismonsteriswithrelentlessdedicationtoafocusedmessage— andabigredpen.

5|TheDailyGrinder• Once,notsolongago,theDailyGrinderonlystalkedboothstaffersaftertheyreturnedfromtheshow,thwartingtheirleadfollow-up.• Now,withthediabolicalhelpofiPhoneandAndroid,thismenacecanattackanytime,distractingstafffromthejobathand.• ShutdowntheDailyGrinderbydelegatingdutiestostaffbackattheofficeandwieldingyourmobile’sOFFbuttonwithdeadlyprecision.


ATTHESHOW

Whetheryourtradeshowboothisa1600squarefootpalaceorasimple10x10withatabletopdisplay,85%ofaboothvisitor’simpressionofyourcompanyisdeterminedbytheinteractiontheyhavewithboothstaff.

Inthewild,wildworldofthetradeshow,weallhaveatendencytoreverttoouranimalnatures.Thequestionis– whichanimalsdoyouwantinyourbooth?

Whichanimalareyou?

It’saJungleOutThereWhichAnimalsAreinYourTradeShowBooth?

TheOstrich issoscaredofengaginganyone,he’dputhisheadunderthecarpetifhecould.

TheKangaroo pocketsalltheleadsforherself.

TheFish believethere’ssafetyinnumbers.Theystandallbunchedtogether,creatingabarriertoyourbooth.

TheRaccoonpartiesallnightlong— andlookslikeitthenextmorning.


ATTHESHOW

TheMule hasbeendoingthisfor20yearsandistoostubborntotryanewapproach.

TheGoat iscontenttochewonabadleadalldaylong.

TheCat thinkstradeshowsareatotalwasteoftimeandletseveryoneknowit.

TheWolf isgreatathuntingnewbusiness,butisalittletooaggressive.

TheDog isalwayssmiling,friendlyandapproachable.

TheLion looksgreat—dressedtothenines,notahairoutofplace— butletsothersdoallthehunting.

TheChameleon isabletoadaptfrombeingagoodsalespersontotheuniquetradeshowenvironment.

TheSquirrelknowstimeislimitedandusesthetradeshowopportunitywisely,collectingleadslikenutsforwinter.


ATTHESHOW

DO’s

•DOqualifyvisitors:knowwhethersomeoneisworthpresentingtoandwhattheyshouldknow

•DOsmileandbeengaged•DOlisten80%,talk20%•DOassignpeopletotimesandtasksinthebooth•DOattendseminarssoyouhave

somethingtotalkaboutwithvisitorsthatmakesyoulookknowledgeableandinteresting

•DOgotococktailpartiesandsocialeventstocatchupwithcustomers,butrememberitisbusiness

•DOintroducesomeoneyouknowtoothersinyourcompany

•DOcreatereasonstofollowupwithvisitors

FromZerotoHeroEveryStafferCanBeaTradeShowHerowithTheseSimpleDo’sandDon’ts

DON’Ts

•DON’Ttrytosell•DON’Thidebehindtables•DON’Thandoutliteraturein ordertoavoidtalking•DON’Tsignaldisinterestbyanyofthefollowing:

•eating•talkingonacellphone•texting•chattingwithotherboothstaff•foldingyourarms•turningyourbackontheaisle•lookingbored

•DON’Tsitdown•DON’Tspendmorethan10minuteswithanyone•DON’Tovercrowdtheboothwithstaff•DON’Tbadmouthcompetitors


ATTHESHOW

Onthelistofdon’ts,wecautionedagainstspendingmorethan10minuteswithanyboothvisitor.The10-minutetechniquebreaksthisdowntoaneasyfour-stepprocessthatyoucanusewithnewprospectsthatvisityourbooth.

Step1:Engage(30seconds)Step2:Qualify(2minutes)Step3:Present(5to6minutes)Step4:Close(1minute)

Engage(30seconds)Justlikeyourboothdesign,youhaveapersonal5-secondwindowtoattracttheattentionofattendeespassingbyyourbooth.Thismeansbodylanguageisincrediblyimportant.Standoutfrombehindthetableorcounter,smilesoyoulookfriendlyandapproachable.Youdon’tneedtoassaultpassers-by,butyoushouldbereadytoengagethosewhomakeeyecontactandshowsomeinterest.

Thebestwaytodothisistoprepareandpracticeopen-endedquestions.Avoidthedreaded“CanIhelpyou?”or“Areyouenjoyingtheshow?”Notonlyaretheyyes-or-noquestions,theyshownoimagination.Everypersonwalkingthefloorhasheardthemahundredtimesthatday.Beinginterestingiskeytoengaging.

Qualify(2minutes)Noteveryonewhowalksintoyourboothisyourtargetaudience,andyoudon’twanttowastetimeandenergyonthosewhoaren’tprospects.Forthosewhoareprospects,youneedtoknowwhatandhowtopresenttothem.Onceyou’vemadetheintroductions,findoutwhatissuestheyarefacingandhowyoucanhelpthem.Somegoodquestionstoaskthem(oryourself)include:

•What’sgoingonatyourfirm?Anyupcomingprojects?•Whatsolutionshaveyoulookedat?•Whatisthebiggestchallengeyouface?•Istheprojectfunded?•Whatselectionprocessisinplace?•Whoiscallingtheshots?•Canourfirmdelivertheresults?•Iftheyaren’tthedecisionmaker,findoutwhois.

The10-MinuteTechnique


ATTHESHOW

Anoteondisengaging• It’sequallyimportanttoknowhowtogracefullydisengagefromunqualifiedprospectsorothervisitorsyoufindatyourbooth.• Forbrowserswithnospecificneedsatthetime,scantheirbadgeandoffertosendthemliterature.• Forcurrentcustomerswhowanttohangoutandchatwheretheyfeelcomfortable,offertogettogetherwiththemoutsideofshowhoursorwhenyourboothshiftisdone.• Forcompetitors,politelytellthemyouhavetogosell– justtoconfusethem.• Forvendorswhoaresellingtheirservicesfromthefloor,givethemyourcardandaskthemtofollowupwithyouaftertheshow.• Dothesamewithjobseekers.• Iftrafficisslow,youcanspendacoupleminuteswithbrowsers,customers,vendorsandsoon.Justletthemknowthatifsomeoneelseapproaches,youwillneedtogivethemyourattention.Justmakesuretokeepyoureyesopenforopportunitiestoengagenewvisitors.

Present(5to6minutes)Thesecrettopresentingwellatatradeshowistousetheinformationyoulearnedwhileyouwereinitiallyqualifyingaprospecttothentargetyourpresentationtotheirspecificconcerns.Thismeansthatyouwon’tenduppresentingeverythingtoeveryone,andthateverypresentationwillbedifferent.

Thelastthingyouwanttodoismemorizeacannedspeech.However,youshouldknowthemostcommonquestionsandobjectionsyouraudiencehasandbepreparedtoaddressthem.

Keepyourpresentationconversationalbyaskingquestionsandbeawareoftheirbodylanguageasmuchastheirwords.Iftheykeepbreakingeyecontact,startshiftingtheirweightfromfoottofootorotherwisesignaltheyarelosinginterest,wrapitup.Noonewantstobeheldhostage.

Andremember– presentingisnotthesameasselling.Yourgoalistogetinformationanddecideonanextstep.


ATTHESHOW

Close(1minute)Whenit’stimetowrapitup,tellyourvisitorthenextstepyou’lltake,whetherthatissendingthemsomespecificinformationorsharingtheirnamewiththerepintheirregion.

Anextstepisawin.

Thankthemandsmile.Itmayseemobvious,butyou’dbeshockedatthenumberofboothstaffwhoneversmile.

Don’tforgettoscantheirbadgebeforetheyleave.Whenyouscan,takethetimetocompletethelead.Addnotes.Bespecific.Andmakesurethenextstepisclearlynoted.

Whataboutexistingprospects?Forprospectsalreadyinyoursystem,wesuggestthe5-minutetechnique.

Step1:Engage(30seconds)Step2:UpdateInformation(2to3minutes)Step3:Close(1minute)

Onceyoulearntheyarealreadyaprospect,usetheopportunitytoupdatetheirinformation.Havetherebeenanychangesinpersonnelattheirfirmortheirownposition?Checkonthestatusofexistingprojectsandfindoutaboutanyupcomingprojects.Thenclosewithanextstep.

Whataboutexistingprospects?Forprospectsalreadyinyoursystem,wesuggestthe5-minutetechnique.


POST-SHOW

Inafewshortdays,it’salloveranddonewith.You’vepackedupyourbagsandyourboothandreturnedtoyourregularlyscheduledlife.

Oddsareyouareexhausted.Youmissyourfamily.You’vemistreatedyourselfphysically,withtoomuchtoeatanddrinkandnotnearlyenoughsleep.Andyouworryyou’vefallenhopelesslybehindattheoffice.

Butyou’renotdoneyet.Likeabigleaguebatteroranexpertgolfer,successisallinthefollowthrough.Andtherearetwoimportantjobstocomplete.

Job#1:Post-showevaluationEveryonefromyourcompanywhoattendedtheshowshouldcompleteanevaluationform.Andbehonest.Includethegood,thebadandtheugly.

• Top5thingsthatwentwell• Top5thingstoimproveon•Whatdidindividualsdowell?•Whatcanindividualsworkonforthenextshow?• Didyoumeetyourgoalsfortheshow?• Howmanynewleadswerecaptured?• Howmanyupdatesweremadetoexistingcontacts’data?• Shouldyouattendnextyear?•Whatnotesdoyouhaveorchangesshouldyoumakenextyear?

Job#2:Follow-upRememberallthosenextstepsyouconfirmedandnotedwhenyouscannedallthosebadges?Theyaren’tawinuntilyoufollowthroughwiththeminanorganizedandappropriateway.

Followingupismorethanjustpassingnamesontothelocalsalesreps.Itrequiresfocus,attentionandintegrationwithyourleadmanagementsystem.Becauseuntiltheinformationisthere,itisn’tareallead.Andafterall– bringinghomerealleadsiswhattradeshowattendanceisallabout.

Evaluation&Follow-UpTips


CONGRATULATIONS!YOUMADEITTHROUGHTRADESHOWESSNTIALS

LetusknowthenexttimeyouareinLasVegas(orChicago,Boston,Orlando,LA,NewYork…).

Wewouldlovetobuyyouadrinkandhearyourowntradeshowsuccesses,failures,andeverythinginbetween.Inthemeantime,let’stalkabouthowwecanhelp.

kristen [email protected]

a stoner bunting publication maximizing your roi · trade show booth 1 | remember the audience one...

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