Welcome

“Getting more sales from your

Trade Shows”

Our Mission Today

• Introductions• Tradeshow strategies to improve

your ROI• Why • What• How

• Q & A

Trade Shows – The Attraction

• Ranks #1 in Social Networking

• 77% of visitors have some kind of buying power

• 79% of visitors will be new

• 2/3rds of exhibits are pre-selected

• 50% of exhibitors set no objectivesSource: Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR)

Some results

Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) study.

CEIR Exhibit Economics Study Cost

Cost of generating a Lead at a show $215

Cost of generating a Lead in the field $443

Cost of closing an Opportunity from a show $705

Cost of closing an Opportunity in the field $1,140

•Show selection•Space selection•Budgeting•Exhibit design•General logistics – •Travel, hotel, shipping, etc.•Literature needed•Promotion – pens, Ipod, etc.

•Booth staff assigned

Tradeshow Preparation

Develop a Trade Show Plan !•Strategies•Set Objectives & Metrics•Pre-Show Tactics•At-Show Activities•Post-Show Follow up Project•Analyze and measure results

Tradeshow Preparation – The EXTRA What

Trade Show Plan The Engine to Power Your Success

Pre-ShowPlanning

Pre

AtPost

Analyze

Key Strategic Questions

• Why are you exhibiting?• Who is your target audience and will

they attend?• What message do you want to

communicate?• What is your measure for success?• Who is accountable and responsible?

Why are you Exhibiting?

•Lead and opportunity generation•Increase sales•Customer relations•Introducing•New products to current markets•Existing product to new markets•New products to new markets•New personnel – execs, sales, dealers…

•Supporting the industry association•Competitors – counteract, intelligence …•Find collaborative/strategic partners•Additional distribution channels•Other – product ideas …

Your target audience & will they attend

•Ask them

•Survey them

•Pre-registration list

•Rank them

“Successful Targeting”

Message to communicate• Communicate your market position such as largest, quality,

innovative, etc.

• Specific product message as only total solution, more efficient, easier to maintain, etc.

• Acknowledgements such as leader in R&D, community support, diversity, Top 100 employers, etc.

• Other…

“We are a recognized innovative leader amongst our customers and competitors, offering the most efficient products in the market today, winning numerous industry awards for our R&D efforts.”

Objectives Who is in charge?

I. Anything that can be measured (SMART)•Visitors from previous year(s)•Sales $•Leads or Opportunities•Investment per lead•SME presentations or panel

experts•Dealers or channels•Strategic Partners

II. Assign someone!

14

Pre-show• Promote

• E-mail• Website • Social Networking• Direct mail• Telemarketing• Press releases• Newsletters

• Segment customers/prospects into rank

• Special invitations to “A” • 1-1 with SME, Top Execs, etc• Invitations to meals• Hosted function

At-show

• Staff prepared• Promotions

• Show wide i.e. hotel room key cards• Sponsor an event• In exhibit i.e. drawings linked to pre-show

promotions• Social networking i.e. Twitter about SME

presenter or panel experts• Use of lead card – ask a few key

questions• Register for drawing• Limited collateral for targeted follow up

Post-show

• Unpack and Relax?• Research shows that up to 80% of

leads are never pursued!• Accountability & responsibility• Follow up promptly• Target on captured Key Data• Measure results

Measurement tools

Some quick measurement tools:• Year over year trade show

comparisons on leads, visitors, individual meetings, booth sales.

• Predictive Sales = # Opportunities X avg close rate X avg sales

• Cost savings = Compare show cost # key customers/prospects meetings to Total Cost of visiting these key accounts individually

• Met other critieria: i.e. found new strategic partner, new distribution partner, R&D product or development idea…

So…who?

Hire/Train

Outsource

Combination

Take-A-Ways

• Ranking our customers and prospects should help us better focus our limited resources on the best opportunities

• The majority of attendees possess buying power and have predetermined which exhibitors they will be visiting

• Setting objectives and goals is critical in measuring our return on trade show spend

Discussion Questions• What criteria or combination of criteria would best

identify our “A” customers. Would it be; average sales over time, average profitability, average number of orders, best payment history?

• How can we determine if our target market will be attending the show so we can take advantage of their purchasing power and ensure we are a company they want to meet?

• Based on our sales cycle, what predictive sales model might work for us or should we look at other measurements?

Contact information

• Email: kenp@greenthumb-bizdev.com

• Web: www.greenthumb-bizdev.com• Cell: 651.233.3663• Find me on:

FacebookLinkedIn:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/kenpirklTwitter: @greenthumbizdev

Ken Pirkl