NC Pavilion Lunch & Learn

Trade Show Planning & Selling

Agenda

Trade Show Planning & Selling• The Big Picture: Pre-Show Planning / Measurement• Driving Traffic To Your Booth / Event• Trade Show Premiums• Booth Staffing:

– Reaching Out– Relating– Reacting– Recording– Responding

1. Why are you exhibiting?2. Who is your target

audience?3. What do you want to

communicate to this audience?

4. How will you measure success?

5. What is the follow-up process?

Start with the End in Mind

Plan in terms of one or more of these 4 reasons for exhibiting

1. Seeing your current customers2. Finding new customers3. Introducing new products or services4. Building Brand Awareness / Equity

Get Marketing and Sales on the same page

Ross Perot

a) Co-op a champion from the other sideb) Host periodic meetings to keep them

involved

Oprah

Think ROO, Rather than ROI

Ultimately, Return on Investment or Potential Return on Investment should be measured more by individual metrics.

Objective Metrics• Cost / Lead

• Cost per person demonstrated or reached in live presentation

Subjective Metrics• Brand awareness

• Message reception or retention

• Product or organizational perception

• Public Relations or Press

What to Measure: How to Measure it:

Total InvestmentTotal # of Qualified Leads

Cost per lead or per contact

Calculating Metrics

Incremental Investment Number of Visitors

Reached

Demonstration Cost per Person

Brand Awareness Exit or Post Event Surveys

Message Reception or Retention Exit or Post Event Surveys

Public Relations / Press Number of Articles Written or Ad Equivalency

What is a “Lead”?

Lead: a suggestion or piece of information that helps to

direct or guide (the sales person who is following up after the show); an informative hand-off of

critical information from trade show floor to sales rep trying to get a face-2-face meeting with the

prospect.• Marketing must engage Sales, Interview top sales

consultants

• What are the 5 or 6 questions that will guide the sales team toward a logical next step in the sales cycle.

80% of leads are never followed up on! They must be categorized and dealt with

appropriately.

• Analyze your potential booth staffing team

• Put more extroverted folks out near the aisles

• Allow more introverted folks to speak one-on-one

• Be prepared to engage all different attendeeso Engineerso Sales & Marketingo CEO’so Venture capitalistso Students / Job Seekers

Develop an Engagement Plan

Call your Top 10 Customers

• Call your Top 10 customers to find out what shows they are attending

• Ask them why they are going to the shows• Set up a golf or dinner—keep them away from

your competitors

This exercise may help to shape your trade show messaging and presentation. o Uncover needso Discuss new capabilitieso Share case studies

Use Social Media to drive traffic to your eventsSkyline, through Exhibitor Magazine, co-sponsored a brand new study, released January

2010, based on survey responses from 383 readers of EXHIBITOR Magazine and Corporate EVENT magazine.  Survey participants are corporate exhibit and event professionals responsible for their organizations’ trade show and event programs. 

The 4 main takeaways from the survey are:

• High social media use, but less use so far to support event marketing - While 2/3rds of respondents are already using social media websites (such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and blogs) for general marketing, only 1/3 have used social media to support their trade show and event marketing.

• Social media works - The study says that respondents who have used social media claim it has provided “increased brand awareness, enriched relationships with clients and prospects, additional press coverage, increased event attendance, increased booth traffic, and even increased sales as direct results of their campaigns.”

• Social media isn’t really free - While the tools are free to use, the time dedicated to using social media has a real cost.  On average, survey respondents spend 5 hours a week or less on their social media, with nearly 1/3 of respondents taking 6 hours a week or more, and nearly 10% say they dedicate more than 21 hours per week.

• Social media use expected to grow - Nearly 9 out of 10 personally believe social media has moderate to unlimited potential for exhibit and event marketing, and over 75% feel social media will increase in importance in 2010.

Sound the alarm! Hold business development folks accountable

Create a sense of urgency among your sales and marketing colleagues. Get them engaged and involved in building up the presence at this event.• Phone calls• Post Cards• Emails• Pre-show promotions• Linkedin Update: Heading out to Pack Expo this week …

1. Choosing the Right Premiums:• Do they match your target market?

• Do they communicate some feature or benefit of your offering?

• Will they reinforce your brand and your image?

• Will they make it back to the office?

2. Target your Top prospects, instead of the whole show, then allocate your budget accordingly

3. Consider sending a teaser item in advance of the show4. Quid pro quo - get a qualified lead in exchange for the premium5. Consider a post – show package in lieu of an at-show premium

• Green Items• Hot Items

Using Premiums/ “Give Aways”

1. Reaching Out – Ask open-ended questionso What brings you to the show today?o What is the most exciting thing you have seen today?

2. Relating – Time is money, get right into qualifying questions. If not a good prospect, disengage immediately; especially before putting them in front of your executives or scientists (whom may be in short supply).

3. Reacting – Rehearse your presentation, then shorten it. Trade show presenting should be condensed sharing of information.

4. Recording – Give the sales team a bridge to the next step in sales cycle. Close by committing to something:

5. Respondingo A follow-up call / meetingo A cup of coffee when the show closeso FEDEXing a brochure or white paper

Show Floor “Selling”

Reaching Out – Ask open-ended questions

Trade shows are like “speed dating”.You have 7 seconds to make a good first impression.

In Jerry Eisner’s “First Impression Selling at Trade Shows”, He states that people form 11 impressions about you and your company in the first 7 seconds of contact: The “7-11” rule.

Show Floor “Selling” – Reaching Out

Credibility

Knowledge

Helpfulness

Friendliness

Professionalism

Appearance

Empathy

Responsiveness

Confidence

Presence

Show Floor “Selling” – Reaching Out

Your Field Office

Your exhibit is your “officeaway from your office”The more organized you look,the more likely prospectswill want to do businesswith you

Show Floor “Selling” – Reaching Out

Your Field Office

Keep your exhibit space welcoming; don’t sent send signals that discourage attendees from “sharing” your space, i.e. eating, drinking, texting…

• Always smile

•Don’t cross your arms, it makes you look …..

• No fig leafing

• Be in the “ready” position

Show Floor “Selling” – Reaching Out

Your Field Office

Wear your name badge onyour right side, so it’s easierfor prospects to “capture”your name when shakinghands.

Show Floor “Selling” – Reaching Out

Body Language(Prospects)

Face touching - “I’m considering”

Response:•Let them take the lead•Don’t rush them

Show Floor “Selling” – Reaching Out

Speaking

Avoid the “no” response by constructing “open ended” questions vs. “close ended” questions like“Can I help you?”What brings you to the show today.

Best words: Tell me . . .

Show Floor “Selling” – Relating

Speaking

Observe the 80/20 rule:

Listen 80% of the timeTalk 20% of the time

Show Floor “Selling” – Reacting

Do you have a clear, catchy, well-rehearsed 15 second “sound bite”?What are 2-3 benefits of working with your company?Does it “tie in” to the state of North Carolina?

Show Floor “Selling” – Reacting

Disengaging from a visitor “I’m glad we’ve had this opportunity to talk today”“I’ve taken enough of your time today”“Thanks so much for dropping by”

Show Floor “Selling” – Reacting

Disengaging from a visitor

The walk and return: “Well, I’d better get back to my booth…”

Show Floor “Selling” – Reacting

Disengaging from a visitor

“Based upon the information shared today, we can’t help you, but here’s my business card, if I can help you in the future.”

Show Floor “Selling” – Reacting

What is you don’t know an answer to a prospect’s question?

If you don’t know the answer to a question, say so and use it as an excuse to follow up after the show with an answer

Show Floor “Selling” – Responding

Make only the commitments you can keep.

Visitors remember promised commitments, especially those that are not kept.

Show Floor “Selling” – Responding

Record the visitor’s expectation on follow up to demonstrate that you’re listening, and to relieve pressure on you immediately after the show.

Show Floor “Selling” – Recording

Back to the LEADWhat information do you need to keep your dialog going after the show?What information would the people following up want to know to continue the dialog?

Show Floor “Selling” – Responding

Thank you!