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02/26/2025
The Trade Show Sales Opportunity
Source: Bill Farquharson, The Sales Vault, February 24, 2025
Allison and I are just about to embark on a series of road trips that will take us right into June. We’ll be in South Carolina, North Carolina, Arkansas, California, Las Vegas, Orlando, and one or two more cities that have temporarily slipped my mind. Many of these trips are to trade shows or conferences, and I want to talk for a second about events like these as lead generators.
Regardless of whether you sell print, signage, or promotional products, the sight of a trade show looks like a buffet of opportunity. And you have definitely come hungry.
The problem is, the people who paid thousands of dollars to be at that show did not go to all that expense and time just to have you walk up and make a sales pitch. So, cool your jets, sport. Yes, this is a great opportunity, but your approach needs to be one of observation first and selling second.
Here is your task list:
- Take a picture of each booth. This will serve as a good reference point later on;
- Assess their set up: quality and placement of signage, existence and quality of promotional items, and the foot traffic generated;
- Gather any samples you can;
- Engage in light conversation. Say things like, “I’m just taking everything in.” If you must, it’s OK to admit you are doing some prospecting. Just don’t overplay your hand. There is nothing you can do to assist immediately. Save your selling points for a follow up conversation. The important part is to get the name and contact info of the decision-maker. If you come away with it, great. Otherwise, it’s a job for later.
What’s interesting about trade shows is while the big companies spend the most, there’s also a lot more competition to fight off. Smaller shows mean smaller companies and organizations, and they don’t often put much time and energy into putting a quality booth together. This could represent a huge opportunity for you.
Once you have done your reconnaissance, it’s time to take action to set up an appointment with the decision-maker. In the meantime, do some research on the company and, in particular, find out if they have any other shows or conferences coming up.
Oh, one more thing: as you are milling about the booth, make certain you request more information or ask to hear from a sales Rep. The biggest mistake companies make, believe it or not, is the often-exorbitant amount of time they take following up on leads.
If you can do something about that, wouldn’t that make for a great sales pitch with that decision maker?
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