Does your trade show lead management system begin and end with jotting notes on the back of your booth visitors’ business cards? 

While it ensures that your notes are “attached” to each contact, relying on business cards alone severely limits the space you can write down the valuable info told shared by attendees visiting your trade show displays.    

And that’s a big problem.  Because without meaningful notes about what your booth visitors said and your booth staffers promised, your sales people are much less likely to value the lead enough to follow up.  And even if they do follow up, they will more often make a hash of it since they lack a good record of what the attendee already said they wanted.  Making your trade show results suffer.

A Complete Trade Show Lead Management System

But this is a problem that’s easily solved.  Instead of relying on writing on a lead card, graduate to a complete trade show lead management system that makes it easier to record what your booth staffers say, transfer that knowledge to your sales force, and better follow up (and measure the results of) your trade show leads.

Here are the three elements of a trade show lead management system that go beyond jotting notes on the back of a business card: 

1. A lead card, which is a pad of pre-printed paper with room to record contact info, answers to common qualifying questions, and notes about the attendees’ needs and your promises for next steps they agreed upon.  They are usually printed on half a sheet to a full sheet of 8 ½” x 11” paper.  The pad of paper has a cardboard backing to make it easier to write on the lead cards.
2. An electronic lead retrieval system, which is almost always rented from the show, that lets you scan the badges of visitors to your booth. You can also buy your own lead retrieval system to bring to each show, which makes training easier for your booth staffers, as they only have to learn one system.  The lead retrieval system records all the leads you’ve taken, so you can then get a digital record of all their contact info in a format you can import into your computer contact management system.  It also gives you a print out when you take each lead, that you can use as the lead itself, or staple it to your lead card so you don’t have to write out the visitor’s contact info.   These systems are evolving, as Bartizan just introduced an iPhone app for lead retrieval that won best new product at the 2010 TS2 Show.
3. A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) database for entering in those leads, rather than stacking up the business cards on the side of your desk.  With a database, you can more easily assign the leads to sales people, do post-show marketing, continue follow up over time, and track sales results by comparing leads to your client database.  And no cheating with an Excel file: while that is better than a stack of business cards, it’s still not a true CRM database.

Using either lead cards and a database, or an electronic lead retrieval system and a database, or all three together will help you record more info about each visitor to your booth, help ensure a more complete follow up by the sales force, and make it easier to continue marketing to your trade show leads after the show. 

So while it may not be as easy as setting up a banner stand, take the time to set up your lead management system.  It’s that important to your trade show success.  And it will earn you a lot more business than just writing on the back of business cards.

If you’ve made the jump from business cards to a true lead management system, and have seen the accompanying jump in results, we’d love to hear your story in the comments box below.

Good lead management gets you more from your trade show marketing investment.  Learn even more ways to boost your results in the 32-page White Paper, What’s Working In Exhibiting.  Click here to get your free copy now.

During a recent post-show meeting we asked our four top booth staffers to share what they did to succeed, and that’s when something unexpected happened:  They all described themselves as introverts.

Introverts?  How is that possible?  When you think of the best booth staffer, you probably picture a gregarious extrovert who fearlessly engages and charms attendees into entering their trade show booths.  And conversely, you expect the quiet booth staffers barely make a ripple in the waves of attendees who stream by. 

That’s what I used to think, too.  But that changed when those top four staffers all called themselves introverts.

Why Introverts Can Make Great Booth Staffers
There are six reasons we discovered why introverts can make the best booth staffers:

1. Introverts are more process-driven than people-driven, so they are more willing to learn and adhere to the proven process of engage, relate, qualify, and close.
2. Introverts are not as scary to introverted attendees walking down the aisle, who may spook at the over-the-top overtures of extroverted booth staffers.
3. Because introverts don’t need to talk all the time, they are more likely to listen to what attendees say they really need.
4. Introverts don’t need constant talking too — so they can go for more than 30 seconds without needing to ask their neighbor about what’s for dinner, or about the party they went to last night. Introverts can stay focused on taking the next lead.  And once they take a lead, they don’t brag about each lead they took. 
5. Introverts are like the turtle to the extrovert’s hare, quietly gathering more leads than an extrovert will.
6. Introverts are more likely to actually write down what the attendee said on a lead card, providing more ammunition and motivation for effective lead follow-up

They also shared that even thought they called themselves introverts, they loved booth staffing because they could see the substantial results their participation generated, how well received our products were, and how they gained marketing insights from talking to customers.  These are confident, competent team players, not hermits. 

Of course, I have seen extroverted booth staffers who succeed at trade shows, and fit the stereotype of the charming staffer.  It’s just a revelation that self-described introverts can succeed so well, too. 

So perhaps it’s worth considering that if introverts at your company really want to staff the booth, know your customers and your products, then it’s more than possible that those wallflowers could blossom at trade shows.

Is this a surprise to you?  Or have you already been successfully recruiting introverts with positive attitudes to staff your booth?  Let us know in the comments box below.

To get greater results from your booth staffers, whether they are introverts or extroverts, click here to get your free copy of the 48-page Booth Staffing Guidebook, filled with useful articles, checklists, and worksheets.

Do not underestimate the power of face-to-face marketing; it is not dead!  It is the key to new customer acquisition and increased customer loyalty.  

Recently, one of my clients more than doubled their leads from their previous year’s show!   How did they achieve this turnaround?  By spending the time planning and creating roadmap on the front end! 

And what does this roadmap look like? 

1.  Set measurable goals prior to the event.   Ask important questions such as:
   - What is the average revenue generated from one sale?
   - How many qualified leads need to be obtained for the event to be considered a success?
   - What does a successful show look like?
   - What are the key messages that need to be disseminated?

 

2. Integrate a direct marketing campaign tied to your event to create buzz and awareness.  Most attendees decide who they are going to visit prior to the event, not as they are walking the show.
   - Spend the time reaching out prior to the event via multiple mediums. 
        – Utilize social media such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
        – Create multiple touch points prior to the event with direct marketing (standard postcards and
        e-mails).
   - Provide a teaser or incentive. 
   - Create a compelling reason for attendees to come by your booth.

 

3. Design a trade show booth that matches those goals.  Cut out the clutter and create an environment that facilitates conversation and compels attendees to stick around for the full story. 
   Incorporate multiple tiers of messaging:
   - the beacon that can be seen across the hall.
   - the eye-level message drawing the attendee in as they walk down the aisle.
   - the in-your-face messaging that continues the story as the attendee enters the booth.
   - Decide what activities need to be held within the space to insure that your exhibit advances the experience and moves prospects through the space logically and effectively.

 

4. Utilize Edutainment (Google it – it’s a word!) within the exhibit space.  Incorporate entertainment that also educates attendees on your brand and offerings.  At-show entertainment should not only excite the audience into participation but tie in your overall show goals and objectives. 

 

5. Hire a trade show certified team to handle installation and logistics for your exhibit.  Overseeing freight, installation and dismantle, electrical, show orders, etc… takes up a lot of valuable time.  Let the people that work in this environment all day, every day handle Murphy’s Law on the trade show floor.  An installation alone can drain you and your team of the energy required to execute at the best of your ability on show opening day!

 

6. Do not forget the importance of human interaction.  Organize your team accordingly. 
   - Schedule certain team members to be crowd gatherers.  You know…those crazy members of your team that have never met a stranger, that are parties waiting to happen!  Send them out to chat people up and direct them to scheduled staff within the space. 
   - Take your team’s cell phones away!  OK that might be a little extreme but seriously, make sure your team is alert, not compromised with outside conversation so that they do not miss the opportunity all around them.

 

7. Be personable!  People are just that…people!  Talk to them, make a joke, start the conversation.  I was at a recent show with a broken foot and I had more people crack jokes about my dedication and share their absurd speculations as to how the injury occurred.  When the laughter subsided, their next question was …. “So what do you do?”  Now I am not recommending breaking members of your team’s leg to increase leads; however, it reminded me that laughter and personality break walls down quickly and open the floor up for more directed conversation.  People buy from people they like; invest in the conversation and strive to help increase attendees’ comfort levels.

 

8. Create a strategic method for follow up and tracking. 
   - Respond to your contacts with a thank you within a week of the closing of the event. 
   - People like to be recognized.  Send personal thank you notes, a complimentary gift, or a video email. 
   - Build your database; keep track of the attendee lists and information provided from the show!

 

Is all this effort worth it?  Just remember the very important questions you answered at the beginning of the process: How much is your average sale?  If you increase leads by 10%, 20%, or even 100%, that translates into how much additional revenue? 

It never ceases to amaze me how many opportunities are missed on the show floor but just as importantly how unprepared we often are at the opening of an event.  Unfortunately, lead scanners that telescope across the show floor scanning contact information from unsuspecting attendees without the requirement of social interaction have yet to be created.  Therefore, we must evaluate our current approaches and plan for our 3-5 day event opportunities accordingly!

You are investing many resources:  monetary, staff, and energy.  Don’t take chances with your marketing budget!  Create an experience that expands your brand footprint and provides memory markers for your attendees.  A well executed trade show roadmap will revolutionize your face-to-face marketing results!

 Find more ways to increase your trade show results! Click here to get your free 32-page What’s Working In Exhibiting White Paper to give you insights into proven methods for boosting your results and stretching your budget.

If you are reading this article, chances are you actually don’t think trade shows don’t work. 

Why?  Because, as two show producers recently told me, it’s exhibitors who most need trade show training that avoid it, while good exhibitors seek training to keep sharpening their skills. 

Don’t get me wrong – I know trade shows take a lot of work, and the costs are high.  But trade shows get you face-to-face with qualified buyers for much less than the cost of direct selling — value you can’t get anywhere else. 

Those same two trade show producers also know trade shows work, because they witness the difference between unmotivated and successful exhibitors at their shows.  Traci Browne even took pictures.

But if you really do think trade shows don’t work, let me ask you six brutally tough questions.  And please listen to the questions, with the thought, “Those who truly listen are open to change.”  

1. How do you select the trade shows you exhibit at?

• A)  Even though you grumble that they aren’t as good as they used to be, you still have the same trade shows on your schedule, because that’s where your competitors are, and your absence would make you look bad.
• B)  You choose shows based on where your target market will be, and willingly readjust your show schedule and booth size based on the ROI from each show’s leads.

2. How do you choose your trade show booth staffers?

• A)  You bring your drinking buddies with you, so after standing around all day waiting for the show to end, you at least can go bar-hopping together.
• B)  You pick staffers that actually want to staff the booth, who are approachable, client-focused, with good product knowledge and a great attitude.

3.  How proactive are you at getting traffic into your booth?

• A)  You shouldn’t have to do anything special to get attendees to cross over from the aisle into your booth, because you already paid the show to deliver those interested buyers to you.
• B)  To transform trade show attendees into booth visitors, you sent intriguing pre-show promotions with valuable offers, designed your trade show display with bold, compelling graphics, and trained your booth staffers to engage visitors in the aisle.

4. How do you spend your time in the booth?

• A)  Because you already are so sure that trade shows are a waste of time, you spend your booth staffing shift on your laptop, smart phone, talking with your fellow booth staffers, or wandering away from your booth space.
• B)  You know trade shows deliver a quality audience, so to welcome them you stand smiling attentively on the edge of the aisle, ready to engage attendees who show some interest.

5. When you return from the show, where do your trade show leads go?

• A)  On a corner of your desk, because you’ve got to catch up on all that real work that was left waiting while you were at the show. 
• B)  Into the hands of an eager, pre-assigned team member, who already has the follow-up letter and fulfillment packets ready, and who will quickly enter the leads into your database and forward them to the appropriate sales people, who know they are accountable for following up and reporting the results.

6. What are the most valuable things you get out of trade shows?

• A)  The few leads that were in your territory, the time spent with your best customer, and dinners on the expense account.
• B)  Besides the big pile of sales leads for the team, you get to take the pulse of the industry, learn about new competitive products, and gain a better understanding of your customers.

If you selected mostly the B answers that describe proactive trade show marketing practices, and still think trade shows don’t work, then trade shows may actually be a poor marketing medium for your company. 

But if you answered mostly A’s, then perhaps you’ve realized that trade shows aren’t the problem. Maybe you will begin to consider that there are proven trade show methods that you’ve overlooked, and that it’s finally time to re-tool your trade show program.  And make trade shows work for you.

If you’d like to make trade shows work better for your company, then ask for your free copy of our 32-page white paper report, What’s Working In Trade Show Exhibiting.  It is filled with insights and proven methods of over 170 exhibitors.  Click here to get your copy. 

The Value Of Trade Shows Increases With A Plan
Business-to-business marketers actually invest more money on trade shows than any other marketing medium.  That’s because trade shows give greater access and influence on buyers that cannot be replicated in anywhere else.

The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) revealed the following about trade shows:

• 88% of attendees have not been seen by a member of your company’s sales staff in the preceding 12 months
• Seven out of ten attendees plan to buy one or more products
• 76% asked for quotes and 26% signed purchase orders (average all shows)
• 72% of show visitors say the show influenced their buying decision
• 87% of attendees will share some of the information obtained at an exhibition
• 64% of attendees tell at least 6 other people about the event
• 58% attend only the show in which you are exhibiting
• 40% are first-time attendees
• It costs 22% less to contact a potential buyer at a show than it does through traditional field sales calls

However, while trade shows are worthwhile, they are not easy.  To get the most out of trade shows, exhibit marketers set measurable objectives, pick good shows, design effective exhibits, and more.  Read on to discover the main elements of a successful trade show marketing program.

1.  Setting Objectives and Measurable Results
The first step in planning your trade show success is to set effective and realistic trade show objectives and measurements for them.  Effectively planning your show’s objectives allows the rest of your show to fall into place.  Choosing the right measurement tools enables you to draw the correct conclusions following your trade show performance. 

The first question to ask is the most basic:  Why are you exhibiting?  While most go to generate leads and build awareness of their brand or products, many also exhibit to build relationships or introduce new products.

Once you know the reason you are exhibiting, set objectives based on them that you can measure – and then measure and report them.  Measurable objectives range from simple lead counts (200 leads at the XYZ Show) to Return On Investment goals (Generate $10 in sales for every $1 spent exhibiting at the XYZ Show). 

2.  Budgeting: Planning saves you time and money
Exhibiting can be complex.  A large part of that challenge is identifying how much to budget for related services.  The easiest way to estimate your overall budget for exhibiting at a show is to take the cost to rent the exhibit space, and multiply it by three.  So if renting a 10 foot by 10 foot exhibit at a show costs $2,000, then the overall show costs are usually about $6,000.

The biggest expenditures after booth space is staffer’s travel, hotel, and meal costs, show services such as installation and dismantle, the cost to build or rent your exhibit, and shipping. 

A large portion of show services costs is called drayage, which is the cost to bring your exhibit and crates from outside the show hall to your exhibit space.  Sometimes it can even be as expensive as the cost to ship your exhibit from your city to the show.  The trend for exhibitors is towards lighter weight, more custom modular exhibits that lower costs like shipping and drayage. 

Planning avoids rush charges and lets you figure out how to do the most shows with the fewest exhibit properties.

3.  Select The Right Trade Shows
With over 13,000 trade shows, conferences, expositions, private and business-to-business events in North America, featuring 1.5 million exhibiting companies vying for the attention of over 80 million attendees, it can be daunting to select where your efforts are best spent. However, there is a method to help you find the best opportunities to market your organization at trade shows.

To start, select the shows you want to exhibit at only after you have set your trade show objectives.  Then dig in to do some serious background research.  The best bet is to look at the trade shows in your industry and carefully weigh the options.  Talk to your fellow employees — what shows have worked in the past?  Where do sales people see the customer’s needs leaning?  Look at who is going to be there.  Talk to your current and prospective customers — is this a show they will be attending?  While you may exhibit well at your large industry show, also consider smaller shows that have a higher proportion of people likely to be interested in your products or services.  You can find shows online to pick from at www.tsnn.com.  Also consider exhibiting internationally.

4.  Space Selection: Where and How Big?
The average trade show has over 400 exhibitors, so how do you choose the best booth space for you?  Most shows give space-picking priority to the exhibitors who have been with them the longest.  Yet some studies have found that where you are in the show hall has no effect on the amount of audience you receive to your booth.  For every veteran exhibitor that requires a space in the center of the action, or at the front entrance to the hall, or near their biggest competitor, there are veteran exhibitors who flee from the same locations.  All the same, the size of your booth space is a very important decision, where you must weigh the need to stand out from your competitors with a large booth, and yet having enough budget to exhibit at all the worthwhile shows for your company.

5.  Trade Show Exhibit Design:  Make Your Exhibit a Marketing Tool
Why does exhibit design matter?  Because well-designed trade show booths are so effective at cutting through the trade show clutter and getting your message to your target audience.  The average trade show attendee will spend 7 to 8 hours on the floor over a period of 2 to 3 days visiting an average of 25-31 exhibits.  This leaves 5 to 15 minutes per visit – just 5 to 15 minutes to make a lasting impression that will give you an edge over the competition.

Create an exhibit that works as a true marketing tool.  Make sure your exhibit graphics say who you are, what you do, and what is your benefit to prospects.  When you state those clearly, and with bold inviting graphics, you’ll bring in more visitors – and more qualified visitors.

Your exhibit is more than a three-dimensional ad.  It’s actually a temporary workspace, filled with booth staffers there for hours or days, and visitors there for just a few minutes.  Increase productivity by giving them enough space to work in, and by designing around their needs, be it for gathering leads, demonstrating product, meeting with key people, or storing their personal items.

6.  Get More Traffic With Trade Show Promotions
Trade show promotions are the secret weapon of the veteran trade show manager.  That’s because, when done right, trade show promotions work so well.

Consider these two items:

1. The average trade show has over 400 exhibitors, where the average attendee will visit about 21 exhibits, and that average attendee walks into the show with a list of 75% of the exhibits he/she wants to see. That means you have to get on their dance card before the show.
2. You can boost your trade show lead counts by 33% with trade show promotions – even thought they require a much smaller percentage of your budget.

So, trade show promotions are money well spent.  Pre-show promotions are the things you do before the show to make attendees want to visit your booth.  At-show promotions are the activities and trade show giveaway items you do during the show to bring in more attendees into your exhibit. 

Just be sure to pick promotions that bring in your desired target audience, not just anyone at the show.  And don’t just give things away – get information about prospects in exchange that will help you qualify and prioritize your leads.

7.  Train Your Booth Staff So They’re Comfortable At Shows
85% of the positive feelings visitors have are due to the staff.  Your booth staff is responsible for drawing in your customers, effectively engaging them and creating leads.  Because of this, it is important that you select the most effective staffers that your company has to offer.  If they are sales people, you have to train them to adapt their selling style to the trade show floor.  If they are not salespeople, guess what – they can still do extremely well, given the proper preparation.

Trade show staffing is uncomfortable for almost everyone at first.  You will give your booth staffer greater comfort and confidence by training them to understand and follow a 4-step booth staffing process:

1. Engage: 30 seconds
Start the process by stopping attendees.  Prepare and practice questions that won’t get a yes or no answer.

2. Qualify: 2 minutes
Determine if the prospect is worth presenting to … and what to present.

3. Present: 5 to 8 minutes
Demo on just the prospect’s needs, not everything you know. Prepare for common objections and questions.

4. Close: 1 minute
Lead card complete? Agree on the next step and go on to the next lead!

8.  Lead Management, Not Lead Neglect
Astoundingly, almost 80% of leads generated are never followed, according to CEIR.  Rather than sending your hard-fought trade show leads into the abyss, strive to be part of the elite 20% that actually follow up on their leads!  We’ve heard horror stories of exhibits pulled out of storage to prepare for a show – only to find the leads from the previous show still packed with their trade show booth.  What a tragedy! 

Rather than just sending a business card from the prospect on to your field sales reps, provide and train your staffers to use a lead card.  It’s a half sheet of paper that has check boxes to the most common qualifying questions, and room for notes about what the attendee said in your booth.  Your sales reps will be much more likely to follow up on a lead when they know what to say, and that it’s worth the call. 

Also, think of your first day back from the show as the last day of the show.  Have your lead fulfillment packages prepared ahead of time, so you can send your responses right away. 

9.  Measuring Results Improves Future Performance
Once you return from a trade show it is important to measure its success.  Why?  Because while trade shows are a great marketing medium, you still have to prove the value of your individual program.  This information can be used to report to management the effectiveness of the show and to improve exhibit performance for future shows.  Success can be measured by simple lead counts, or better yet, by the return on investment, or whatever objectives you set when you started your trade show program.  

By tracking your results from show to show, you can make informed decisions about which shows to continue, expand, contract, or cut.  And when you are armed with data proving the value of your overall trade show program, you can maintain – and even expand – your trade show marketing efforts.

Step Up Your Trade Show Marketing
That’s a lot of ground to cover in just one blog post.  But it’s a good plan to strengthen your trade show marketing, all in one place.  I hope it helps you boost your results out of trade shows, whether you are looking for more leads, better relationships, a stronger brand, or simply sales, sales, sales.  As always, share your thoughts in the comment box below.

Want more ways to improve your trade show marketing?  Click here to get your free 32-page What’s Working In Trade Show Marketing White Paper to give you insights into proven methods for boosting your results and stretching your budget.

Ever hear someone say that trade shows are a zoo?  Or perhaps a jungle?  Then there should be lots of animals at trade shows, especially staffing the booths.

In that vein, here are 12 animals that your booth staffers might act like.  Some are good, some not so much.  See if you can recognize anyone from your team in this marketing menagerie:

Ostrich
This tall flightless bird is known for burying its head in the sand when scared.  Do you have staffers that similarly get so scared of engaging attendees that they’d put their head under the carpet if they could?  Ah, you’ve got an ostrich.

Lion
They’ve got a mane of great hair, and they’re known as the king of the jungle.  But the male lion actually spends most of the day lounging around, letting the lioness do nearly all the hunting.  Does that sound like any of your heavy-hitter sales people that merely pose in your booth, acting like they are above the hard work of taking leads?

Kangaroo
Female kangaroos have a pouch in front to hold their cherished babies.  So what kind of booth staffer would be a kangaroo?  Well, have you ever seen salespeople try to pocket a lead from outside their territory rather than put it into the lead slot?  That’s marsupial madness on the show floor.

Squirrel
In autumn, the threat of oncoming winter inspires squirrels to ceaselessly gather and store food.  They know they have only so much time left, and they use it wisely.  Booth staffers would do well to emulate the same work ethic to persistently gather leads during the few show hours they have before the show closes for the year.

Dog
Man’s best friend can be an asset when the man (or woman) you’re trying to befriend is the buyer in the aisle.  We’re not thinking guard dog here, we’re thinking always happy and smiley Labrador retriever pups.  Friendly, approachable booth staffers are a must-have if you want to project a welcome environment in your booth.

Mule
As in “stubborn as a mule.” A booth staffer acts like a mule when they bray to another staffer or into the phone, “Trade shows don’t work!” while they sit off to the side.  They are too stubborn to risk learning how to truly engage attendees, or alter their presentation for different attendee types.

Raccoon
Like a raccoon, do you have nocturnal booth staffers that want to party all night, and then sleep all day?  These raccoons miss their booth staffing hours, or if they do show up, they waddle around the booth with dark sleep rings around their eyes.

Fish
It is impressive to behold a glittering school of fish that travel together and turn left and right as one.  However, if your staffers stay bunched together like a school of fish, they put up a barrier to entering your trade show display, and also can fall into the trap of talking with each other instead of engaging attendees one-on-one.

Frog
Frogs are amphibians that can adapt and thrive on both land and in water.  Prized is the booth staffer who is an excellent sales person in the field, but can also adapt their selling method to the unique environment of the trade show.  

Bear

A bear is a big, powerful animal that should add considerable strength to any team.  But just as a bear hibernates through the winter season, you don’t want a booth staffer that gets so tired they sleepwalk through a quarter of the show.

Wolf
Having a wolf in the booth could be a good thing – it’s valuable to have someone sharply focused on hunting for new business.  But at a trade show, you should be afraid of a really big bad wolf on your booth staff, because overly aggressive behavior scares away attendees and will starve your business.

Goat
Can you picture a goat chewing away all day at a tin can, or an old shoe, regardless of its nutritional value?  Unfortunately, your booth staffers don’t have time to waste jawing with a worthless lead.  They’ve got to learn to recognize and disengage from poor quality leads, so they can spend their valuable time speaking with more qualified attendees.

Did you recognize any of your booth staffers in this trade show animal kingdom?  I hope you have lots of squirrels, frogs, and dogs in your booth, and not so many lions, ostriches, and bears.  Do you have ideas for other “animals” that you’ve had staff your booth?  Let us in on the joke in the comment box below.

Want some excellent ways to boost your booth staffers’ results that don’t require treating them like animals?  Get your free 48-page Booth Staffing Guidebook, filled with insightful articles, worksheets, and checklists, by clicking here and requesting your copy.

For most exhibitors, lead generation is their #1 reason for exhibiting at trade shows.  Exhibit marketers want leads to replenish their sales pipeline, bring in new and repeat customers, and generate sales revenue. 

So to help stoke the lead generation fires, here are 100 ideas to get you more leads at your upcoming trade shows, divvied up among 5 main areas: 

Get more trade show leads by how you select shows

1. Go to more trade shows outside your local region
2. Go to more trade shows, in your best vertical markets
3. Go to more trade shows, in foreign countries
4. Go to fewer trade shows, but put more effort into booth staff preparation and promotions for each remaining show
5. Exhibit at trade shows where your buyers are
6. Track leads to determine and expand in the shows with the best ROI
7. Evolve show selection to match changes in company’s best vertical markets

 Get more trade show leads with your exhibit design

8. Get a bigger booth
9. Get a booth space closer to the hub of traffic, or by a bigger competitor
10. Get a corner booth space
11. Backlight your trade show display graphics
12. Design your exhibit to more boldly and clearly say why attendees will benefit from working with you
13. Put fewer elements on your exhibit, but make the remaining images and messages bigger and more concise
14. Use graphics with images and benefits that appeal more directly to attendees at your vertical market shows
15. Put benefit statements on your trade show exhibit graphics
16. Replace your tired old display with a new trade show exhibit
17. Make your exhibit architecture more inviting to enter
18. Pick more exciting colors on your exhibit
19. Bring fewer products, such as only your most popular products, to minimize clutter
20. Get a taller exhibit
21. Add more lighting
22. Put messages on your flooring
23. Avoid an exhibit that looks like everyone else
24. Keep your booth neat and clean throughout the show
25. Move interesting equipment and technology to the outside of the booth
26. Use a theme that gets attention and memorably ties into your competitive advantage or offering
27. Match your exhibit message to your other marketing materials

Get more trade show leads with pre-show promotions

28. Send an inexpensive postcard offering a free gift in your trade show booth
29. Run a banner ad on the show website
30. Send a pre-show email blast to your clients and top prospects located close to the show location
31. Put stickers with booth location and show info on all outgoing mail
32. Email invitation to a pre-show microsite with targeted messages and offers
33. Have your sales people invite their prospects to visit your booth and set up meetings in advance
34. Send an email invitation to the show’s pre-registered attendee list for this year, and the registered attendee list from last year
35. Use social media to reach more attendees
36. Send half of something of value to attendees before the show, and promise to give the other half in your booth
37. Contact your industry press and tell them about the innovative new product you will be introducing at the show
38. Put your booth number on all your pre-show promotions: email, mail, ads, website
39. Design more creative and compelling pre-show promotions to cut through the mailbox clutter
40. Invite top prospects to lunch or dinner at the show
41. Send a pre-show promotion offering a more valuable gift in the booth, but not to the entire list, but only to the subset of show attendees that match your target audience
42. Send free tickets to the trade show to clients and best prospects
43. Post your trade show schedule on your website with a link to sign up for appointments
44. Ask the show for additional promotional opportunities

Get more trade show leads with at-show promotions and activities

45. Introduce a new product at the trade show
46. Add motion to your exhibit
47. Offer food, especially if it smells good, like baking cookies
48. Offer drinks to your booth visitors
49. Give your attendees something entertaining and fun to do
50. Do an engaging demo in your booth
51. Get your client to hold your product
52. Go beyond sight to appeal to attendees’ sense of smell, sound, taste, and touch
53. Add interactivity
54. Run presentations or video loops on large video monitors
55. Offer healthy food, not just candy
56. Put out a candy or chocolate dish to slow down attendees long enough to engage them
57. Offer in-booth massages
58. Give a free sample of your product
59. Give a free sample of a product made with your product
60. Hire a celebrity for your booth, where the celebrity is popular with your target audience at the show
61. Hire a celebrity lookalike for your booth, where the celebrity is popular with your target audience at the show
62. Giveaway something useful to your target audience
63. Hire a performer, such as a magician, to attract attention to your booth
64. Have a raffle, sweepstakes, money machine or a game
65. Hold a press conference if you have newsworthy news
66. Sponsor something highly visible at the show
67. Have a contest for attendees in your booth
68. Get signage in the show hall promoting your booth presence
69. Offer a show special or discount
70. Get someone from your company to be a speaker at the show
71. Give presentations or educational sessions in your booth
72. Do door drops that target only show attendees at their hotel rooms
73. Pay to include an invite or a gift in the official show bag each attendee gets
74. Put an ad in the show book
75. Brand your staffers with outfits or similar attire
76. Offer one really big prize (worth thousands of dollars) to get more attention

Get more trade show leads with better booth staffing

77. Bring more booth staffers
78. Bring booth staffers who actually want to be there
79. Hold a contest to reward the staffers who take the highest quantity of qualified leads
80. Leave your wallflowers at home
81. Train your booth staff how to work a trade show booth
82. Communicate to your staff the company’s goals and your expectations of them in the booth
83. Don’t use booth staffing as a training ground for brand-new employees
84. Ask visitors open-ended questions and listen to their answers
85. Get faster at recording each lead by not writing down every visitor’s name and address, but instead using a badge scanner
86. Have enough badge scanners to avoid lines with your booth staffers in busy times
87. Bring crowd gatherers (not booth babes)
88. Smile
89. Keep your booth staffers fresh by giving them regular breaks
90. Learn to more quickly disengage with unqualified attendees
91. Thoroughly train your booth staffers on the new products you are introducing at the show or just introduced recently
92. Make friends with your neighboring exhibitors, and refer attendees back and forth
93. Bring your top management to booth staff, and tell attendees they will be there
94. Get staffers out of the bowels of your booth and out to the edge of the aisle
95. Don’t sit down in your booth, unless you are talking with visitors
96. Don’t hide behind tables
97. Instead of giving away literature, offer to mail it to attendees, and get their contact info
98. Prepare your booth staffers with several good engaging questions
99. Arm your booth staffers with answers to common objections
100. Train your booth staffers to know your products and how they solve your clients’ problems

Which of these 100 ideas will you choose?  Perhaps you are already doing several yourselves.  Some can be combined to be used simultaneously.  It’s a long list, and there’s no way anyone can do all 100.  Some of them even contradict each other. 

Yet as Bob Milam advises, while knowing a lot of tactics is useful, knowing which tactics to use and when to use them is even more useful.  Determine your strategy first, then choose among these trade show tactics the most appropriate ones to support your strategy and generate more leads. 

Also, while I’ve listed many tactics to get more leads, of course you need to also strive for getting higher quality leads.  And if you can do both, go to the head of the class.

While 100 is a big list, it’s certainly not everything.  Please share your own tips for generating more leads at trade shows in the comment box below.

Want to learn more ways to boost your trade show lead counts?  Click here to get your free 32-page What’s Working In Trade Show Marketing White Paper to give you insights into proven methods for boosting your results and stretching your budget. ]]> http://www.skylinetradeshowtips.com/100-trade-show-lead-generation-ideas/feed/ 10 http://www.skylinetradeshowtips.com/6-steps-to-restarting-your-trade-show-program/ http://www.skylinetradeshowtips.com/6-steps-to-restarting-your-trade-show-program/#comments Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:05:42 +0000 Mike Thimmesch http://www.skylinetradeshowtips.com/?p=1579

It’s been two years since economic turmoil spooked your management and they shut down or pulled back your trade show program to conserve cash.  But things are different now.  The economy is looking up, shows are getting more attendees, and exhibitors are reporting increasing numbers of interested prospects visiting their trade show displays.

That resurgence has you itching to get back into trade shows, to get face-to-face with hundreds, even thousands of prospects.  And since those prospects are also getting their budgets unfrozen, they’re eager to meet you, too.

But before you jump back in, don’t just dust off your 2008 plan.  So much has happened since then to your customers, and in your company, your trade shows, your industry, and the economy.  Instead, get a clean sheet of paper, grab a pencil, and consider these 6 points:

1.  Revised Marketing Objectives
Check to see if the marketing objectives that drove your old trade show program are still appropriate.  Are your marketing goals now focused on retaining clients, or were your clients so disproportionately hurt by the downturn that you’re targeting new customers now?  Do you have to build distribution or increase awareness in a stronger market you’re now expanding into?  Do you lack new products ready to launch, so you’ve got to take a different tack in your trade show booth?  If any of this rings true with you, go back to square one.  Huddle with your management team and determine your revamped goals for exhibiting, so you can adjust the rest of your trade show program.

2.  Revamped Trade Show Selection
While adjusting to the downturn, your company may have remade itself.  It could have retreated to its core market, or shifted its resources to focus on the stronger remaining markets.  Thus, some shows on your old schedule are unnecessary, and perhaps some new shows should be sought out.  Plus, the downturn affected show owners unequally.  You need to determine which shows are still strong, and have the resources to invest in bringing in and engaging attendees.  Also consider which shows you will choose if your budget is only partially restored.  And finally, if you are in the United States, consider trying more international trade shows, because emerging markets are growing twice as fast as the U.S.

3.  Reshaped Budget
Is your trade show budget completely restored, or only partially?  Even if you get it all back, you may wish to adjust how it’s spent based on the shows you keep and add, the size booth you need to meet your marketing goals, how beat-up or off-message your current trade show exhibit is, and how you’ll invest in promotions in this new era of social media.  And while you may be asked to bring fewer booth staffers, remember that you simply can’t take as many leads without the booth staffers to take them.

4.  Reinvigorated Exhibit Design
Based on your updated marketing objectives, recalibrated show selection, and revised budget, you may need to change your booth’s size, its marketing message, and even its shape (so its architecture better supports your new goals).  So pulling your old trade show display off the shelf may be counter-productive.  It might be time to look at getting a new trade show exhibit that better represents the new company you have evolved into. 

5.  Rebuilt Booth Staffing
Take a look at the desks around yours.  Is the entire crack team of booth staffers you once took to trade shows still intact?  Or were some of your best booth staffers “right sized” right out the door?  If so, you need to go on a recruiting mission to rebuild your team.  Your best bet?  Ask your remaining ace veterans who they’d choose.  They’ll know the like-minded candidates who have the right attitude, knowledge, and work ethic to best represent you on the show floor.

6. Reshaped Promotions
In the last two years, social media has reshaped the marketing world.  To what extent social media has taken hold in your target market will guide how much you need to shift your promotional activity into social media.  You may find you can get the same results reaching out to show attendees via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn than you can with emails, directory ads, and post card mailers.  You won’t know until you try. 

As marketers, we are not living in the same world we had before the downturn.  So you can’t go back to the same old trade show program you used to run.  I hope this gives you some ideas on how to not only restart, but even revitalize your trade show program as well.

Get more ideas on restarting your trade show program from the 32-page white paper, What’s Working In Exhibiting.  This free report shares insights from exhibitors on how they’ve increased results and stretched their budgets.  Click here now to get your own copy.

How would you help marketers and sales people work in tandem more seamlessly during a trade show?

That’s the question Ardath Albee recently asked when commenting on another blog post I’d written.  It’s a good question, as the economic hardships of the last couple of years have accelerated the need for sales and marketing teams to better cooperate.   Wouldn’t you like a little less rumble and a little more kumbaya between your sales and marketing?

Here are some ideas about what you can do before, during, and after a trade show to help your sales and marketing players become a more cohesive team. 

Before the trade show:

• Set and communicate the show goals, which include both sales and marketing metrics, like number of leads, sales revenue generated, new product introductions, and increased brand awareness, so both groups see they have strong reasons for ensuring success
• Ask sales what information they want gathered from booth visitors at the show, and get that on the lead card, so they feel valued
• Work together to set in-booth appointments before the show
• Train both sales and marketing how to work a trade show booth, so they are less nervous and less likely to turn on each other
• Take them out to dinner the night before the show to get them acquainted or reunited with each other

Just before the trade show:

• Let each staffer introduce themselves to the booth staff team, and tell what they want to get out of staffing at the show
• Tell your sales and marketing people that it’s okay to ask each other for help with booth visitor questions they don’t know the answer to (pricing, new product info, etc.)
• Re-emphasize that each booth staffer needs to record what booth visitors were interested in, and what follow up was promised, so the sales person who receives the lead can make a good follow up phone call
• In the rush before the show opens, be sure to treat the sales and marketing people equally — don’t ask the marketing assistant to load up the staplers, but treat the sales director as a visiting dignitary

In your trade show display during show floor hours:

• Try to balance the number of sales and marketing people on each trade show booth staffing shift
• Casually mention to a marketing person on the booth staff team when a sales person gets a great lead, and likewise, tell a sales person when a marketing booth staffer gets a great lead
• Hold sales and marketing booth staffers equally accountable during show hours — if a marketing manager hides behind a table or a top sales performer only chats with his neighbor, coach them with the same level of urgency

After the trade show:

• Report to the booth staffers how they all either achieved or did not achieve the show goals — let them know how sales and marketing performed as a team
• Share anecdotes from the booth staffers, such as when a sales person spoke with a prospect who liked your new branding, or a marketing person who heard from a client how much they value their sales person’s customer service skills

While you would expect the at-show activities to matter most, I think what you do before the show is the most effective.  And reporting results after the show helps solidify gains made for the next show.

Do you need to do all this at every show?  That depends on how wide the gap is between your sales and marketing teams.  But if you employ some of these tactics, you may find that the gap between your sales and marketing groups gets smaller, while the results you create together get bigger. 

How have you built stronger sales and marketing teams at trade shows?  Let us know in the comment box below.

You can make both your sales and marketing teams happier by boosting your trade show results.  Click here to get your free copy of the 32-page White Paper, What’s Working in Exhibiting, which reveals best practices in improving results, stretching budgets, lead management, promotions, exhibit design, and more.

You’ve probably heard from us and others the need to quickly follow up, follow up, follow up on the valuable leads you invested so much to generate at trade shows.

But while it’s easy to say again and again, there are some real obstacles that can slow you down and get in the way:

1. Wrong information recorded  The booth staffers were not trained to ask for the information needed to qualify leads, as determined by sales. So the when the sales people get the leads and don’t see the information they need, they don’t feel the leads are qualified. 
2. No information recorded   If the booth staffers do know what questions to ask, they still don’t write down the qualifying information they discover on a lead card or in an electronic lead system.  They fail to record what the attendee was interested in, and how interested they were.  So even if the prospect said they wanted to meet with a sales person about a new product, the sales person won’t find out from the lead card.
3. Lack of familiarity with lead recording  Trade show leads present a challenge unlike most B2B leads. Nearly all exhibitors use the lead systems from the show, which can change from event to event.  Plus, the booth staffer recording the lead may only do that for one show, unlike a career telemarketer who knows how to record a lead, or a website landing page with mandatory fields.
4. Busy people after the show  Lead follow up gets pushed aside because people are “behind” at work because of the show they just attended.  The sales people who were booth staffer now have to follow up on the leads — but they are digging out from being gone at the show.  So the reps don’t want to take the time to wade through all the leads, hoping to find the good ones.  Or just as bad, the leads sit on the trade show manager’s desk because they are too busy to get them entered into the company database.
5. Fulfillment unplanned  Lead follow up packets (brochures, cover letter) were not prepared before the show started to allow for follow up right after the show (or even during it).

Fortunately, these are not insurmountable issues, but issues that can be resolved with training, teamwork, and planning.

For obstacles #1 and #2, and #3, remember the words of Stephen Covey, “Begin with the end in mind.”  Work with your sales people to determine what makes for a qualified lead, and be sure that’s the information your booth staffers are seeking to get from booth visitors.  Those data points should already be data fields in your company’s customer relationship management database, and also be questions that you set up to be recorded on a lead card or on the show’s electronic lead retrieval system. 

Before the show, coach your booth staffers to write down the information from the conversation that your sales person will need to make a good follow up call.  Set expectations with your booth staffers that, if they haven’t done so during their conversations, to always take a minute right afterwards to record the prospect’s buyer profile, product interest, and what they promised as the next step (such as set an appointment or send specific product literature). 

Go so far as to role play before the show, and have your staffers practice writing down those qualifying answers.  Do the role play again at the show just before it opens, letting each booth staffer get familiar with that show’s particular lead retrieval system. 

To ensure qualifying info is recorded at the show, monitor the leads for completeness as the show goes on, and go back to the booth staffers that are not fully recording their leads.  Sure, they may say they are so busy they can’t get it all down, but without that qualifying info, all the leads will be less likely to be followed up, so they will all be less valuable.  Let them know it’s okay to take that extra minute; there will be more leads to get when they are done.  They should write at least a sentence or two about interest level and promised follow up, even if it’s a C quality lead. 

To overcome obstacles #4 and #5 requires a higher level of planning.  Just as you don’t order and ship your exhibit the day of the show, you shouldn’t attempt to figure out your lead follow-up starting the day after the show.  Long before you step on the plane for the trade show, take some quality time to assign who will enter the leads into your database, and determine, order, and prepare what follow up literature will be sent.  Even have the cover letter for the show written before the show starts.  Just be sure you only send your “Thanks for visiting us at the show” letter to the people you did meet, rather than to all the show attendees as a post-show follow up.

With more qualified leads and a plan to get them faster into the sales people’s hands, you increase your odds that your leads will be followed up better.  And with better follow up, you will generate more meetings, sales, and higher R.O.I. from your trade show marketing.  And that’s worth overcoming a few obstacles to get.

Learn how other exhibitors have overcome obstacles and created successful trade show marketing programs.  Get your free copy of What’s Working In Exhibiting, a 32-page white paper report that shows how your peers are improving results and stretching their budgets.  Click here to get your free copy.