7 Easy Steps for SMEs to Make Their Trade Shows Pay Off

With the business world & foreign & domestic markets gaining stability, trade shows have once again started to pick up, with the number of attendees and booth sales growing each year.

In the recent past there had come a time when many businesses decided to dial down participation in such trade fairs & conferences. If you too are one of those businesses, then this is the right time to make a comeback & re-engage.

Here are few essential steps SMEs may follow, to ensure that your money & time invested in trade shows pays off into profitable leads and stronger customer bonds.

1. While most SMEs begin preparing for their shows only days beforehand, there is instead a need for long-term strategy that aligns with your company marketing.
2. The basic motive behind attending such conferences & trade shows is to be able to connect with your prospective & current customers and also to get updated on the latest technologies & products that can benefit your business. The key here is to ensure whether or not you accomplish these tasks well & how wisely you spend your time. Thus, the catch here is to first evaluate which trade shows can be of maximum profit for you. Your aim is to generate a lead for your products & marketing. A good way to do this is to become a panellist or speaker that brings for your some instant recognition & thereby generate leads.
3. Start contacting your target audience well in advance by means of attractive mailers that can tempt ample traffic to your booth.
4. Referring exhibition handbooks that are often neglected, is a cheap & useful resource for identifying key activities you may want to attend & delegates who can prove instrumental for your business. You may also call the PR of the show to get updates on high profile speakers & product launches. Think of the show as a golden opportunity to get immense recognition within an intense timeframe.
5. It would be too much of an expectation to assume the attendees to find you. Experts indicate that it is for you to devise ways & means of standing out of crowd. While some experts are of the opinion that large & bold displays are visible from across all corners of the hall, others advice to have counter-programming presentation with a personal touch for more effective results.
6. Skilled & well trained staff is a key consideration in trade shows. Remember that each & every staff member who will man a booth acts as your business ambassador. Thus, it is important for you to pen down a pitch well in advance & have it practiced with each of your staffer so that the messaging is consistent. Evaluate the results of the pitch by measuring the sales leads or script the pitch accordingly.
7. Pushing your products at your customers is not the smartest way. A better way is to instead ask questions that can help you judge the needs & temperament of your customers & then pitch your products. This ensures a longer customer relationship.