Make exhibitions work to the advantage of your business


Most exhibitors go to exhibitions with the aim of making sales, meeting buyers, generating leads, and so forth, and most of them come away disappointed. The reason is easy: there are extremely few buyers at exhibitions.

Most visitors are there for other factors - research shows that many of them are there to sell to exhibitors, or to find out what competitors are up to, or to get new ideas (engineers and designers make up about 25 percent of exhibition visitors), or simply to have each day out.

Buyers in fact represent much less than 10 percent of exhibition visitors (despite what exhibition organizers may say). Even when they're there, and are looking to buy, they'll be seeing all your competitors as well.

Numerous exhibitors turn out to be disheartened when they find this out, and stop exhibiting. This really is a large mistake: those other visitors are useful (even the students) because, after all, they do have an interest in the industry.

Because there are no buyers, there is not much point in having salespeople on the stand. Other visitors (like engineers, administrators and so on) may be helpful sources of information - so why not put your own engineers, and so on. on the stand?

Visitors who are not buyers might be users of your products and services, and will know who you should be talking to at their businesses - frequently they're fairly happy to offer a name for you, and even an introduction.

If you put the correct individuals on the stand, you'll make the correct contacts. Almost anybody from the potential consumer business can help you get a foot in the door - even retired people can probably let you know who you should be talking to, and may even give you some inside information about the best method to take.

The main thing would be to ensure that you are giving the visitors something in return - if you are talking to an engineer, talk technical and give them the information they are looking for.

Don't staff your stand with salespeople. They've the important job of following up the leads you create. Remember that less than 10 percent of visitors to most exhibitions are buyers. Focus on your cause for exhibiting - it is to make contacts, not make sales. Think concerning the needs of the visitors. That way you have a opportunity of exchanging something of value.

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This article was sent to us by: Leah Rogers at 01202011

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