“Success at an exhibition” October 2016 “Success at an exhibition”

Success at an exhibition Action to take away Our Babble Today: Babbling together Babble News Success at an exhibition Action to take away

Your successes this month Progress on your Action of the Month Babbling Together Your Elevator Pitch Your successes this month Progress on your Action of the Month What you would like help with

Success at an exhibition Action to take away Our Babble Today: Babbling together Babble News Success at an exhibition Action to take away

Choosing an exhibition Preparation & on the day Following up leads Today’s journey Choosing an exhibition Preparation & on the day Following up leads Hints and tips 6

My exhibition plans Where could I exhibit? What offer would I exhibit? How I will attract people to my stand The best thing about this meet-up:

Discussion What do you need to consider when you decide on which exhibition to attend? 8

Which Exhibition? Consider; budget, timescale, location Which involves your target audience How successful has the exhibition been in the past? The exhibition website will have an online review of the previous year. How is the show promoted? Look at the advertising profile of the exhibition - how much they advertise and where.

What does success at this exhibition look like to you? Discussion What does success at this exhibition look like to you? 12

Discussion What are your targets? 13

Who would you want to attract to your stand? Discussion Who would you want to attract to your stand? 14

Discussion What do you need to consider when deciding which products/services you will exhibit? 17

Product/Services to Exhibit? Thinking about the focus of your exhibition stand will help determine the products or services to showcase at your event. Don't be tempted to feature every product you have to offer; your message will become confusing, the stand will look overcrowded, and your new product may become lost. Making the right decision about what to exhibit is essential. In the average 3-5 seconds it takes to grab the attention of visitors, you need to firmly establish: Who you are. What you offer.

Where are the good and not so good places to be located? Discussion Where are the good and not so good places to be located? Get a stand either by the front door or near a large crowd drawing exhibitor. Stands on corners are good. 19

What does a good exhibiting team look like? Discussion What does a good exhibiting team look like? 20

Smile, Smile, Smile? Making a lasting impression on prospects and existing clients is critical. Enjoy it and smile! Smiling is contagious and you will be remembered for having a happy stand staff too. If your stand staff mood is upbeat, more people are likely to stop by. To keep that happy mood throughout the show have a back up plan for anything technical in case it goes wrong Tip: build a price into the budget for cushioning the floor. It is hard enough working the stand all day without having to stand on hard concrete for 8 hours.

Other good attributes? Appearance Knowledge Body Language Eating and Drinking Team Spirit Approachability Interested understanding clients’ need Eye contact Tone of voice Attention to customers.

How will you attract people to your stand? Discussion How will you attract people to your stand? 23

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How will you capture leads? Discussion How will you capture leads? 31

Discussion From Trade Show research, how many leads are collected and not followed through? 82% 32

What would following up leads well look like? Discussion What would following up leads well look like? 33

If you don't follow up - your competitors will Following up leads Trade show research shows that over % of leads gathered at shows are not followed up, mainly because the leads lack quality Have an action plan of how to follow up leads Classify customers and quantify the cost and return on each sales effort The type of follow up will be different for each prospect, use a ranking system to note the differences and the type of follow up each one should receive. Within 3 - 5 days after the exhibition send your prospects a follow up. This could be anything from a 'thank you for visiting us' to an appointment with a sales representative, depending on the ranking of the lead It is also good to track your leads 3, 6 and 9 months after the exhibition as this will give you a true picture of the success of each lead Your behaviour towards prospects after the exhibition is as important as during the exhibition. It shows how much you want to do business with them and how professional your company is. Golden thought: If you don't follow up - your competitors will

Issues and Risks - Discuss 35

Summary Have offerings such as bottles of water as this will get people to come to you. If you offer them something like this they feel almost obliges to stand and chat. Have a clear bowl to collect business cards in exchange for a free something… or a draw for a free something… make sure you put quite a few in the bowl before you start – people follow the crowd! Have banners which clearly show what you do… no mixed messages… make sure the key messages are high off the ground. Remember you only have 3 seconds to get your message across.. Keep your stand looking fresh, interesting but clutter free. Table cloths to the floor hide all the boxes etc under the table. Make sure your stand attracts people as they pass e.g. colour motion, sounds, bold graphics and statements of the benefits. Don’t eat or drink on the stand or use your phone – always step away. Have things for them to touch and feel, people are more likely to buy and more likely to stand and talk.

Summary 7. At a business fair - aim to book a ‘buy you a coffee’ meeting with everyone you meet who may be a customer. As a minimum at least get a business card from everyone who you speak with… 8. You will normally get very thirsty at the exhibition and so take regular watering breaks. 9. Free give always are a big draw and can remind people about you once they have left. 11. Have some videos of evidence of what you do and how you do it. 12. If you get the opportunity to do a speech about something e.g. current legislation then this makes you look like an expert! Ask early as these normally get booked up early and they are included in all the publicity materials. 13. Get your message clear of what you are selling that day… keep it simple. Be clear what you want out of the event, what are your targets. 15. Who else is going to exhibit that maybe you could in some way partner up with for the day.

Summary 16. Publicise that you are going to your clients and mail the companies you have details for who maybe going before you go. 17. If you are taking staff who are not sales, then the sales team pass all leads to them to set up the appointments, leaving the sales team clear to sell. 18. Have a mix between sales and technical staff on the stand 19. Always stand in front of your stand and never have your back to the aisle, never sit down and never lean up against walls… always smile. 20. Clip boards are really useful when you have to write things down. 21. As you collect leads prioritise them A, B and C… that way you know who to target first 22. Set up your follow up communications, letters and email templates before the show so you are ready to send them as soon as you get back. 23. Always open with an open question. 24. When things go a little quiet visit the other exhibitors – they are potential clients and you will also learn what has gone well for them today and learn what you like/don’t like about their stand.

Sketch what your stand could look like…. Or your banner! Exercise Sketch what your stand could look like…. Or your banner! 39

Meet-up in______________ I want to remember: My action for this month: What I am going to do for another babbler: How I will capture people’s details and follow up….

October 2016 “Showcase Special” Contact Beth: 07764 657576 (Jayne) www.businessbabble.net Business Babble beth@businessbabble.net