One of the most successful marketing tools which I have employed for my business over the years ahas been the work which we have put in at trade shows across the country. These shows give you a great opportunity to network, boost sales, grow your brand and most importantly, market your business and its products.

Throughout the years I have learned how best to prepare for such an event and I wanted to share with you some of the things which we do in the run up to a trade show, in order to make sure that it is as successful as possible. If you want to showcase your business at a trade show, here is what you need to do in the lead up to the event.

Display

I can’t stress enough how important the display booth which you take with you to your trade shows is. In the first few shows which we did, we use a stock booth which was fit for purpose, but didn’t really offer any excitement. We invested in a custom booth from ExpoMarketing and the next show we went to we saw immediate results in terms of popularity, my advice to you would be to have a custom made booth for your business if you really want to create a buzz at the next show.

The Right Personnel

When it comes to who you will take you with from your team, make sure that you have the very best sellers on your side. This can be tough for some people to take but there is no room for emotions when you are trying to grow your business and increase sales. Very often you will not only be selling to consumers but also other businesses and it is for this reason that you need the right sellers from your business, on the front line. Try to select a few different types of sellers from within your team as the qualities of each will be needed depending on who you are selling to.

Freebies

Free gifts have become the stock in trade for many businesses at trade shows and the biggest advice I can give you is to avoid the common giveaways such as company pen. The idea of the giveaway is not only that people remember your business but also that you are marketing your pitch. Lets say for example that you hand out lanyards with a flashing light, should someone use the lanyard around the expo, others will see it and in turn, see your business.

Test, Test, Test

If you are giving a demonstration of your products and something should go wrong with it, you’ll lose sales right then and there. With this in mind then it is absolutely critical that you test your product rigorously before taking it to a trade show. Just think about the level of competition which you’ll find at such a show, people won’t have the patience to wait around as you fix technical mistakes, get it right first time, and practice beforehand to ensure that you do.