Trade Shows—To Go or Not To Go


Especially for small businesses, exhibiting at a trade show can be a very expensive investment. It matters a lot how you evaluate your ROI so that any money you spend on the booth at a show brings you worthwhile results.

Regardless of the value selling training methodology that you follow, here are some guidelines to help you decide to go or not to go:

  1. Track results. Keep accurate records not only of what you sell on the floor, but also what you sell as a result of the contacts you made at the show. After-show purchases should relate back to the show as you try to decide how well you did there and its effectiveness in growing your business.
  2. Try the show at least twice. You may need a presence first to get noticed and then a reappearance before you have buyers.  Branding and positioning takes time and consistency to show results.
  3. Timing can matter. Depending on your product, one season or budget calendar timing may be better than another to showcase your offering.
  4. Send only your best team and merchandise. Only by removing other variables can you truly evaluate the value to your business of the show.

No comments:

Post a Comment