6 Simple Tactics To Ace Your First Business Exhibition

Business exhibitions can be a fantastic and relatively cheap way of getting your startups brand and products in front of an audience that closely matches your demographic. In fact, as the vast majority of visitors will be there to make a purchase or investigate a future one, it can be one of the most valuable actions you can take to promote your business. Of course, that means you will want to do things in the right way. Luckily, the simple tactics in our post below can help you do this. Read on to find out more.  

Don’t let objections hold you back.

Guess what, if you spend 1-3 days telling people about your product, you are bound to hear some concerns and objections using this time. That is OK though because to be effective at a business exhibition you will need to preempt these and have solutions already available.

In fact, if you want to fulfill your goals, something you can find out about in the next section you need to be able to turn every no into a year that you can.

Do set measurable goals for the duration of the exhibition.

First of all, just like you would with any marketing activity it is crucial that you set realistic and measurable targets to aim for during the time the exhibition is running. In fact, having such objectives such as getting 100 business card a day, getting 50  people to sign up to your newsletter, or even getting 25 sales each day, can help you and your team keep as focused as possible during the exhibition.

Of course, when we say realistic, we don’t mean easy. In fact, having targets that require a little extra work can be a great this because it can motivate your team, even more, to attain them, especially if there is an incentive waiting for them if they do.

Don’t think that an A3 poster and table cloth are enough to make your stand eye-catching.  

We’ve all seen those stands in business exhibitions where the company in question has obviously not wanted to splash out on any IRL marketing. Of course, it’s improbable that you stopped at this stand, or that the business in question fulfilled their goals that day. Something that makes it even more unlikely that they will invest in coming back the next year.

What this means is that to get the return you want in term of your goals you need to invest in the aesthetic and design of your stand. Of course, you’ll often see some of the businesses that sponsor the event with a central booth, and even colossal set designed pieces, but even if you can’t quite stretch to that, there are some other options.

One is to use vinyl banners that are large enough to be seen for a distance and can be printed with your company logo and branding. Of course, to achieve these, you will need to find a service that offers large format custom printing to work with. Oh, and do remember to check your image files for bugs before you send them across!

You can also use tech to make your stand much more eye-catching without blowing the budget. One way of doing this is to set up a TV  or computer stand that runs your company website or presentation on loop.

Some startups are also using even more interactive type tech including VR machines to demonstrate their products and manufacturing process. The novelty and immersion of this for those experiencing it, being great for brand awareness and PR too.

Do use the opportunity to gather qualitative information from customers.  

Sell, sell, sell, that is what it can be tempting to think that business exhibitions are all about. After all, you have paid the money to be there, and your primary concern is earning enough back to justify this.

However, it is also important to remember that business exhibitions can help your startup in the long as well as short term. The reason for this is that you have an unprecedented opportunity to talk face to face with the people that consume your products and get their feedback on your business, and on your customer service, and the experience you provide.

Of course, this is hugely valuable information because it means you can collect this qualitative data through discussion, and then use it to shape your policies, products, and processes in the future. Something that means you can tweak your business to be even more customer friendly than it is, which should help you to gain more leads and close more sales in the long term.

Don’t forget to follow up leads once the show is over.

Business exhibitions are busy, bustling places, but don’t for a second think that after they are over your work is done. After all, the 1, 2, or 3 days that you exhibit will be filled with talking to customers and getting their lead details, but if you don’t do the work and follow up on these after the exhibition doors have closed, it will all be for naught.

Following up any lead gained at an exhibition is vital for success.

Do stay customer focused at all times.

There is nothing more off-putting than walking around an exhibition and seeing representatives gossiping between themselves, munching away on a sandwich, or looking bored and uninterested. In fact, it seems highly unprofessional and can put people off before they even get to your stand.

Instead, it’s essential to be smartly dressed in your company colors, as well as being customer focused at all times. It can even be helpful to send people put with flyers to walk the exhibition and direct people to your booth.

Of course, not every company will have extroverted employees that suit such roles well, and if that is the case for you, then it may be worth employing some promotional staff to help you with this. After all, what matters most is the image that you convey to potential customers, and it would be a shame to fall at the last hurdle, especially if you have followed the rest of the advice above that will help you ace your first business exhibition.

This is a contributed post.