I love trade shows! Imagine someone arranging an event where everyone is captive behind a table and is there just to talk with you! It’s great!
The chamber trade shows are a great place to find people who actually have a marketing budget and will pay $250-500 for the booth. Normally the people you meet at the trade shows exhibiting are more likely to become a client than those I meet at a mixer.
The trade shows that are really fun though are the ones at major event facilities. In San Francisco we have Moscone and major hotels where trade shows might have as many as 400 exhibitors. What a candy store!
Imagine being able to talk with 100 business owners, sales managers or sales consultant in a four hour time period. It’s the best marketing venue possible.
Almost always people go to trade shows and pro9mote them selves to those who have paid to exhibit. That is just rude. So what I do is ask one of three questions:
- If there was one thing you could add to your company to make it better for you what would it be?
- If you could change one thing about the company what would it be?
- Who is your ideal client?
Then I offer to call them the next week and offer to introduce them to a Power Partner who will refer them business.
No one has ever turned me down! And I always follow up within a week and refer them to a Power Partner.