TRADESHOW OBJECTIVE
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Before attending your selected trade show ALL staff involved should have a copy of the Trade Show Objective.
This of course is assuming you have one. If you do not, prepare one. We all have views on why we attend a show and what our objectives are. We then extend that view into how to achieve the objective and so on. If everyone has a written copy of the company objective it will be much easier to achieve it. Objectives can include selling a dollar amount of product or gathering a minimum number of qualified leads. At most shows gathering qualified leads are the frequent goal.
Now that we have the written objective we can write the plan on how to achieve it. Start by creating your own Show Guide to Success, or use any other name. In this guide you can include items such as, Trade Show Objective, trade show dates, booth number, start times, closing times, each individuals time at the both, (remember to give breaks to staff for food and rest, standing for more than 3 hours is a challenge for anyone), every ones phone number, room number, location of literature and giveaways, dress code, how to secure a lead such as your opening statement to a prospect and so much more. Keep to what is important to your goals. Try not to create a Guide so large no one will read it. Done properly this will become a valuable tool prior to and during the show.
When preparing this guide assign the responsibility to one person. You can start with a meeting to discuss what the guide should contain, prepare the guide and then review prior to attending the show. Many exhibitors also meet for dinner or breakfast during the show to review the set goals and revise if necessary based on the show results or traffic flow after the first day. One of the most important pieces of the guide will be How to Secure a Qualified Lead. There are consultants that offer training on this important goal from a 3 hour crash course to a two day intensive training session.
We will cover in more detail starting a conversation at a show and qualifying them as a lead in a future Newsletter.