Marketing Face to Face

...From Biz2Biz NWA January 2009

By Ken Abernathy/ Big Hats Consulting / Springdale

An effective way to market B-to-B is at tradeshows and expos in your targeted marketplace. Even in these tough times tradeshows are a good value.

One of my favorite business heroes, my dad, always said, “When business is good it pays to advertise, and when business is bad you have to advertise.”

In today’s economy truer words were never spoken. Research shows that nine out of 10 companies ranked tradeshows as the #1 most useful source of purchasing information, because they could examine and evaluate competing products in one location.

Why should tradeshows be an important part of your marketing program?

• Level the playing field. Advertising budgets aside, tradeshows and expos provide small business owners with the chance to be in front of potential clients and compete on the same level as larger competitors. Your booth can outshine your competition and prove your merit in the marketplace.

• People get to meet you face to face. Almost all selling happens face to face, but while we’re a nation of consumers, the adage “people love to buy but hate to be sold” is true. Tradeshows give potential customers the opportunity to get to know you and your corporate culture outside the typical sales environment. That gives them a safe zone where they learn what you can do for them without feeling sales pres¬sure. Statistics show your company has not approached 83% of show attendees in the last 12 months. The needs they had a year ago may have changed. And maybe, so have you.

• Develop leads. Everyone who stops by your booth and drops a business card in your fish bowl to win a putter can become a lead, or at least a target market-related prospect. Add these attendees to your contact lists for e-newsletters, direct mail, prospecting, etc.

• Achieve qualified leads for personal follow-up. Just because they want to win that putter doesn’t necessarily make them a qualified prospect. Create a short question¬naire that separates contacts from leads because of their interest and needs. Plot your questions so you can determine what role the person has in the decision making process, if they are in the market for your product or service, and when they may plan to buy. When you review the cards and questionnaires after the show, you’ll know who needs to be contacted quickly.

• Change or improve the perception of your organization. Take Crocs, for example. Most people think funny looking shoes when they think of Crocs. Yet the company has a complete line of casual footwear and a line of golf shoes. The tradeshow environment can introduce products or services your customers aren’t aware of, or connect dissimilar company brands. In our case of the Crocs, the tradeshow is perfect to promote healthy comfortable shoes for all occasions, and defend the brand from inferior knock-offs.

• Demonstrate new products and features of older products. Expanding the example above, you can use an expo to engage customers in trying your products or services. Let them taste, feel, try on, use, and sample for themselves. A mini-putting green at the Crocs exhibit could set the stage for Crocs golf shoes, for example, where attendees could try them on for the putt. You might award prizes for their putting prowess, with coupons that save them a little “green” on their next purchase. Because the tradeshow is an entire environment, plan everything— your space, demonstra¬tions, activities, and door prizes—with continuity and purpose.

• Comprehend customer problems. One of the best questions to ask of attendees is “What do you think of our product or service?” In the tradeshow environment, you’ll get real time feedback with real time answers that can make you a better company. Face to face, existing clients may feel more comfortable discussing issues that they would never pick up the phone to tell you about.

• Improve your company or product. Positive feedback from attendees is a gold mine. Take good notes so you can write a report of the expo experience to share with leadrs of other departments in your organization. Remember you are representing your entire company at the tradeshow, not just the sales department.

• Reduce closing costs. Research shows tradeshows can reduce the cost to close by an average of 38% over conventional sales methods. In North America alone there are over 10,000 tradeshows a year, attended by 120 million people–who spend $90 billion dollars. With numbers like these, there must be some good business going on in¬side those convention center doors. So, polish those shoes, put on your best smile and get out there!

Ken Abernathy is the president and CEO of Big Hats Consulting, a full service tradeshow program consulting firm in Northwest Arkansas, and has more than 25 years experience in the tradeshow and event industry. Have a question for Ken? Email: ken@bighatsconsulting.com.