The following is a list of Trade Show Do's & Don't(s) that I have accumulated over the past 5 years.


Do!

Do learn the 80/20 rule and take it to heart. The best exhibitors are those who listen 80% of the time and talk 20%. Focusing on attendees' wants and needs is a surefire route to success.

Do prepare a sales pitch. Have a story about your products. What inspired it. What does the product do. Be prepared to talk about the features & benefits of this product.

Do dress professionally & get a manicure. Business casual is perfect. Wear comfortable shoes. Those 4″ heels are cute but after standing for 5 hours you will thank me.

Do show up on time and have your table prepared before the set-up time ends.

Do keep your booth neat and clean. Keep all banners and display materials within the booth area.

Do have brochures &/or catalogs on the table so that an attendee may just take the literature if they choose not to stop for the sales pitch.

No matter how small your marketing budget, your business can afford to have a successful presence at trade shows without incurring big expenses. Here are five tips for exhibiting in trade shows inexpensively.

1. Have a sales representative exhibit your line at a trade show. If you can't afford a booth and travel expenses, a sales rep who exhibits in trade shows or gift marts in your industry can present your product line without the cost of a full-fledged booth. An added benefit is that a professional sales rep has a network of connections and knows your market niche well, and is likely to be more experienced in selling and trade show dynamics than you are.

Try these trade show tips on nearly every aspect of exhibiting. Included are ideas and solutions for displays, booth design, budgeting for a show, choosing the right shows for you, standing out from the crowd, signs, banners, getting leads, literature, and more.

* Each year you exhibit in trade shows, you should feature new products for your repeat customers. If that's not possible for your product line, consider at least significantly updating some of your current products and showcasing them, along with some updated marketing materials. Brainstorm ways to creatively update your trade show booth display without spending a lot of money on the updates.

The key to great trade show exhibiting is marketing. But marketing is a very inexact science that leaves room for a multitude of errors to occur. Learn to avoid exhibitors' mistakes and increase your chances for a successful trade show exhibit.

Have an Exhibit Marketing Plan: Having a strategic exhibit marketing and tactical plan of action is a critical starting point. To make trade shows a powerful dimension in your company's overall marketing operation, there must be total alignment between the strategic marketing and your exhibit marketing plan.

Know and understand exactly what you wish to achieve:

# increase market share with existing users

# introduce new products/services into existing markets

# promote new products/services into new markets

Your trade show display is one of the most important aspects of your trade show presentation. Just being there isn't enough to make attending a trade show worthwhile. You need to have a trade show booth that's going to draw and engage potential customers and contacts and your trade show display will play a big part in determining if your trade show experience is worthwhile. Here are some trade show display tips:

1) Think neatness and visibility when putting your trade show display together.

Use a display board to hang some of your products at customer eye-level to draw them into your display. Make sure your display is organized and tidy; customers will be turned off by messiness or by having to do too much searching to find what they want. Have all your prices clearly marked.

2) Build the impression of demand into your trade show display.

Customers will want your products more if they think they're in high demand. Place a strategic sold sign on one or two items. You might even leave a display spot empty, giving the impression that you've been too busy to restock.