Have your booth constantly manned with enough knowledgeable salespeople. You do not want potential customers to wait too long for service. Buyers try to hit as many booths as possible and their time is very limited. You do not want to see a million dollar account walk away because she has to wait more than a few minutes to see if she can get your product in green.

KNOWLEDGEABLE is the key word in the above paragraph, The best salesmen from your company should be on hand. Tradeshows are one of the best ways to meet large numbers of potential customers in a short amount of time. Be prepared.

Set a goal beforehand with your salespeople. Offer some kind of bonus for hitting the goal. Nothing motivates people more than a goal with a reward. Make this a team effort where everyone wins.

Give your people enough breaks so that they do not burn out. Be sure they get enough sleep the night before. Nothing drags a person quicker than arriving on the red-eye and having to stand 12 hours at a tradeshow booth. Keep them motivated and alert.

Helpful Hint: Everyone should wear comfortable shoes. A tradeshow floor is not the place to break in a new pair of shoes.

3. Select one specific message or product for your demonstration. One of the biggest mistakes made with most demos is trying to give out too much information… Remember, the primary goal of the demonstration is to bring people into the booth so that they can be serviced by the salesmen. The goal of the demonstration is to peak their curiosity so that they will come into the booth.

4. Make sure that whoever is doing the demonstration has a thorough knowledge of the product, or have technical support standing by. If the demonstrator does not know the answer to the questions, be honest. Inform the person asking the questions that he will get an answer after the demonstration.

5. Practice the demonstration until you can do it without thinking about it, each sentence blending into the next. You do not want to sound as if you are reciting a dull script.

6. Conclude the demonstration by leading the prospects to the salesmen. This can simply be an invitation to come into the booth or asked to fill out an information card. Never end the demonstration without some kind of plan for the prospects, otherwise you might loose some potential business.

The name of the game is to get people to your booth. One of the easiest ways to do this is to hand out circulars at the entrance of the trade show. This is often done by hiring a model form a local agency.

To improve the effectiveness of the flyer, it is best to make an irresistible offer. Offer something of value in exchange for their time to visit your booth. A free gift, a product sample, a back massage, or some other enticement will dramatically increase the number of people at your booth.

Be sure to contact all the companies in your data base and let them know that you are going to be at the tradeshow. Send a map marking your location on the tradeshow floor.

You may want to send an invitation to all the companies to whom you are currently trying to sell your products, inviting them to meet you at the tradeshow.

Nothing is better than a face to face meeting with a potential customer. You may want to offer them a free product sample, gift, or entry form in a contest for a valuable prize. You would be surprised at what people will do for something free.

80% of all leads collected by most businesses are never followed up effectively. You have to make an initial contact within two weeks. The best way to do this is with a 2-step marketing plan. Send out your brochure or catalog and then, in 4 or 5 days, follow up with a courtesy phone call.

Most brochures are tossed aside at the end of a tradeshow, never to be looked at again. The phone call will at least bring yours to the top of the pile.

, one of my specialties is to attract people to a trade show booth through the use of a carefully scripted presentation combined with magic. The magic builds a crowd. I create excitement at your booth. I then interweave your company’s marketing message with the magic. This sales pitch combined with the entertainment creates a one-two punch, ending with the potential customers being lead into the booth so that your salespeople can write up their orders.

Whatever way you use to attract people to your booth, be sure that it is dynamic and memorable. You want people to remember you long after the tradeshow is over. 

, would you be interested in learning more about my trade show programs? If so, please click in the following link so you can learn what I can do for you and your company.