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Melanie Wood, Director of Corporate Sales Training at Advanstar Communications

Want to Know How to Get the Most out of Your Next Tradeshow?

There’s no better person to ask than Melanie Wood, Director of Sales Training for Advantstar the company that produces Magic. With more than 20 years of sales management and training experience; she coaches business owners on making sales calls, working trade shows and turning prospects into customers.

She shared with us her presentation “10 Steps to Maximizing Your ROI at Magic.” The seminar covers creating a marketing strategy that can apply to just about any trade show. Here I’ll share the highlights from her presentation.

Your Tradeshow Marketing Plan should consist of Three Main Components:

  1. Pre Show Marketing
  2. In Show Marketing
  3. Post Show Marketing

Driving traffic to the booth starts weeks before you step on the trade show floor.

  1. Start Your Trade Show Planning with Defining Clear Goals
    1. Press Coverage,
    2. A Realistic Dollar Amount of Sales,
    3. Exposure to Specific Buyers,
    4. Testing New Products and Line Feedback
  2. Improve Your Chances of Meeting with your Top Prospects with pre show outreach.
    1. Research the Stores of Your Competitors to Make Your Own Priority List.
    2. Send a Mailing to your Prospects Introducing Your Line, Send a Personalized Letter, Email or Postcard with Pictures
    3. Make Sure You Include Your Booth Number
    4. Let your top prospects know you’ve researched their store and have set aside special pieces you’d like to show them
  3. After sending your marketing materials call your best prospects and attempt to secure an appointment.

In Show Marketing
Since your competition will be all around and buyers may be tired and overwhelmed getting someone into your booth is only half the battle. Now that you’re got the buyers attention you’ve got to move fast to keep it.

  1. Start by Engaging the Prospect - Immediately point out what makes your line special.
  2. Ask the right questions to see if you can do business together. (For your priority stores you should already know this information0
    1. What Lines do you Carry?
    2. What Price Points are you Looking for?
    3. Where are you located?
  3. Qualification of the Prospects Needs - after you determined the prospect is a good fit you want to learn more about their specific needs by asking the right questions.
    1. Tell me about your customers?
    2. What’s your Delivery Time Frame - Immediate or Next Season
    3. Tell me about the area of your store?
  4. Once you’ve gathered significant information about your prospect you’re ready to move forward
    1. Assist them in take notes on specific items
    2. Make them aware of order deadlines
    3. Offer to Write the Order

Post Show Marketing
Follow through on your commitments to contact prospects you’ve gathered at the show. Remember to build your database for future marketing with the leads you’ve collected.

Submit your questions about trade show preparation for future posts to blog@fashionbizinc.org