3 Ways for Salespeople to Increase their Trade Show Success
The art of scheduling meetings with prospects prior to a trade show is something that all salespeople should work to master. Especially when dealing with eCommerce websites, it always helps to have a few cards up your sleeve to make your job of prospecting run more efficiently. These people spend much of their days online, so use this to your advantage. If you missed the first part of this blog post, check it out HERE. Let’s now go over three more tips for setting up meetings before a trade show.
1. Find the right cadence.
Two weeks before a trade show, you should be utilizing all of your available tools for prospecting. Contact people through email, LinkedIn, and Twitter so that they become familiar with your name and do not miss out on what you have to say. Typically, I will start out by sending a LinkedIn InMail, since it is harder to say no to a person with a face than just a blank email address. If they do not respond to the initial message, I go to the sent folder and send another message. If I still do not get a response, then I send an email with a subject line like, “Check LinkedIn.” For my typical cadence, it takes me around eight times to get a response. It can take a while to finally get a response, and that is perfectly normal. The important part is to not let yourself become discouraged.
2. Take advantage of social media opportunities.
Social media provides unique opportunities for you to connect with prospects who are attending a trade show. First, make sure you are following the show’s hashtag. You may be surprised at just how people will post on Twitter and LinkedIn that they will be attending the trade show. Once they confirm that they will be at the event, you have more leverage to begin your prospecting. Additionally, let all of your LinkedIn connections know that you will be at the trade show as well. When I travel, I like to post a photo of the city I am going to and say, “Who wants to connect?” I cannot tell you how many awesome people I have gotten to meet and how much business I have gotten to drive just from a simple post like that. Finally, nurture your prospects who are also going to the trade show. Make sure that you are consistently liking or commenting on their posts on LinkedIn if they are relevant to you. As you are tweeting with the hashtag both before and during the show, also take the time to follow your prospects on Twitter. This makes it easy to find out what they are doing, where they will be, and what they are thinking about the trade show.
3. Confirm all of your meetings.
If you are able to get in touch with your prospects prior to the trade show, make sure you are setting up a meeting through a calendar invitation. Saying things like “I’ll swing by your booth” or “come to my booth and meet me” are too vague and easy to dismiss. Instead, send a confirmed calendar invitation. In the body of the invitation, make sure you include important details like the exact location of where you are going to be, directions on how to get there, and your cell phone number. Once you have a successful first meeting with a prospect, it is imperative to confirm the next steps that you will take as well. Go ahead and grab your phone or computer while you are meeting with them at the trade show, and get your next meeting on the calendar. It is not enough to say that you will call them the following week to set up a time to chat. Get things booked while they are still sitting in front of you. Do you have a trade show coming up soon? There is no time like the present to start implementing all of these tips and make some sales happen.
