Making the Sale at Trade Shows

June 6, 2010

Though virtual tradeshows, training sessions and conference events like this week's HIMSS Virtual Conference & Expo are becoming more and more popular due to packed schedules and ever-tightening travel and exhibition budgets, the traditional trade show is still a very valuable venue at which to promote products, network with peers and hopefully close a few deals.

The ANI 2010 healthcare finance conference put on by HFMA (the Healthcare Financial Management Association) taking place later this month in Las Vegas, will see a significant number of attendees walk the show floor to visit a significant number of exhibitors' booths. These are numbers not to be ignored.

Cynthia Porter, President, Porter Research

Porter Research President Cynthia Porter, a veteran trade show attendee and exhibitor, offers the following tips to help sales professionals get the most out of a trade show sales experience:

1. Be Prepared.
With trade shows only lasting two or three days, be prepared to turn those days into marathon networking shifts. Twelve-hour days are typical for Porter during a show.

"With many people vying to meet the same person you are, it's necessary to begin preparing your trade show sales strategy weeks ahead of time in terms of setting dates for coffee, meals or drinks with prospects and/or clients. I find Outlook Calendar extremely useful in helping me keep up with these types of arrangements."

2. Use Your Time Wisely.
If you haven't already done so, use a trade show as a platform to meet senior executives and others within your company that you might not otherwise have access to at your local office. You can then comfortably introduce your associates and prospects to those executives.

3. Take advantage of networking opportunities.
"Network and network!" advises Porter. "I can't say that enough. Network with company colleagues that you don't see on a regular basis, clients that can refer you to other people, prospects, non-prospects, partners and potentially future employers."

4. Take advantage of educational opportunities.
Stay up to date with what is going on in your industry by attending a trade show's concurrent educational seminars, meetings and talks. Educating yourself about the latest market happenings will help you to make a more informed sales pitch down the road. "Nothing works better than attending the meeting your prospect is also attending," Porter adds.

HFMA's ANI conference has 71 best-practice sessions scheduled - topics include reform, quality and cost, physician integration, RACs and revenue cycle. These provide ample opportunity to learn more about a topic that's top-of-mind in the industry right now.

5. Don't hang around.
Don't loiter at your company's booth talking with fellow employees if you have down time. Use time in between meetings and educational sessions to walk the show floor and drum up new connections.

6. Text.
Prospects, attendees, exhibitors and colleagues are just as busy as you are. Get their attention in the quickest and least obtrusive way possible. Porter has found that texting, rather than email, is a quick and convenient way to reach people.

7. Tweet. Facebook. Link In.
Follow the social media accounts of prospects and competitors during a trade show. Are they live tweeting their activities and offers, or mentioning them via LinkedIn? Updating their Facebook fan pages during the show? Following a prospect on any of these social media sites provides a nice excuse to approach them at the show.

Start your own social media accounts - personal or professional is up to you - and connect with your followers at the show.

Connecting with prospects at a trade show is an art that shouldn't be lost. Keep the aforementioned tips in mind the next time a trade show takes up dates on your calendar.

Print this page