Guerrilla Marketing

by Debra Kahn Schofield

Attending and exhibiting at trade shows and fairs is an effective method for expanding product awareness and generating sales leads. A trade show is where retailers, wholesalers, sales reps, industry press, importers, exporters, and distributors all gather under one roof.

If you go to a trade show with the goal of making deals and moving product, you may be disappointed. A more realistic objective is to establish relationships with prospective customers and fusion marketing partners. Think of a trade show as a giant networking party. Before you exhibit, you may want to attend a show in order to learn and observe.

Research
Depending on your industry and what region of the country you reside in, there may be any number of trade shows competing for your time and patronage. Don't send in the entrance fee until you conduct some preliminary research to determine whether this show is a worthy investment of your time and energy. Find out the number and diversity of companies sponsoring booths and exhibits as well as the cocktail parties, luncheons and other events where you can meet people.

The show program will give you a good idea of the caliber of firms demonstrating products and presenting seminars. If your competitors patronize the show, that's a good indication that members of your target audience will be there. Unless every display and lecture at the show is relevant to your business, plan the amount of time you'll spend there carefully. Choose a handful of companies or organizations you want to target. Make sure these companies are a fit for you and you for them. Select a back up list of several companies in case your first choices are too busy to see you.

Showtime
After you've determined that a particular show is a worthy investment of your time and budget, go talk with exhibitors. A good way to ensure that your encounter is successful is to do a quick walk through of the entire trade area when you first arrive. Then head for the booths of the companies you've targeted. Afterwards you can return to other exhibits you observed during your survey. Be confident when talking with representatives. Communicate the value and competitive advantage of your product or service.

Also visit booths that may not pertain to your business, but are innovative and eye-catching. If you aren't directly in competition with the exhibitor, they might be willing to give you advice on display, location and the effectiveness of promotional offers.

Follow Up
After you've attended a trade show and made some valuable contacts, it's time to go into action. Make notes, highlighting the important things you learned. Ask yourself the following questions:

- What exhibits caught your eye and why?
- Were you able to enhance your knowledge of a competitor?
- How can you incorporate some of the more novel concepts into your business?
- Did you learn anything that might influence you to alter your product offering or marketing approach?

After you've visited a number of shows, you'll be ready to set up you own booth. Next week we'll help you select the right show.