Schmooze Clues: How to Generate Leads at a Tradeshow

Sometimes, people attend tradeshows with the idea of connecting with potential customers - and that's great. However, generating and collecting leads at a tradeshow can offer you much more than just a list of new names and numbers for your customer database. Considering the sheer number of attendees that most tradeshows attract, you can also:

• Build relationships with current customers.
• Find better and/or less-expensive suppliers.
• Identify potential new employees.
• Research the competition.
• Generate excitement and interest for new products.
• Increase visibility for your company.

All this from attending one tradeshow? Yes, it's just a matter of knowing how.

Generating the Best Tradeshow Leads

One of the benefits of working a tradeshow is that you're in the unique position of having many prospective customers come to you, instead of the other way around. However, it's a matter of attracting the right audience. Generating real sales leads - that is, attracting those who meet your ideal customer profile and are likely to turn into long-term customers - starts by designing a tradeshow presence that not only showcases your company brand, but communicates your unique marketing message, as well.

When designing your tradeshow booth, consider what type of image will draw in potential clients. Remember: Your booth doesn't have to be overly loud or flashy, unless that's who you are. Instead, it should reflect your company's brand and market while setting you apart from your competitors. Next, it's important that your tradeshow staff is well-prepared, trained and educated in order to gather qualified sales leads and collect market intelligence about competitors.

Finally, while it may be fun to have giveaways and drawings, these marketing tools don't necessarily help you generate the best leads. People who are truly interested in your product or service don't have to be coerced. Look for individuals who simply want more information, and don't just hand them brochures or collect their business cards. Talk to them. Get to know them. And, let them get to know you, too.

Turning Tradeshow Leads into Sales

The tradeshow is over, and now you have a list of contacts. Hopefully, it's more than just a bunch of forms with names and phone numbers. Although having a stack of business cards may get you started, it's simply not enough. To have a truly beneficial list of sales leads, your staff should have documented the specific needs of each prospect, customer demographics, product interests, and buying timeframes.

Next, you need to determine how to follow up. If you have done your homework, you should know what these potential new customers want and whether your next move should be a phone call, a follow-up letter or a personalized note with literature. Bear in mind: It all depends on the sales potential of the lead. Finally, it's easy to turn a hot prospect into a cold fish if you don't move quickly and hook them with special pricing, a value-added offer or another customer-specific opportunity.

The whole idea behind generating leads at tradeshows is to identify and attract prospective customers, much the same way you would do it if you were going door to door - only now, they're coming to you.