Creating Relationships Through Trade Shows
When a majority of businesses head to trade shows, they have one thing on their minds – generating leads and making sales. However, while that should certainly be your overall goal there is something else to consider here – creating relationships with participants. If you’ll give this subject some of your attention, you’ll see why it’s so vital to getting the most from your trade show presence.
Why Creating Relationships Matters So Much When a trade show participant arrives at your booth, you have just a few seconds to interact with them or capture their attention. A flashy sales pitch is great, but going beyond and crafting a relationship is a much better option. Here’s why.
Creating a relationship helps you stand out from the crowd. Participants are going to see a lot of different exhibits and sales people during the day, and you need to be remembered. If you create a relationship with those visitors, you’ll be able to stand out in their mind once they leave.
Better branding is part of the equation, too. Not only will your brand become stronger in the mind of the participant, but they’ll be more likely to trust you because they now feel that they know you to some degree.
Finally, you will add value to their day and to your interaction with them. This in turn means that your exhibit will give them something important that they can use, and they may be more willing to trust in what you have to offer.
Better Relationship Creation So how do you go about creating solid relationships in the few minutes that you have with a participant? Here are a few tips that can help:
Find common ground. The easy answer here is that since they’re at a trade show, you’ll already know their interests. Use those interests to strike up a bond with them.
Solve a problem. Find out what it is that they’re struggling with or what kind of problem they need help with within their life or business. Then, explain or show them how your products or company can solve that problem for them.
Give them more to remember you by. A freebie item with your logo on it is a great start, but try to direct them to your online presence or even to your brick and mortar location. This can help you continue to hone the relationship further.
Follow up with them through email or phone calls if they provide you with that information.
These tips can help you start getting more from your trade show experience and create relationships with participants that work. Our team can make it even easier to succeed at this, so contact Lighthouse Exhibits today.