LP Gas, March 2014

Howard Friedman a trade show consultant in suburban Los Angeles That will assure that you see the most important things Its also smart to draw up a B list of trade show goals Friedman suggests While these items may not be mission critical they can help open your eyes to innovations and new ways to approach problems you may have he says Tackle secondary goals in the remaining time after completing your primary ones Bonus tip Ask yourself What is the biggest problem I have in my business Write it down and take it to the show to get answers from exhibitors Tip 2 Strategize your walking pattern Once at the show its tempting to spend the first hours performing a walk through That can be a mistake The last thing you want to do is shop the floor as you shop a flea market just walking down the aisles and looking at things says Peter LoCascio a Salem Ore based consultant The clock moves quickly Its easy to run out of time before you accomplish what you need to do he adds SHOW SEASON Too many times a couple of hours before the show closes youll see people running through the aisles trying to get things done he says Instead use the show floor map to plot out your walking pattern so you can see the greatest number of vendors in the least time Schedule a certain amount of time to each vendor on your A list You have to be disciplined and focused LoCascio says Bonus tip Avoid duplication of effort by allocating tasks among other people from your business who are attending the show Tip 3 Take charge at booths Deal with booth personnel efficiently Determine early whether they are willing and able to answer your questions When you go into a booth there is no reason for you to waste your time says Bob Dallmeyer a Los Angeles consultant Prepare some quick questions that pertain to your buying interests If the booth people cant answer those questions then you have to smartly move on Not all booth personnel are alike A well constructed booth has people at various levels Bancroft says One person will be at in depth level others will be at beginning and intermediate levels No in depth person at the booth You need to decide if you have sufficient interest to ask for an appointment with the right person That can be smarter than wasting your time talking with an individual who does not have the requisite knowledge An alternative is to obtain the name and contact information of a person to call after the show That can be a prudent step anyhow Exhibitors often fail to follow up trade show leads in a timely fashion for a multitude of reasons LoCascio says If you are serious about learning more about a product or service you may wish to obtain the name and number of the local salesperson in your territory Bonus tip Save time by stating I need to make a business decision as you enter each booth Then state the nature of the decision and ask how the vendors products will help Tip 4 Schedule appointments wisely Remember that A list of vendors Make sure you see them all by scheduling advance appointments either before you leave for the show or when you arrive Theres nothing wrong with reaching out and saying I would like to meet with a specialist on product x Friedman says Engaging before the show is completely fine That will make your time more productive And the exhibitor will be delighted Such appointments are important whether you are a current or prospective customer If you are already a customer you will want to talk about Continued on page 40 www LPGasmagazine com March 2014 LPGas 39