Earn more profits by targeting your conference attendanceBob Morantrade show, marketing, referral partners
Recently, I received an invitation to attend a trade show in
Manhattan, N.Y. The chief executive officer of my bank is
well-connected, and regularly emphasizes the importance of building
relationships as a key to building our business. The call came from
a colleague of one of his referral partners at a business bank.
Their bank was going to "man a table" at an upcoming industry
conference and they wanted to know if Id like to attend with them.
The way to turn manning a table into a significant business
opportunity is through targeting. Targeting is a three-step
process:
• Identify the high-probability needs of the
attendees;
• Select the relevant products and services you offer;
and
• Communicate your offering as the solution to their
need.
Identify attendee needs
The way to identify the high-probability needs of the attendees is
to look at the purpose of the event. They are attending that event
because it serves a purpose for them individually or for their
company. In my case, the event was the annual Super Seminar Day,
hosted by the New York Staffing Association (NYSA). The members of
NYSA are temporary staffing companies in the New York area. The
attendees are owners and executives of those companies. They are
attending seminars to learn about developments in their industry
that can give them a competitive edge.
They can gain a competitive edge by learning about something
that their competitors are not doing and adopting it for
themselves. That would give them a unique advantage. Another way
would be for them to learn about a better way to do something that
they, and their competitors, already do. That would give them a
qualitative advantage.
Now that I've identified that the attendees are executives
looking for new or better ideas about operating their businesses,
whats the best solution we can offer?
Select relevant offerings
Identifying your key prospects is a way to become more productive
by limiting your efforts to activities that produce significant
returns rather than trying to be all things to all people. At my
company, one of our key prospect groups is business owners. As a
result, we have developed a program that provides business owners
with something to offer their employees that can offset the
increased expenses of health benefits. The program includes lunch
and learn education events for employees, savings on closing costs
for employees and does not cost the employer anything.
Communicate the solution
The best way to communicate the solution in this case is during a
one-on-one meeting with the executives who attend. While walking
the floor at a show, most attendees are attempting to set a land
speed record and gather as many free promotional items as possible.
To arrange the one-on-one meetings, I will call the NYSA members in
advance, mention my companys programs and ask them if they will be
at the event. Using the event as a place to have several planned
one-on-one meetings, rather than table "drop-bys," will help to
establish the relationship on a more professional and solid
basis.
In summary, by using the three-step targeting process, you will
have a clear idea of what trade show attendees need, what your best
solution is and you can determined the best way to communicate your
message with confidence. You can begin multiple high-quality
relationships with key people, rather than leaving it up to random
chance.
Bob Moran is director of business development for Worldwide
Financial Resources. He may be reached at (732) 698-0300 or e-mail
[email protected].
