By Glen McCandless, Principal, Focus Marketing, Inc.

1. Make Every Conference Exhibit a Selling Event

Educational conferences consume a large percentage of the marketing and sales budget for most companies that market and sell to schools. They are an important part of the marketing mix.

Unfortunately, results from trade show exhibits usually fall short of what could be achieved by rethinking your trade show strategy. It boils down to one thing. You must make sales your number one objective for every conference you participate in. This is especially true when floor traffic is down in light of tight travel budgets and other distractions.

Your booth staff should be prepared and trained. They should have specific objectives that will drive specified sales targets so your exhibit is part of a sales process, not an isolated event. Focus on a key product or service that differentiates your company from the competition. Resist the temptation to try to promote everything you sell if you have multiple products and services. And be ready to quickly follow up on every qualified lead you get. Give every qualified prospect a reason to buy from you instead of your competitor.

2. Rebalance Your Trade Show "Investment" Portfolio

Most companies invest their conference budget on very large conferences that have, in the past, attracted large numbers of educators. These are exactly the conferences that have been impacted recently by safety concerns and travel budget restrictions.

You should rethink your trade show investment mix, moving to a more conservative portfolio that is appropriate for slower economic times. Think about exhibiting or participating at regional conferences.

Consider not participating in some of the big national conferences, and instead participate in niche conferences that attract a very targeted audience. If you do decide to invest in the big shows, downsize your exhibit space and cut back on some of the fancy furnishings that cost thousands to ship. Shift those dollars to pre- and post-conference lead generation and off-exhibit sales activities that are designed to drive more business from your best customers and close strategic deals with hot prospects.

3. Use Incentives as a Tool to Help You Qualify Visitors

Now is the time to reevaluate the items you give away at your exhibit. Much of the money exhibitors spend on premium items is wasted and does not contribute to sales. Instead of giving away non-product-related gifts like stuffed animals, pens and pencils, chocolate chip cookies; entertaining exhibit-goers; and holding raffles for vacations or other bonus premiums, give away sample products and services or provide useful, product-related information like white papers, reports, and teaching materials.

Product-related incentives will discourage unqualified prospects from distracting you from the business at hand. And, no matter what you give away, make visitors to your exhibit do something in order to get rewarded—like making a commitment to the next step in the sales process! Try to avoid the “it and run” goers who are on the floor mostly to collect freebies.

4. Rethink Your Exhibit Space

Make use of smaller exhibit space by replacing presentation theatres and other large group venues with solutions demonstrations stations and areas for meaningful one-on-one consultations. Presentation theatres make sense in some situations, but rarely are the presentations memorable or action-oriented.

Be sure your booth signs clearly communicate what you are selling and have a strong sales message that quickly communicates your “why to buy” message. Also, if you have solutions partners that exhibit at the same conferences that you do, why not team up with them and share the cost and the space?

5. Expect More From Show Sponsors

Conferences can’t survive without exhibitor fees. During slow economic times, it is important that you take advantage of every opportunity that you can work out with the exhibit sponsor.

Look for creative ways to promote your product or service beyond what’s being offered by the sponsoring organization. And don’t be afraid to negotiate for better floor location and other opportunities to help you get your message across.

In tough times, sponsors may be more flexible with what they are willing to do to keep your business. Be proactive in requesting changes to the exhibit hours, inquiring about deals on exhibit space, and enlisting the help of the sponsor to make your exhibit give you a higher return. If the conference sponsor is inflexible or unwilling to make an extra effort to help you achieve your sales goals, then consider investing the same dollars instead on a direct marketing program or other “one-on-many” events you can do on your own.

Glen McCandless, Editor and Publisher of SellingToSchools.com, is the principal of Focus Marketing, Inc., a marketing firm that specializes in the education markets. Glen is an expert in channel strategy with nearly 20 years of experience helping companies efficiently and effectively sell and market to buyers in the K-12 and higher education markets. You can reach Glen via e-mail at gmccandless@sellingtoschools.com.

Copyright © 1999-2005 Focus Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.