If you exhibit at trade shows you probably have more sales available to you than you realise. Click here to learn why

Small Business: How to build new sales 

Small business: How to build new sales.
New sales and profitable clients are what almost every small business desires. But how do you find either. Here's a tried and tested solution

New sales and profitable clients are what almost every small business desires.

But how do you find either?

Knowing who the right people are and why is, of course, the first requirement.

With that knowledge, you can craft messages that resonate and deliver buying interest. 

Grabbing buyer attention in our multi-channel, time-poor environment can be hard.

It can also be costly.

Yet, if a business is to grow in scale, revenue or profits, new sales must be won. 

Reliable lead generation is the goal 

Any business, large or small, wants a reliable lead generation system.

Owners and senior managers want to know that “when we do this, (whatever this is), we get this result.”

It could be an ad campaign, radio advertising, email marketing, sponsorship or something else.

The “this” can vary, but whatever it is, it should be predictable.

That’s the desire, the goal, the thing you can bank on in a marketing plan and budget. 

However, “this thing” could also be exhibiting at a trade show.

I’ll explain why, but first, I’d like to highlight something else allied to the subject. 

Why trade shows aren’t always seen in the ‘predictable’ light

You may feel, as some business owners do, that trade shows are not predictable when it comes to results, unlike email marketing or advertising.

That’s despite trade shows being more predictable in many ways than other forms of marketing.

How so?

For one thing, with a trade show, you know that on given dates, buyers will gather in person.

And you know exactly where they will be. 

Many of those show visitors will be the same people that are so hard (sometimes impossible)  to reach at any other time of the year. 

Yet, strangely, although they are shielded from sales calls at the office, they willingly take themselves to a  place where hundreds of companies are waiting to pitch them products and services. 

It’s why trade shows are not less predictable than email, direct mail, pay-per-click or other forms of promotion. 

Secondly, and it’s a big advantage, trade shows are personal. 

You and your team get to meet and talk with buyers face to face. 

You can learn first-hand about the issues they face and the products and services they require most. 

That by itself cuts out huge chunks of time from the normal sales process most businesses go through to close a sale. 

Trade show stands are a bit like websites; They’re designed to attract visitors 

If you’ve never exhibited before, it’s helpful to think of a trade show stand as being like a website. 

It sits inside a physical rather than digital space with crowds of people within its vicinity. 

Just like a website, your stand is there to attract buyers who can benefit from what you offer. 

The “content” on your stand being the draw. 

Why trade shows produce high-quality sales leads 

Trade shows are renowned for producing high-quality sales leads. 

Any buyer taking the time and making the effort to travel to an event must be interested in buying something. 

Otherwise, why would they go? 

So, although the number of leads collected from a trade show may be fewer than, say, an email campaign, they are likely to be stronger, firmer enquiries. 

That’s because the buyers making the enquiry came to you, and they have already had an introduction to what you offer.   

Those steps happen on a second or third contact with an email or ad campaign if they happen at all. 

How to build new sales: a quick recap

Exhibiting at trade shows has long been used by many startups and small businesses to build sales.   

You meet interested buyers, and you may also discover new applications for a product or service. 

You also acquire new and current contacts for your database. 

Given the opportunity trade shows present, allow enough time for planning and for sourcing your stand and exhibits. 

To help you in this area, we offer two Trade Show Mastery training courses. 

Part 1 is for beginners; If you’ve never exhibited before, that’s the course to choose. 

Part 2 is for people with some exhibiting experience who want to improve performance and results. 

You can access the content of each course via this link