If you ever considered attending an exhibition on the “other” side, as an exhibitor, here are a few tips that could help:

• Pick an exhibition where customers go
• Check how many people will attend and how many of them are your potential customers
• Plan and book early – you might get a discount
• Create a marketing strategy – what do you want each visitor of your stand to do?
  • Give you their contact details
  • Enter a competition
  • Sign up your newsletter
  • Have a chat
  • Take a brochure
  • Arrange a meeting etc.
• If you can, pick a stand that is in the corner , so that you can attract people coming from 4 aisles
• Have a professional company design your stand – it pays
• Make sure the stand is well visible from the distance and remember that sometimes, less is more
• Have enough staff in the stand present for the whole exhibition and plan for breaks
• Train your staff what to do beforehand
• Reserve some time after the exhibition to contact all visitors who gave you their contact details – within 2 days after the exhibition finishes

During the exhibition, it is crucial that you don’t spend too much time talking to individual prospects – instead have a well planned process in place which will enable you to talk to as many people as possible – while giving each of them a valuable feedback – either get them sign up for your free newsletter, ask for their contact details so that you can arrange a face-to-face meeting afterwards, or offer them to send a free your Tips Guide.

Always follow up with all the contacts within two days after the exhibition. Otherwise, the money you spent could be wasted.

Would you believe that you are probably about seven contacts away from Bill Gates? When you participate in various networking events, your chances to meet influential people who can make a big difference to your business soar.

Again, for the list of suitable networking events consult these:

• Chambers of commerce and other business networking groups
• Members of your associations and various organizations
• Your customers’ “watering holes”
• Any other relevant networking events where you might meet important people with contacts to customers

So how can you maximise the effectiveness of your networking strategy so that you win more business?

Let’s work on your 3 power questions, you will always have ready when participating at networking events:

1. Ask them what are the issues in your they (or their friends, customers, partners etc.) are facing right now or what are their desires in the area
2. Ask them to elaborate on that – and LISTEN to them!
3. Ask them how can they see their issues solved

Now try to put the above in your own words.

Are you struggling with your your business on your own or do you work in conjunction with a group of partners where you support each other?

Were you aware that once a customer gets referred to you, they turn into a paying customer much easier, and tend to stay with you much longer?

So what do you need if you want to benefit from successful referral marketing?

• Know how to have your business cards designed effectively
• Understand the benefits of working with partners and how to make it all happen
• Break into the world of networking and get some business out of it
• See how exhibitions don’t need to be just a waste of money

The answer is hidden in the acronym: RAISE. Read more on how referrals, if you develop and implement a decent strategy, will boost your sales. However, this is not going to happen over a night, unless you…

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