In this week’s episode of the podcast I talk about trade shows! From the perspective of a service provider that walks the floors of trade shows, here are 7 tips for making the most of them:

1. Smile, greet people, and engage them in conversation when they stop by your booth. People are far more likely to stop and talk to you if you reach out and engage them. But don’t be salesy, and don’t launch into a big pitch! Ask them what they do and what they’re looking for at the show. Don’t assume you know why they’re there.
2. Get people on a list – make them an offer in exchange for their email address or phone number.
3. Ask potential buyers where they plan to sell your products. If people talk about Amazon, find out if they just want to sell your products on Amazon like any other seller, or if they provide full-service Amazon brand management on an exclusive arrangement. There’s a difference, and it’s important.
4. Know what you’re getting into when Amazon stops by. At almost any large trade show you will have Amazon representatives stop by your booth and ask you to wholesale your products directly to Amazon. Be aware that if you do this you give up a significant amount of control of your brand on Amazon, including pricing control.
5. Have a really good answer when brick-and-mortar retailers ask if your products are sold on Amazon. If you can’t assure brick-and-mortar retailers that you carefully control your brand and pricing on Amazon, they are far less likely to do business with you. (Need help getting control of your brand on Amazon? Contact us!)
6. Ask the right questions of potential service providers that stop by:
   • Who have they worked for? What are some success stories?
   • What’s the lowest-risk way you can find out if the two of you are a fit?
   • How will they grow your business, make life easier, or improve your bottom line?
   • What is their area of specialty? What are they “the best in the world” at?
   • How do they keep up on current trends? What do they think are they most important current trends in their area of expertise?
7. Use location-based geo-targeting to show a Facebook ad specifically to people attending the trade show. Use a video ad, and give attendees a compelling reason to stop by your booth!

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