Trade Shows Part One: Work it

Image by ittichai via Flickr

Last week a dinner meeting near Open Oracle World at Moscone reminded me that an important time for sales people is upon us: Conference and Trade Show Season. All across the country vendors of every kind are banding together to co-sponsor shows around some inane topic (Web 3 dot 12, The Quickening) in hopes of luring “decision makers” from Corporate America to come take part in the latest trend in technology. I have spent a significant percentage of my sales life attending (or at least flying to and partying around) these conferences, so I plan to dedicate at least the next 2 postings to this time honored ritual.

Please don’t assume that I think big industry events are a waste of time for salespeople. In addition to being a great excuse to see a cool new city or resort, you can also scope out competitors and other companies where you might like to work in your next job. If you sell for a big company or are a remote salesperson then booth duty at a trade show it is a decent way to meet the internal people that might ultimately be critical for a sale down the road. (What better way to bond then being cramped into a 10x10 plastic box for 8 hours answering the same moronic questions from a bunch of back office troglodytes). If nothing else (be prepared for nothing else), you get a break from cold calling prospects yet don’t have to feel guilty that you aren’t ‘working.” And all the corporate logo breath mints you can handle.

But seriously, if you must attend a trade show, here are a few tips that might actually make it worth your while.

10. Take control of your time. Schedule every minute weeks in advance if you can. Fly alone and make sure the times work for your meetings, not your corporate marketing team’s agenda. Go on offense, not “with the flow.”

9. Avoid booth duty at all costs. Those slack jawed students or low level engineers wandering around Exhibit Hall A are NEVER going to become your customer. I’ll get into what to do (and not to do) if you can’t get out of your shifts (fake your own death if necessary) in my next post.

8. Research the hell out of the event venue, schedule, eating places, etc. Your prospects will want to be around you if you know the answer to every logistical question before it gets asked. I was like Julie, Vickie, Gopher AND Isaac at my best.

7. Strategically place your prospect meetings. Don’t ask your biggest deal CIO to meet you during the Jack Welch keynote. Breakfast or lunch meetings away from the hubbub in a quiet spot are perfect. Leave the Tainted Love concert for meeting large groups of people that are already customers - you don’t really want to talk to them anyway.

6. Resist the urge to get hammered in the first 24 hours of the trip (on the plane on the way to the conference with co-workers). Save that for the last night with people that you specifically choose. It has taken me forever to learn this one.

5. Hog the resources. Know every impressive person in your company (Hot Shot Exec, CTO, super tech guy, smarty pants product geek, hot marketing chick, whomever) that will be within a 100 mile radius of the conference and get them in front of your customer. Not in the damn booth!

4. Stay at the venue or at the recommended hotel. It’s where the customers that you care about are staying, and nothing says “I’m a schmuck working for a flailing company” like showing up late for a meeting because you couldn’t get a cab to pick you up at the Motel 6 in the barrio.

Image via Wikipedia

3. Have reasonable goals. Don’t try to complete the whole sales cycle from “Hi, I’m your account rep Shooter McGavin” to “Please sign this contract” in one show. Yes, it is exciting to be able to hang with a VP on consecutive days, but don’t wrap onto the guy like a cheap suit.

2. Partition off a couple hours to do something touristy or cultural. Beside the fact that your customer will be interested (and probably envious) in hearing about your local experience, you will take away something that you value and remember way after all the corporate dipshit stuff is over.

1. Travelling for work isn’t as fun as vacationing, but it’s still a road trip. Eat big. Check out all the freaks. Have fun.

Next week: Booth Duty.