Trade show booth by ADM Two.
Trade shows are an interesting part of the promotional mix, in that they are a blend of both business development and marketing. This means that you have the opportunity to capture several layers of the sales process in one event – something that doesn’t happen very often. We’d like to define business development and marketing in the context of a trade show to see how they are at very different stages of the sales cycle and how they can often overlap at trade shows.
Trade Show Marketing
Marketing can be defined as a promotional activity that targets a broad audience. In this case, trade shows are a perfect example. The broad audience consists of the trade show attendees, which can number in the hundreds and even thousands. Your booth design, giveaways, marketing collateral, and social media posts are geared towards attracting attendees, imparting your brand and services to the attendees, and compelling them to learn more. Even your staff is there mostly for informational purposes and to add a welcoming smile, friendly face, or a word of expertise.
Trade Show Business Development
Business development, on the other hand, is a personal, one on one interaction that is closer to the actual selling point. Business development activities include networking, writing proposals, responding to inquiries about services, and other interactions on an individual basis. These interactions are usually geared towards closing the sale or nurturing a relationship, so awareness of the brand and services has already been accomplished.
Now that the terms marketing and business development have been defined, it’s easier to see how marketing to a vast audience can turn into one on one business development at a trade show. It looks a bit like this:
Capturing Attention
Your trade show booth captures the attention of an attendee and they pay a visit. They stop and look at your graphics, maybe pick up a pamphlet and start perusing. By this point, one of your staff members should have spotted the visitor and should be greeting him, asking him “what can I do to help?” Now the interaction is one on one, but perhaps the person is just curious and wants to know more. Your staff member describes your company’s services, perhaps walking the prospect through a slideshow or other media. The interaction is now bordering on business development, and if the staff member is a skilled sales person, he or she will know how to either secure the prospect as a client or capture their interest enough to continue the conversation.
The skill of the staff member plays a large role in whether or not an interaction will become a business development activity. The line becomes blurred at some point and human interaction is the defining trait of business development. Marketing activities can be performed by websites, collateral, and media, business development can only be performed by a person.
We hope this helps to better prepare you for your next trade show. Trade show staffing is a valuable investment and works together with great design to create a lasting impression on your prospective clients. ADM Two are experts at trade show booth design and fabrication, so give us a call at (813) 887-1960. One of our knowledgeable staff can assist you with your trade show needs. Also, check out some of our other articles to get more information on trade show staffing.