1. Trade Shows that Make
Money
Coach Thom
Business Counselor, Advisor and Coach
2013

2. Trade Shows that Make
Money
Coach Thom
Business Counselor, Advisor and Coach
2013

3. If I gave you $1,000…
• What are three ways you could possibly
invest it
• Then select your top one
• Volunteers?

4. As a Coach….
• I’m charged with paying for myself THEN delivering a
whopping return
• Work with the owner and the team to reach GOALS by
– Focusing
– Motivating
– Teaching
– Counseling
– Advising
– Pleading
– Begging
– Beating
– Crying
– Threatening
– And sometimes extorting…

5. 6
Number of Leads
x
Conversion Rate
=
Who wants more….. Customers
x
# of Transactions
x
Avg. $$$ Sale
=
Revenue
X
Margin
=
$ Profit $

6. With just a 10% increase...
Number of Leads 4,000 4,400
X X X
Conversion Rate 25% 27.5%
= = =
1,000 1,210
Customers X X
X
2 2.2
No of Transactions
X X
X
$100 $110
Avg. $$$ Sale
= =
=
$200,000 $292,820
Revenue X X
X 25% 27.5%
Profit Margins = =
= $50,000 $80,525
$ Profits $

7. Did You Know That...
Number of Leads A 10% increase in each of the 5 areas will
x result in a 61% increase in Profits?
Conversion Rate
=
Customers
x
# of Transactions
x
Avg. $$$ Sale
=
Revenue
x
Profit Margins Do it 2 years in a row and your profits will
= increase by 159% compared to baseline?
$ Profits $

9. How We Will Apply the Rule of “10 by 10” to
Grow Your Business...
Number of Leads Work on 5 LG Strategies
x
Conversion Rate Work on 5 CR Strategies
=
Customers
x
Work on 5 #T Strategies
# of Transactions
x Work on 5 Avg. $$ Sale Strategies
Avg. $$$ Sale
=
Revenue
x Work on 5 PM Strategies
Profit Margins
=
$ Profits $

10. Steps to a Profitable Trade Show
1. Determine Break Even
2. Determine Goals
1. Sales
2. Leads
3. Units
4. Prospects
5. Profit
6. Surveys
3. MESSAGE AND OFFER…..

11. In Trade Shows….
Goal: Get new leads at show. Not
New Lead Generation branding, or name out there.
x
Conversion Rate Goal: Convert prospects at show
=
Customers
x Goal: Rapport with past customers
# of Transactions for more purchases
x Goal: Upsell/add on sell
Avg. $$$ Sale
=
Revenue
x NOT APPLICABLE
Profit Margins
=
$ Profits $

12. Marketing Campaign Break-Even Analysis
Is This Show worth it
Registration $______
Labor $______
Incidentals $______
Total Cost $ ______
divided by
Average Profit ($) per Customer $ ______
equals
Number of Customers Required ______
divided by
Measured Conversion Rate ______
equals
Number of Leads Required ______
What is the probability that the campaign will
generate the required number of Leads?

13. Marketing Campaign Break-Even Analysis
Is This Show worth it
Registration $ 500
Labor $ 1,000
Incidentals $ 300
Total Cost $ 1,800
divided by
Average Profit ($) per Customer $ 150
Average Sale is $500 with 30% PM=$150
equals
Number of Customers Required 12
divided by
Measured Conversion Rate 20%
equals
Number of Leads Required 60
What is the probability that the campaign will

14. Profitable Marketing ...

15. Two sides to marketing ...
• If you invested $300 • If your customer spent
advertising and got 10 $550 a year for 6
customers ... years ...
• You paid $30 each ... • That’s $3,300 to you!
• How can we reduce • How do we increase
that ... ? that ... ?

16. Steps to a Profitable Trade Show
1. Determine Break Even
2. Determine Goals
1. Sales
2. Leads
3. Units
4. Prospects
5. Profit
6. Surveys
3. MESSAGE AND OFFER…..

17. Message and Offer
• Any Message > no Message
– New* USP
– New* service or product launch
– New * change in policy
• Offer At Show
– BOGO
– Gift with Purchase
– Relaxed Rules
– If you_______, I will_____________
– Discounts as last resort
• * New or NEW TO THEM

18. Message and Offer
• Think Romance…Small Steps
• Not “Will you Marry Me” at a show…
• What will you say to those folks passing
by?
• What will you say to those more
interested?

19. The Booth Display
• Scout your location like a neighborhood
block
– Traffic flows, neighbors, rush hour, dead
times
– Pick a location based on those goals- tons of
leads, or better prospects

20. Modalities of
Communication ...

21. The Booth Display for Visuals
Checklist
• Signage
– Notice -ability _______
– Readability _______
– Position _______
– Clarity _______
– Don’t Assume they know _______
– Extra secondary signage to say what you
might not get a chance

22. The Booth Display for Visuals
Checklist
• Merchandising
– Big Items-how the product is enjoyed aka
staging, a private chat area
– Small items hand level with extension
– Traffic flow like a store
– Multiple entrances
– Use inventory to fill in
– Loss Leaders front and center

23. The Booth Display for Auditories
Checklist
• Noises that will create attention
• Sham WOW, Ladder and Knife guys
• Don’t annoy your neighbors
• On going demonstrations
• Speak loudly like a tour guide what you
might not get a chance

24. The Booth Display for Kinesthetics
Checklist
• Samples that invite touching, holding
interacting
• Displays or self demonstrations “ “
• Mindful of YOU crowding
– create an employee area
– Not a bank guard
– Step out and away
• Smells-candles, sprays

25. Giveaways
• ROI
• Branding or call to action
• Everyone or just qualified
• Trick or Treat for Adults

26. Booth Staffing
• Create SMART supply/demand schedule
• Save on labor costs, increases profit and
won’t overpower would be visitors
• Spread out and don’t huddle
• Frequent hand offs and breaks to stay
fresh with enthusiasm and body language
• IF YOU MUST SIT….
• Never read.

27. Cure for Show Boredom
• BEST opportunity for market research.
Hundreds of a decent target in an intense
environment.
• STUDY THEM.
– What other bags/brochures do they have
– What logos on their T shirts
– Kids/no kids
– Age

28. Cure for Show Boredom
• How do they interact with your booth/other
booths? Eye movements, enter, leave,
how long do they stay, traffic patterns
• How do they “view” you? Avoid eye
contact, nod, run away
• L I S T E N for the questions they ask

29. Conversation Starters
• Open Ended not closed
• Nothing that elicits “No Thanks”
• SECONDS
• The Rules of 3
• My favorite….What do you think?
• Empty Handed or with a hand out?

30. I Want Leads….
• High Quantity with questionable quality
• Low Quantity with better quality
• How to best collect the type of leads you
want
• Register to win/Free Giveways/Tons of
handouts
• Treasure Hunts, Trick or Treat and Tire
Kickers

31. I Want Leads….
• Low Quantity with better quality
• Separating the wheat from the chaff/qualified vs.
un qualified
• Develop a qualifying question
• Good in all sales scenarios
• “Do you have a place for it?”
• “Do you own land?”
• “Do you currently own a ______”
• Not so much the answer but the clues you get in
an longer answer

32. I Want Leads….
• Low Quantity with better quality
• Can I follow up with you (then shut up) or
should I follow up with you? When?
• Take advantage of the personal truthful
nature of face to face sales situations
• Your forcefulness is only in your head.

33. Creating Your Own Lead Form
• Most common question at show from
visitors: How_____________?
• Price Transparency as a by product of net
• Not troublesome, an opportunity:
– BALL PARK Prices
– 3 ranges….small is around $ 5
– Medium is between $7-9
– Large can be anywhere from $10-12

34. Creating Your Own Lead Form
• Show attendees empty out their bag the
day after the show and go through all
those expensive beautiful brochures
• They probably trash some of it, and keep
the rest for the future….
• But what if YOU piece of information was
different…
• What if you gave them a ball park quote
form

35. Creating Your Own Lead Form
• A ball park quote form giving them some
basic ranges
• Pre printed with you information on it
• Some other useful advice including what
their next steps should be
• Maybe a 2 part form-one for you, one for
them

36. Logo- your name- company- name contact
Cell Phone Office Phone
Ball Park Quote for a _________________
You’re Using your new ________ for:
The things that are important for you are:
We can do this a few different ways. Here are a few options:
Option A Option B and Option C
Ball Park Price: Ball Park Price: Ball Park Price:
Want to learn more? Our next step is come out and visit you in person
so we could get a first hand feel of your project
How about___________________________ at
____________________
What’s your address?_______________________________________
Or, we can speak by phone after the show
What’s Your Name____________________________
Phone Number________________________________

37. Logo- your name- company- name contact
Cell Phone Office Phone
Ball Park Quote for a _________________
You’re Using your new ________ for:
The things that are important for you are:
We can do this a few different ways. Here are a few options:
Option A Option B and Option C
Ball Park Price: Ball Park Price: Ball Park Price:
Want to learn more? Our next step is come out and visit you in person
so we could get a first hand feel of your project
How about___________________________ at
____________________
What’s your address?_______________________________________
Or, we can speak by phone after the show
What’s Your Name____________________________
Phone Number________________________________

38. Take 5 minutes
and create your own first
version of a Ball Park Quote
Form you can use at a show

39. Steps to a Profitable Trade Show
1. Determine Break Even
2. Determine Goals
3. Determine Offer and Message
4. Set up your Booth wisely
5. Gathering new leads
6. Following up and analysis

40. Post Show: Follow ups and
Analysis
• Prioritize the leads
• FAST follow up on the warm.
• If too soon, ask “Ok…when?”
• Make your follow up specific, guiding them
to the next step
• Assign a likelihood of closing so you
can……

41. Post Show: Follow ups and
Analysis
• Do a Post Mortem Analysis
• Did it break even/make profit?
• Did you reach your goals?
• Why?/Why not? Your fault or not?
• LB and NT

42. • How to set show
expectations
• Develop show goals
• What’s your message and offer
• Setting up and manning the booth for VAK
• High Quality Leads
• Follow up and Final Analysis

43. Learnings
Questions
Discussion
Feedback

44. Home Shows that Make
Money
Coach Thom
Business Counselor, Advisor and Coach
2013

45. About Our Coach
•Former Business Owner who can relate to trials
and triumphs of small business
•Coached 338 small businesses
•Industrial Psychologist specializing small
businesses sales and revenue growth
•Reputation as the “Call it Tight” and Results
Coach
•Average increase to net income is 31%/1st year
•Experience in the outdoor structure
industry