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What to give your trade show booth visitors
This is probably one of our most asked questions.
You first have to decide what your purposed for being at the show is. Are you there to build your name recognition? There to sell something or get someone to open an account? There to get people to sign up for a salesperson to visit later? There to get their email address so you can send them more information?
Each reason would probably require a different promotional item. We are just going to discuss the first one today and we will cover each one over the next couple of days.
There to build name recognition
If you are there trying to build name recognition, then hand out stuff with your name on it. I know it sounds pretty simple, and it is. Look at the way the big companies do it: Pepsi, Budweiser, Sears. When you go to a trade show that they have a display at, do they try to sell you a bottle of Pepsi? No! They might have you try a sample of a new drink they have, but they aren’t going to make you buy it. I bet you will walk away from their booth with a T-shirt, hat or something else with their name on it. You will become a walking billboard for them which will raise their name recognition.
It’s the same with their TV commercials. Do the commercials end with an 800 number to call to order a case of Pepsi? No. They just do it to get their name constantly in front of you.
So…… If you are there to build name recognition for your company then hand out things with your name on it that people will see. Let them become walking billboards for your company.
There to sell something or get someone to open an account
This is different than building name recognition, you are trying to close the customer right there. You need to offer your potential customer an item that they perceive as having high value. I can’t count the number of times customers have called me and asked for some cheap item to give people at an upcoming trade show. After asking the purpose of them being there, and finding out it’s to “close”, I’ll ask what there budget is per customer. Some people have answered under $1 per customer. If you are selling something of great value, a $1 item might almost be an insult to a person. If someone is going to open a $10,000 stock market account, buy a $15K boat or something along those lines, do you really think a $1 item is going to persuade them? I’ve asked my customers if they thought standing in front of their booths offering $1 bills to people to buy a boat would sway anyone. They obviously answered no. Then I ask why they think a $1 item will be any different. I can’t give recommendations here because every case is different. If you would like some recommendations please contact us at support@TradeShowItems.com.
I’d like to add that this is for “closing” only. I don’t recommend high dollar items when you are just trying to build name recognition.
