Lessons learned from the B2B Sales Expo

Once again, the Overland Park Chamber did it up right.  A great B2B Sales Expo today.  And of course, I have been inspired.  Following are a few random thoughts and tips that don’t fit anywhere else.

Again, as I noted, the OP Chamber did it first class.  A good trade show can be a great source of leads for me, and this one was no exception.  When I attend an event like this, I tend to see several situations and types of contacts that inspire content.  The problem is that a lot of these things do not fit within a HotSheet, since they just don’t justify the 700 to 1000 words necessary for a good article.  Hence, here is a collection.

I don’t give away free stuff at trade shows.  I used to; I had the pens and candy like a lot of other people.  What I discovered was that I’d give away lots of stuff to the people who go to trade shows specifically to get free stuff.  That’s OK.  The problem, I found, was that a lot of these people would feel guilty about just grabbing a pen, so they would engage me in conversations to feign interest while having no real interest or reason for discussion.  While those conversations were happening, I’d miss real leads.  So, I don’t give away freebies.  I get less people to the booth, but the interest factor is MUCH higher.  Give it some thought.

Don’t be afraid of B2B Sales

Along with that, I give very little time to those who wish to sell to ME at shows.  I’m spending money to exhibit and they’re not; hence, if they want to try to sell to me, make a quick intro, give me a card, and follow up later.  On a couple of occasions, I had to politely move people along today.  Don’t be afraid to do this; that’s YOUR time that they’re using.  If you’re not protective of your time, who will be?

One such person came by offering a telephone cold-calling service.  At least that’s what I think she was offering; to be honest, getting info from her was like pulling teeth.  Which begs the question:  If she can’t quickly and concisely explain what SHE does for a living, how can she do so on my behalf?

Shows like this are great networking opportunities, and the layout of the room was well set to facilitate good networking as well as good booth traffic.  There weren’t really any “bad” booths.

Overall, it was a great B2B sales show.  I had a good and participative crowd at my 3:30 Networking seminar, and I want to thank everyone with the Chamber, everyone who attended or stopped by the booth.