Tradeshows: How to get started!
Tradeshows are a great way to open your business up to new
customers, hostess, and recruits. They can be planned with very little
investment of your time and resources yet have a great impact on your
business’ growth. And aren’t we all interested in growing our
businesses?
Ask yourself; “Is it worth a couple of hours of my time to find a new
hostess, a new customer, or new recruits?” Trade shows can last
anywhere from a couple of hours to a weekend event. The amount of
time invested depends on which trade show you attend. A good idea is
to look at your calendar, the trade show options available to you, and
of course how much time you are willing to spend. Set a guide for
yourself with tradeshows just like you would with holding certain # of
shows per month.
You also need to ask yourself; “How much of my resources will I be
investing in each tradeshow?” Tradeshows can range in cost from free
to several hundred dollars. Obviously the amount you spend will reflect
how much you feel you will be getting back from this event. The home
office loves to celebrate/encourage/and reward you for your efforts
with your business with the Trade Show Agreements we have offered.
If you have not already taken advantage of this, the agreement can be
found on Thirtyonetoday.com under the consultants tool box. Just
simply click on Trade Show Catalog Agreement and fill out the
document and either email or fax to the home office and we will send
you a gift certificate for the amount indicated on the form. $25 for a
trade show of less than $150 and $50 for a trade show of more than
$150. You can then use the gift certificate to order catalogs for the
trade show.
Locating trade shows in your area may be cause for a little
creativity on your part. A trade show can be held at a convention center
or with a church group. Here are a few trade show ideas:
Contact your local chamber of commerce for any upcoming
trade shows, craft fairs, women’s expo’s, small business events.
Read your local paper and see what events they are promoting.
Fall festivals are starting up along with Christmas bazaars.
Health expo’s, MOPS groups (Mothers of Preschoolers), and
homeschooling groups are all groups that have some type of
event each year that will have venders come and show their
products that may benefit the members of that particular
group.
Another option that some may not even think of would be
registration weekend at a university or local college. Sorority
groups and other clubs are a group not many consider. Think
of being asked to hold a party at a sorority with all of the
college girls wanting their name on a bag. All of these girls
could also buy for moms and younger sisters while not having
to leave campus. Do not forget about all of the professors and
administration that would have access to your products and
business. This could be a great foot in the door of the university
if you just went for registration weekend. Think of the business
you could start by serving the college ladies.
Once you have found the tradeshow you want to attend, you need to
decide who your audience will be. What is the purpose of your trade
show? Are you wanting to recruit or sale Thirty One products or
find new hostesses?
Know your audience. Who will be at the trade show? What are their
needs? How can you bless them with Thirty One? I read this in an
article recently… Too much energy is misspent today deciding if an image of a
booth is attractive or not. The issue is whether or not a booth
is effective at meeting a specific set of needs.
Think of who you are trying to reach at your trade show and highlight those
products that will appeal to their needs and don’t forget their wants. New moms,
soccer moms, teenagers, Christmas gifts, etc. You could even be daring and go
to a men’s event and offer something they would not have thought of on their
own. Use promotional items to attract them to your table. Once you have them
there, show them how they can receive points with their partner with a
personalized gift.
When you have decided on your audience, it is time to decide how you
want to market your business. You will want a booth or table that
shows you and your business as fun, unique, organized, approachable,
and if you are trying to recruit, doable.
Make sure you have an inviting table with your products shown with its
use and a tent card beside some with alternative uses. For example, a
thermal lunch tote that shows a lunch inside the bag and a tent card
beside it showing other ways this product can be used.
Think of interesting ways for your products to be showcased that will
be eye catching and draw people to your table.
Thirty One has black tablecloths available on the business
supplies. This would make a great display runner for the table.
Giveaways are always a good idea. They do two things for you. First,
everyone loves a freebee and second, when someone is walking around
with your freebee, that person is advertising for you. People will want
to know where they got that item. Individual candy bars or gum with
your information on the label is one option. Consider a water bottle
with your business logo and information. Order extra Thirty one bags so
when people are walking around with all of their paperwork from other
venders you have offered them a water bottle or candy with your name
and a bag to help them carry all of the extras. Our bags are inviting and
will catch the eye of other women. This will help draw attention to your
both.
You may want to consider how busy your booth may be during
the trade show and if you will be able to talk about hostessing with one
person and a business opportunity with another person. You have a
couple of options here as well.
Most of us have a personal DVD player at home that we use with our
kids. Consider using this for a slide show with pictures of your products,
shows, company mission statement, kit possibilities, and what you have done
with your business is a great way to share your business and also allows you to
reach more than one person at a time at a tradeshow. If you are more of a scrap
book person, then have that visual there for them to look thru as well. A
slideshow with company and personal statistics or a copy of one of your
commission checks in your scrapbook would show potential recruits the personal
business opportunity.
Have a person available to help you during your trade show if it is a big event.
This person should be someone that knows you and your business. Willing to
help you answer questions, take orders and not turn anyone away. May be just a
smiling face ready to help you welcome someone to the booth and give away
your name on a water bottle. As a perk for the person helping you with the trade
show you may want to offer them the hostess benefits of the orders from the
trade show or an item you know they have been wanting. On a business supply
order it is still a discount to you.
How are you going to display your information about ordering or
about joining your team? Information needs to be organized and
available. Clear with enough detail to spark their interest. Use products
that are available to you from Thirty One Today like your Outside order
forms. Hostess flyers and recruiting flyers. Have your business cards
available. Be prepared with hostess and customer rewards. Have
examples of what other hostesses have received from your parties.
Make up flyers with the current month and next month hostess
incentives and customer incentives.
Have your calendar ready with open dates for your potential
hostesses. Just like with one of your parties in a home, have some dates
you know you want to book and make it a game with Deal or No Deal.
Have incentives for those that want to book one of your open dates.
This part can work just like with your parties held in a home. Make it
fun for those attending the tradeshow with a wheel they can spin to
decide their gift. If they spin the wheel they are agreeing to have a
party on the date the wheel stops on with a special gift. You can make
this wheel work anyway you want. A gift they receive on the night of
their party. Give them an extra gift the night of the party if they hold
the date. All of these things are something you already do at your
shows. Now, you just need to make them a fun game at a trade show.
Tradeshows are great for expanding your personal volume and
your business. They are a way to make new friends and new business
connections and get your name and business in the community. Have
fun with them and be prepared to grow your business.