Marketing Blagger

A) qualify people quickly to ensure your time is used effectively,

B) move away from people who don’t represent potential new business - after all, you are there to find new customers, not new friends.

If you get it right, networking can be a very good marketing and new business tool. I came away with 3 strong leads yesterday and a larger network of potential partners and advocates. Great value for money as the only expense was the travel costs - about a fiver.

So it’s very important that you plan your participation well. Have a look at this article on the Small Business Brief website by ‘The Tradeshow Coach’ Susan Friedmann. Susan has written 27 top tips for making the most of tradeshows:

27 Exhibiting Do’s and Don’ts

To add my top tip to Susan’s 27, it would be to plan your participation at trade shows at least a year in advance. Put a calendar of the major events in your industry together, attend any you haven’t been to before and make sure they reach your target audience - sometimes the sales hype you hear doesn’t accurately reflect who you are likely to meet.

Once you know which show to attend, get your budget organised and book on to the priority shows. Always negotiate with the vendor, you may be able to get a better price if you ask.