Trade Secrets

 

Approximately 30% of the leads a busines generates at a trade show are from people who will eventually buy that company's type of products," says Dick Swandby, president of Exhibit Surveys Inc., a Middletown, N. J., company that measures the effectiveness of individual exhibits at trade shows.

Nevertheless, many companies don't follow up on these "hot" leads quickly and, in many cases, don't even collect a prospect's name and address. Part of the problem, says Swandby, is that exhibitors often don't train sales staff to manage trade-show booths effectiveiy. Although the same basic sales procedures apply at a show as in the field, these techniques often need to be adapted to get the most out of trade-show opportunities.

Swandby recommends two films for companies that want to sharpen their salestraining techniques: "The Invisible Line," available from Film Counselors Associates Inc., 1 Times Square Plaza, New York, NY 10036, (212) 719-1220; and "How Not to Exhibit Yourself," from Video Arts Inc., 3325 Wilshire Blvd., # 700, Los Angeles, CA 90010, (213) 487-0457. The half-hour films can be rented for a week for about $100.