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Sales Promotion And Publicity
ADVERTISING TRADE FAIR PARTICIPATION: the company may advertise in the media, their
participation in an exhibition, furnishing details of its booth or stand in the message. The company
can write the press to attend its booth and hold a press conference at the exhibition’s site. The press
conference will supply detail information about the company, its products and innovation to prospects
and visitors to the exhibition.
THE IMPORTANCE OF TRADE SHOwS
In the promotion mix, trade shows rank high at least second only to advertising in terms of the marketing
communications budget, that is, after taking out personal selling. For this reason, trade shows are
important to a marketing firm, particularly where industrial products are involved. The major reasons
that shows are growing in importance are that:
- Buyers depend more on trade shows.
- Trade shows can provide an opportunity for dialogue.
- Trade shows reach buyers that salespeople have not.
- Trade shows provide opportunity to strengthen customer relationships.
- Relationships with the trade press can be developed at trade shows.
Buyers depend on trade shows: changes that take place in companies have resulted in fewer employees
participating in purchasing decisions; buyers are finding it difficult to stay informed. They no longer
have enough time to see salespeople unless a purchase is imminent. Thus, buyers are depending on trade
shows to provide information that they used to get from other sources. At a trade show, buyers can talk
to twenty or more potential suppliers in one day. These buyers include the firm’s current customers as
well as potential customers. Trade shows are more important to industrial marketers because buyers
depend on shows to see new products and keep abreast of the latest information.
Trade shows create dialogue: the trade show experience can consist of dialogue with the prospect, though
some visitors to the show may only see the formal presentation and not enter into dialogue. Prospects
attending the show who are interested in the company’s offerings will engage in dialogue, sharing their
reactions to the offerings as well as information about their needs, decision process and budget. This
useful information can be passed along to the right salesperson, and because visitors have also seen a
demonstration, the sales cycle is reduced from an average of four sales calls to one. Shows provide an
opportunity for high-quality dialogue.
Trade shows reach new prospects: because of cost reduction, efforts done in various firms, the only people
who can afford to attend a trade show are decision-makers and key influencers. Many of these visitors
can be new prospects who are having a first-time contact with the firm as news prospects. Trade shows
are an important opportunity to find new customers and they are also useful for entering new markets.