Trade shows can be a great way to get new clients and potential loyal customers. In our article “Making a Lasting Impression” we cover many of the basic practices to find and retain a loyal client base. The ever changing modern world makes it harder than ever to maintain loyal clients. Online shopping and internet marketing make it possible for competitors around the world to advertise to your current clients. Some might wonder how it’s possible to maintain a client with all of this competition. Surprisingly enough the answer to this complex problem is a simple one; treat clients with respect and don’t overcharge. Face to face interaction through trade shows is one of the best ways to make a good first impression. This blog will cover four main points on Creating Loyal Customers through Trade Shows.
- 1 – Offer Services your Clients Desire
- 2 – Make Promises and Follow Through
- 3 – Offer Incentives for Customers who Come to Shows
- 4 – Stay Relevant with New Products and Social Networking
Offer Services your Clients Desire
Offering additional services for clients can be a great way to set your company apart from competitors, thus creating a loyal customer. At trade shows it’s great to market any additional services and talk to clients face to face. This gives your company an advantage over competitors who only market online or with cold calling. Expanding services can also open up new revenue streams from loyal clients who would normally be sending the business elsewhere.
Offering extra services does not mean changing the focus of the company’s product, rather only offering them as a supporting service for the product. For example, if your company sells computers and cell phones, it would be a good idea to train staff to maintain and repair these items on site. This doesn’t mean changing the focus from selling to repairing, but offering the service to a client who buys from you. This can help to generate new revenue and also keep loyal clients because they know they can come to you for multiple reasons, including product support.
Make Promises and Follow Through
Face to face interaction at a trade show offers the opportunity to meet clients and tell them exactly what your company can offer. Many companies offer show specials for new clients or incentives for ordering right after the show. The show can be a great opportunity to sell a product or service and really stress how much you want the attendees’ business. The most important part of this strategy is following through with promises. Making promises and falling flat on them can be the fastest way to lose a client. If you promise the world at a trade show and don’t deliver, it will create a bad name for the company. It’s important to not oversell yourself, so you can deliver on promises.
Offer Incentives for Customers who Come to Shows
Another great way to use trade shows to keep loyal clients is using the show as an incentive. There are companies that already use this strategy by offering show only discounts or free items for coming to the show. This can be a great strategy because if you get a repeat client to the show, it can create an opportunity for another face to face interaction where the exhibitor can solidify the business relationship.
Stay Relevant with New Products and Social Networking
Trade shows are often used to showcase new products or services offered by a company. Creating a company structure that is current and up to date with the industry can keep the customers coming back to check out the latest and greatest item. Social networking can be used to send the message about new and exciting company information. Creative Imaging Displays recently added the WaveLight LED Backlit Display to our lineup for this very reason. Even a loyal client will look elsewhere if a company does not maintain the newest offering in the industry. Today’s high paced world makes this a challenge, but also an opportunity.
To wrap up this post, it’s important to keep in mind the basics of customer service to help maintain loyal clients. Applying these principals specifically to trade shows can create an additional opportunity to find and maintain new clients. Working with a business plan and customer service strategy will aid in devolving the best possible marketing plan at a trade show. Creating Loyal Customers through Trade Shows is easy with these great tips!
