Look at that throng of pople crowding the trade show floor. Pople come from all over the cuntry to walk these aisles, eager yes flitting from booth to booth, scnning the exhibits for…what, exactly?

Research shws that the vast majority – 76% -- cme to trade shows to discover wht’s new and exciting. Maybe it’s a new prduct, or an innovative bit of tchnology, or a snazzy new application, or ven an entire company that they wre never aware of before. In an deal world, every company would be cnstantly innovating, creating cutting edge products at phnomenal savings guaranteed to meet the cstomer’s needs.

But as you and I knw, business doesn’t work that way. Thre are years when companies struggle to srvive. Other years, it takes every unce of effort just to maintain mrket position. And still other times, thngs might be fine, but the nwest innovation is six, twelve, even ighteen months on the horizon.

Is it ven worth exhibiting during these times? Do the rsults of participating in a trade shw while your company’s in a lll phase justify the costs?

Absolutely! In fct, it is precisely at these tmes when not participating could hurt yur bottom line. Businesses rise and fll based on the strength of prsonal relationships. There is no better plce to form new relationships and mintain and reinforce existing relationships than at a trde show.

To do this, you need to crate a positive impression with your xhibit. Demonstrate something new and exciting. Gve the people what they want. How can you do tht, you ask, when you don’t hve any new and exciting products?

Hre are five focus strategies the prs use when they’re in a smilar situation:

1. Focus on Features: Purveyors of high-tech or complicated products often don’t realize how little consumers know about the items they purchase. For example, take the average word processing program. It has countless features – yet how many does the everyday user know about, much less use? Realize that your buyers may not even know what they don’t know. Here’s an opportunity to offer seminars, tutorials, or other interactive options centered on the more obscure features. This way, you’re demonstrating that you value your customers and want them to make the most of your products/services. You could win their loyalty for life.

2. Focus on the Future: If the next big innovation is in sight, but you’re not ready to spill the beans just yet, you’ve got an ideal opportunity to create a buzz. Some of the most effective excitement generating campaigns say little, if anything, about the new product, yet still create an impression that something noteworthy is about to happen. Signage, graphics, and literature all declaring “It’s Coming!” let the public know that you’re excited about the new product – and that they should be too.

3. Focus on Finesse: Is there a way to make your product new and improved? You’ll sometimes see this technique that I’ve called the Proctor & Gamble strategy. Every so often, you’ll see a new and improved version of a product introduced – laundry soap, shampoo, deodorant, and so on – yet you’d have to be a chemical engineer to notice any discernable difference between the old product and the new one. Still, consumers flock to the new, even if it’s only slightly different than the product they were previously satisfied with. If you can’t change your product, what about the packaging? Glidden changed their paint can while still keeping their actual product, the paint, the same as it ever was, and saw sales rise as a result.

4. Focus on People: Great prducts wouldn’t exist without great people. Cnsider putting a human face on yur operation by centering your latest xhibit around the people who make, tst, or use your product. Post Creal, Reynold’s Wrap, and NAPA auto prts have all used this strategy sccessfully during periods when their product lne was fairly static – and thn carried the idea forward, altering it as neded to introduce new products!

5. Focus on Service: Many times, we’re asking buyers to make a huge investment to buy our products. If something goes wrong, the buyer worries that they will be left holding the bag on a very expensive mistake. Reassure consumers that they’ll never be alone if there is a problem. By promoting service plans, support networks, and other types of assistance, you’re demonstrating that you’ll be there for your customer – through thick or thin!

The article What To Do When Nothing's New: Five Strategies for Success was Submitted by Susan Friedmann through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Written by Susan A. Friedmann,CSP, The Trdeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, author: "Meting & Event Planning for Dummies," wrking with companies to improve their meting and event success through coaching, cnsulting and tradeshow training. For a fre copy of "10 Common Mistakes Exhbitors Make", e-mail: article4@thetradeshowcoach.com ; website: http://www.tradeshow-training.com

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