Given how fast and easy it is to contact people electronically, what’s the point in going to good old-fashioned conferences and trade shows anymore?
In a relationship-based industry like insurance, can you afford not to?
“There are some people [who] think that, with the advent of the internet, there is no reason to attend trade shows,” author Tina Samuels writes in a blog. “This couldn't be further from the truth.”
Trade shows are just as relevant as they ever were – perhaps even more so, said Samuels. “Social networking is just as important in a face-to-face setting.”
Samuels, the author of small business management 101, lists four reasons why it’s important for representatives of small brokerages to make an appearance at industry trade shows.
Networking
“Every person at the show is likely to be interested in your business, surely more there than anywhere else at any time,” said Samuels. “Not only will the attendees be interested, but often the people working the show.”
Through these meetings, it’s possible to find new business partners or another small business that offers a service or product that will enhance your own offerings.
Education
Brokers can find out more about sales avenues, service issuance, and customer service by talking to others at trade shows, Samuels said. “You can learn from professionals and experts that speak at trade shows,” she said. “By paying attention to what the experts tell you, or by learning about new strides in your business niche, you might just find yourself ahead of your competitors.”
Word of Mouth
Word of mouth travels very quickly within a captive audience of people who are all staying together at a conference to talk about insurance.
Every company aims for people to tell others about them, have one of those people buy or use their product, and then tell more people. “Most people that visit a trade show will tell others about the product or service that caught their attention – often to six people or more,” said Samuels.
Personality
You could be the next television star appearing at a trade show.
When your small business attends a trade show, you are putting a face and name to the product or service you're promoting. “Billy Mays was a household name – he was the reason OxyClean made such a memorable product,” Samuels said. “Billy Mays and others like him were present at trade shows.
“When we think of products like ShamWow or OxyClean, we see the people selling them to us. These personalities are first seen at trade shows, then television.”
Source: businessreviewcanada.ca
