One of the best places to gain customers for your business is to attend trade shows and promote your business there. What you do and how your display looks at the trade show can either make or break your business, so here are some tips for how to make sure your appearance at a trade show is a profitable one.

Get the visitors attention

The first thing that you are going to want to do is to make sure that your potential customers can see you and know that you are there. Here are some things that you will want to do to get their attention.

1. Make your booth attractive: Use bright cheery colors so that your customers see you, and you are able to make a good first impression. Have your displays professionally printed so that they look great and you feel great showing them off.

2. Contact your customers: Let any current customers know that you will be at the trade show and invite them to stop by. Giving them this extra call makes them feel valued and as a consequence you are more likely to gain clients through referrals.

3. Plan ahead: Give yourself plenty of time to know what you want to promote, what you are going to offer and plan how you will present this to your prospective customers. Don't go there thinking that you are going to make it up as you go along, because that just wont work.

Be available

Make sure that someone is always there to answer questions at your booth. Its always good to have an assistant with you so that the booth is always manned. This way if one of you has to leave, there is someone there for backup. Some other things that you should remember are:

1. Don't eat: Do not eat while you are standing at your booth, because you might give customers the impression that you are on break or unavailable. If you want to get something to eat, do it away from your booth and leave your assistant to stay at your booth.

2. Don't chat with your assistant: If people see you chatting with the other people who are a part of your booth, they are not going to interrupt. They will simply avoid your booth altogether.

3. Turn off your phone: Before you go to the trade show, change your phone to voice mail. This way you are available during the trade show to the customers who are there to see your company.

4. Dress accordingly: Wear shoes that are going to be comfortable, because you can't concentrate if you are in pain. Be sure to wear attire that is consistent with your business and the model you are trying to promote.

Be considerate

Be considerate of your customers when they approach your booth. If you are too forceful, you are going to drive them away. Here are some tips for dealing with your customers at a trade show.

1. Give them space Don't pounce on them: Allow them time to browse through your information and greet them with a smile. You can also let them know that you are available to answer any questions that they have.

2. Be nice to them: Be friendly and make them feel welcome. Ask their name and what types of business related things they are interested in. If you feel it is going well, ask if they would mind filling in an information sheet so that you can collect their e-mail, and phone numbers.

3. Answer questions: Make sure that your booth is always staffed by someone who knows what they are talking about so that they can answer questions if you are away. Listen to questions carefully and repeat them back to a customer to show you are genuinely listening and interested in what they have to say.

4. Follow up on leads: If customers give you their email address, keep in touch with them. You never know what might come of it.

When you are at a trade show, things can go well or they can go poorly. It always depends on how you are prepared and how you present yourself.