What does everyone hate about trade shows? Figuring out the ROI.
Was it really worth the investment? You hope so—but that customer might take another month, six months, maybe a year before they even talk to one of your sales reps again.
Did that face-to-face contact matter? Probably. But here’s the thing: you should be getting a lot more out of your trade shows than a handful of “promising leads.”
Every show should accomplish three things:
Acquire new customers
Gather market data
Build relationships
Now, how much do you want to bet you’re using your sales team to do all three?
And I bet you’re maybe doing okay on the first one, think you’re killing it on the last one, and whatever market info you did gather was shared over dinner and never mentioned again.
Let’s fix that.
Step 1: Pick Your Team
I know you want to send the whole sales crew. Or maybe you didn’t—but technically, they all have opportunities there and it doesn’t feel fair to exclude anyone.
Listen, if you have the budget for everyone, go wild. But if you don’t, it’s okay to be selective. Too many logoed shirts in a 10x20 booth can actually work against you.
Pick the reps who make sense for this show—based on attendees, exhibitors, or key industries. Then, tell the rest “not this time.”
Who else do you bring? Marketing and Customer Support. One from each is all you need.
Step 2: Give Them Actual Jobs
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to a show with no plan beyond “get people in, answer questions, scan badges.”
Good leads = good show, right?
Wrong. There are cheaper ways to get leads if that’s all you want.
You need a strategy. Not just graphics and giveaways, but a real plan for making the most of your time, money, and people.
Here’s what that looks like:
Sales – Their purpose is simple: generate revenue. They’re your talkers, your demo givers, your storytellers. They know your product and your customers’ pain points. Keep them in the booth and let them work their magic.
Marketing – Their job is to gather intelligence. Before the show, they should know what gaps exist in your data. Do you need more titles? Insights into objections? Competitor trends? They should be listening to conversations, taking notes, and walking the floor. Competitors, distributors, publications—every interaction adds value.
Customer Support – These are your relationship anchors. They talk to your customers every single day. That includes distributors, OEMs, and other exhibitors. When a CSM walks up to a major customer, they don’t get polite nods—they get genuine smiles. Real conversations. The kind that strengthen loyalty and spark referrals.
When you run your trade shows this way, ROI isn’t just about new sales. While you wait for those leads to convert, you’ve gathered real market intelligence and deepened relationships that drive long-term revenue.
That’s the kind of ROI that doesn’t disappear when the booth comes down.