Voting for the Small Business Influencer Awards started earlier this week and I am honored to be nominated (if you’d like to show your support, please click here to view my profile and please don’t forget to vote for me). So, in today’s blog post, I wanted to speak directly to my readers in the small business community.
One of the most important parts of owning a small business is to make tough decisions to ensure the best possible outcome despite limited resources. Where exhibiting is concerned, this causes many small business owners to feel like they are stuck between a rock and a hard place. These professionals have to decide between the proverbial bird in the hand and two in the bush every step of the way.
- For a small business owner, when is a "bird in the hand" worth more than "two in the bush"?
The first choice is whether or not to exhibit.
- The “bird in the hand” would be staying in the office to maintain operations and ensure that you do an excellent job with your existing clients.
- The “two in the bush” would be taking a risk by investing in everything required to exhibit, spending time away from the office, and trying to capitalize on the opportunities provided.
Is it worth the risk?
First, consider your resources.
Exhibiting is very expensive and you are extremely busy, so a great place to start is by looking over the resources available to you. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to determine if you have the minimum requirements in place:
- Do you have a budget to invest?
- Do you have offering(s) to highlight?
- Do you have time to properly prepare?
- Are you motivated to succeed?
If you cannot answer yes to each of the above questions, you are very unlikely to be successful if you choose to exhibit at this time. On the other hand, if your resources are in place, move on to the next consideration.
Next, ensure you have selected an appropriate event.
The event itself can make or break your results. Although I hope it would be obvious that you wouldn’t want to exhibit at an event that is not a match for your needs, sometimes professionals can be tempted by a combination of reduced exhibiting costs, convenient timing or location, and the excitement of utilizing a new marketing method to reach your audience. However, if you are not exhibiting at an event where your target audience will be in attendance, you will not obtain the results you desire. Check out this post to read more about how to select an appropriate event. Then, if you are satisfied by your selection, move on to the final step; otherwise, stick with your “bird in the hand” and save exhibiting for another time.
Finally, consider your staffing options.
The size of your booth, the expected traffic on the show floor, and your choice of activity within your booth will dictate how many staff members you will need to represent your company on-site. For a 10×10 booth, I typically recommend bringing at least two or three representatives and, for a 10×20 booth, you are likely to obtain better results with the assistance of at least 3-6 team members. However, for exhibitors on a budget, staffing is often the first aspect to suffer as many small businesses may even attempt to go it alone (in some specific circumstances, this will work but, for the average exhibitor, it will not be as productive); so it is important to be aware of your availability as well as that of your current employees before deciding to move forward. Depending on the flexibility of the projects you have coming up and your trust in any employees you would send in your place or leave at home to take care of things during the show, you can make a decision as to if/how you will proceed.
This final step is a bit trickier because it’s not just the number of staff members you have in your booth that will ensure your success, instead it’s the quality of your staff that will directly correlate with your results. I would recommend considering your resources carefully (if you have or can hire the right staff for your event) to make this judgment call.
Hopefully these tips have helped you to determine whether or not exhibiting is currently a viable option for your small business. That being said, I know that this is not the only risk a small business would have to evaluate when it comes to exhibiting, so be sure to come back next week, when we will evaluate another important choice.
Robyn Davis - Owner, When I Need Help (WINH)
Robyn helps exhibitors improve their results at conventions and trade shows by providing on-site sales and marketing support, pre-/post-event consulting services, and convenient products. Contact Robyn to discuss your situation today!
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