However, as an business owner/entrepreneur, telephone is one of single most important tools at your command. The key to getting over your hesitation is to stop thinking about your call as a sales pitch, and instead begin practicing "consultative selling." This means uncovering and filling needs in a friendly, supportive way. For those in lease purchase this is very conducive. We are helping buyers and sellers.

So for those of you in other types of businesses, before you ever pick up telephone to contact a potential customer/prospect, ask yourself, "What does my potential customer/prospect need from me, and what does my company have to offer that will help this potential customer/prospect get what he wants?" Then set a goal for your call that will move potential customer/prospect closer to a buying decision, such as gaining an appointment or preparing a price quote.

According to business owners/entrepreneurs in all types of businesses, one of biggest reasons they hesitate to prospect by telephone is they're unsure of what they should say at outset. A short, three-part opener, including an introduction of yourself and your company and an opening benefit is best way to start.

When introducing your company, be sure you can describe what you do in just a short phrase: "This is Susan DeFiore, of DeFiore Enterprises. We are lease purchase consultants." Now mention benefit: "We can move your home in 30 days or less with lease purchase advantage." By stating your benefit clearly in your opener, you give person a good reason to listen further.

Start planning well ahead. You already know this, right? Keep yourself as organized as possible right from beginning — even before you book your space. You know how carefully today's brides plan their weddings. Months, even years ahead, they start thinking about church, reception, dresses, flowers, cake. And of course, cost. Well, you're bride. Grab your planning book and start writing down everything you must do to get yourself ready for a successful trade show season — next year's.

Even before you decide to go into a show or two you should have a hard look at costs and expected returns. This is why you create a trade show budget. Whether you admit it or not, everything has a cost, and trade shows are not an exception. Remember that your objective is to make sales, or at least generate opportunities to make sales. So you have to view your costs in that light. Everything should be done with an eye on its potential return.

The Trade Show Budget Preamble

As I've said, normal starting point for your campaign trade show BUDGET. If you work from a budget you have an outside chance of keeping your costs under control. Of course there is a certain amount of hocus pocus involved in budgeting for things like trade show marketing — especially if you've never serioulsy done it before and have no track record to go on. Still, you should give it your best shot. This is not rocket science, and any research or analysis you do will be better than just "winging it" Try using a "brainstorming" process like what follows.

First, ask yourself some BIG questions:

Q1. If I honestly summarize all costs involved in going to just one show, do I really believe I can recover these costs within a short enough period of time to make it "profitable" (make me more than it costs me)?

A1. Like most promotion and advertising, until you've done it , you have no idea how successful it will be. First you will have to summarize all costs, and then try to figure out how many sales you're likely to get from this sort of exposure. We'll take a stab at running some numbers in next section, after we've asked a few more questions.

Q2. Do I have any idea which trade shows are more likely to be "profitable".

A2. There are trade show directories and reports that can tell you about industry-specific shows. Usually they will tell you number of attendees, and hopefully something about their buying habits. Find relevant directories, and figure out some method of choosing between shows. (see below)

Q3. Are there obvious ways to enhance my "Conversion Rate" — number of attendees who buy from me?

A3. Yes, of course. Having an attractive, eye-catching display is a good start. Getting a good location on floor will help. Setting up your booth properly will help you "process" attendees more efficiently. Having a lead-gathering system will help you do more profitable follow up. Giving out memorable hand-outs will enhance your chances of being recognized later on. Training your booth staff could make an important difference.

Ask yourself a few more questions like this to get yourself in right frame of mind. Then you'll be ready to start preparing your trade show budget.

Charting your costs — first side of Trade Show Budget

Begin by assembling following information (and anything else that seems relevant as you go along):

Find a trade show directory for your industry (online is best source), or check out major trade show venues or exhibition companies. They will put you on right track very quickly. Select 10 most promising looking shows — based on your "gut feeling" about their potential for your campaign. Make a chart and list five or six most relevant bits of information for each of your most promising venues:

— Location, — Date — Booth space cost — Number of attendees — Geographic area served — Other space-related costs Add some columns to your chart where you can list other costs that are location-dependent:

— Travel costs to and from show — Additional things to rent or buy at show (tables, power, etc.) — Accommodation costs for booth staff — Shipping costs for booth display(s) and materials — Vehicle rentals required etc. Think about actual "sales process" and what you will need to have a successful one. Think of these as"one-time" costs, with your objective being to nail things down (or at least project costs) for your entire show campaign.

— Display booth design and production — Product literature — Hand outs — Staff training — Show promotion (free passes to clients, etc.) Estimating Your Sales — other side of Trade Show Budget

Now take your best stab at guessing what your Conversion Rate might be. By this I mean number of buyers per 1000 attendees. If you're a wedding photographer, take a guess at how many bookings you might get. If you're selling widgets ask yourself how many you're likely to sell as a direct result of campaign.