Why Industrial Sales Reps Should Attend Industry Trade Shows

Many industrial sales reps intentionally avoid trade shows, believing they are a waste of time. They assume their time is better spent on other activities, such as contacting and nurturing sales leads. As a sales rep in the industrial industry, you should certainly keep the lines of communication open with sales leads, but allocating time for industry trade shows can also prove beneficial. By attending relevant industry trade shows like Promat, Modex and other packaging trade shows, you'll reap the following benefits.

Humanize Your Brand

Attending industry trade shows is a great way to humanize your company's brand. With the age of the internet upon us, most B2B communications are now conducted digitally rather than in person. As a result, industry buyers rarely or never see the actual executives and employees who run the companies from which they purchase their products or services. You can help buyers put a face to your company's industrial brand, however, by attending trade shows.

Reach Decision-Makers

You'll be able to reach more decision-makers when attending relevant trade shows. Research shows that over four in five B2B buyers who attend trade shows have purchasing authority. In other words, they are upper-level executives -- also known as decision-makers -- who have the "green light" to make purchases on behalf of their company. You may encounter a few lower-level employees, but most buyers who attend trade shows are decision-makers.

More Sales Leads

Trade shows offer the perfect opportunity to generate new sales leads for your  company. According to SpinGo, nine in 10 B2B buyers who attend trade shows are looking for new products or services. Plant or operations buyers have a specific objective when attending trade shows, and that objective is typically to find, learn about and ultimately purchase a product or service. Therefore, you can source new sales leads by networking with relevant buyers.

However, remember not everyone attends or exhibits at the trade show, even Promat. Be sure to use SalesLeads to uncover high quality industrial sales leads going on in your territory. Open a free account to view it for yourself.

Spy on Your Competitors

A benefit of attending trade shows that's often overlooked by industrial sales reps is the ability to spy on competitors. When you attend a relevant industry trade show, you can look around at the products and services offered by your competitors. This will give you a better understanding of how your company fares in its respective market.

High ROI

Attending trade shows can yield a high return on investment (ROI). It's typically free to attend the trade show floor, and even if you want to set up a booth, the overall cost is lower compared to other marketing and sales activities. Nonetheless, attending trade shows can help you reach new industrial buyers that you otherwise would have missed.