Four Strategies to a Successful ISC West for a Sales Professional

How do you, the sales professional, get the most out of ISC West?

Below are four strategies that will help you take full advantage of your time in Las Vegas. Instead of leaving with a headache and sleep deprivation, you’ll leave rather with deeper relationships with customers, progress on several new prospects and dozens of new leads that will convert into business.

1. Establish your follow-up plan now.

With a Wednesday to Friday exhibition, the Monday following the show will start a new week—and most of the people you met will be on to the next task. If you do not proactively pursue the next step with them, nothing will happen—nothing!

Below are three steps that will lead to a successful follow-up plan.

• Gain permission for follow-up while in the booth. While meeting with a prospect in the booth, ask for the most convenient method to follow-up with them.  Make a statement, like “Since you’ll have a ton of fires to put out after returning to the office next week, and you’ll probably be bombarded with companies calling you, how do you recommend I follow up with you?”
• Block off time and schedule your action item. Schedule a day or two for follow-up work in the office. This does not mean working on the plane or in the hotel or the Starbucks in between appointments—this means in your office with the door shut and your focus completely on the action items established at the show.
• Take ownership of your leads and follow up. Regardless of how sophisticated your company manages the follow-up of the show leads, it is your responsibility and opportunity to personally execute upon each of your leads.

2. Get out of the booth.

While many salespeople will escape the booth alone for lunch or to eat dinner with coworkers, the most effective sales professionals spend every dining experience with a prospect, client or partner. There is no better method of gaining trust with another person than by enjoying a meal together; and there is no city more inclined to entertain you than Las Vegas. With the exhibit and seminars being held at Sands Expo, which is connected to the Venetian and Palazzo, the convenience is unparalleled.

Technically, there are six opportunities to spend “relationship-time” with a client or prospect throughout the day: breakfast, coffee break, lunch, post-show drink, dinner and after-dinner drink.

Below are a few ideas specific to ISC West:

• The Grand Lux Café in the Venetian is a perfect breakfast venue. However, the line starts forming about 7:30 a.m., and the wait can be very long. Get there early, secure a table and hold court for a few hours.
• The Venetian also offers many opportunities to bring customers to lunch and get away from the booth. There is the food court and many fine and cost-effective choices in the square upstairs.
• Since the taxi lines are unpredictable, order a car service to drive your party to dinner. Or suggest that everyone arrive 30 minutes early for a cocktail—giving a buffer in case the lines are too long.

Regardless of how you entertain, do not take this part of your job lightly.  Getting to know your clients, prospects and partners on a personal level will change your career.

3. Use Friday for guerrilla marketing.

For most tradeshows, the third and final day, such as at ISC West, is a slow day. When Day 3 is a Friday, and the show is being held in Pacific Time, it is especially slow. Make Friday your busiest day, with the understanding that you have to get creative. It’s likely that many of your prospects and clients will schedule appointments with you on Wednesday or Thursday, so start scheduling appointments for Friday. You’ll benefit from creating a list of exhibitors that you need to visit on Friday. Targeted partners can be extremely helpful in building your business, but travel, large regions and busy schedules make it very difficult to meet. There is not a better time to personally get to know an alliance partner than Friday at ISC West.

4. Act like you’ve been there before.

I can’t think of a bigger cliché than someone getting out of hand at a tradeshow in Las Vegas. It’s so common that it’s not funny. If you’re going to create a real name for yourself, wait for a show in San Antonio, Philadelphia or Orlando to get in trouble—make it a challenge.

Seriously, don’t be the salesperson that smells like Las Vegas Blvd. at 10 a.m. the next morning. Regardless of your endurance, your reputation and effectiveness are directly related to your behavior during these three days. No matter how much your customers laugh with you and enjoy their time with you, when they return to the real world, they’ll think twice about doing business with you if you go over the top and make an idiot out of yourself.

In conclusion, ISC West always delivers sales opportunities for a sales professional through the lazy summer months leading to the ASIS International Seminar and Exhibits. The timing, consistent location and city itself provide a perfect storm that can jumpstart your business for the rest of the year. Whether this is your first or 21st visit to ISC West, follow these strategies—and you’ll be guaranteed a successful show and many fruitful months to follow.

Chris Peterson is principal and consultant at Vector Firm. He can be reached at cpeterson@vectorfirm.com. For more information, visit his website at http://www.vectorfirm.com.

The views and opinions expressed in guest posts and/or profiles are those of the authors or sources and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Security Industry Association (SIA).