148: Grow Your Hardware Product Sales Via Trade Shows

Jim Cermak has spent over 30 years helping hardware companies educate, navigate, and conquer selling their products at hardware tradeshows. He is also the Founder of Trade Show University, an organization that educates and consults small businesses on winning at trade shows, including his new video series which answers 7 key questions on how to tackle a trade show. Today Jim is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can plan for launching or scaling your hardware product at a hardware trade show, and how to maximize success when it comes to managing your tradeshow booth at the show.Today you will hear us talk about:
Trade shows are one of the most efficient and effective ways to get your product exposure.
Figure out why you want to go to a trade show
Pick the right trade show to launch or scale your product
Understand what you have to sell.
Be clear in your messaging at the Trade Show
Be big and bold
Speak the hardware buyers’ language
Plenty of pre-show marketing for your invention idea at the trade show
Get appointments or stop-ins ahead of time
Reach out to the show and see what extra showcase placements they have available. Sometimes they are even free.
Ask people at the show to give a quick testimonial about your product.
Tips for being on the floor of the show
Have your qualifying questions ready, be very specific.
As a team, find out what the top questions you are getting asked are, have your top 20 tradeshow questions for your invention idea.
Do not work the tradeshow by yourself, even if you’re just an inventor.
Take a video of yourself after a great tradeshow conversation
EPISODE LINKSJim Cermak Links:

Website: https://tradeshowu.biz/


LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimcermak/

The Product Startup Podcast Links:

Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/


LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/


Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/


Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/


Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/


Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup


YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/


YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/


LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/


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