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 LINKS

Jim 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/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

Kevin Mako Links:

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

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

Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/

About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!