by Scott Clark
abstract prepared by Hugh Fisher
Puget Sound Business Journal, 5 May 2000

A twofold discussion, featuring several ways to maximize your exposure and impact in the high-energy environment of a trade show, and some important reminders for those embarking on a new business venture.

Clark suggests a four-step approach to making the most of a trade show appearance: engaging the potential customer with a good first impression, qualifying to sort out the best and most serious prospects, demonstrating your product effectively, and taking the next step by following up with literature or a personal contact after the show is finished.

Clark also provides some "reality checks" for entrepreneurs, warning that past business experience (even in management) does not guarantee that a new venture will succeed. "To believe past management experience ensures future entrepreneurial success," he writes, "is like assuming a shift manager of the congressional kitchen is qualified to be president." Prior small business experience, careful choosing of teammates and employees, and effective strategic planning are key in making any new venture more likely to succeed.

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2000/05/08/smallb7.html