(I originally wrote this a couple of years ago for a group of Amazon Sellers on the FaceBook Group, My Silent Team. I am also a paid coach for the My Silent Team company headed up by Jim Cockrum. He is the creator and main leader for the Proven Amazon Course (PAC), the best ecommerce training available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Link to request FB membership: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/mysilentteam<\/a> ==================================<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trade shows are a lot like your local Home or Boat show, except “for the trade”. They require some sort of proof that you are a re-seller. Every show is different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ASD Market Week in Las Vegas is Huuuuuge! Thousands of vendors, tens of thousands of participants. Huuuge! I tell you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Will this be your first time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n My advice follows \u2013 Warning: a Loooong Post…<\/p>\n\n\n\n A couple of months in advance, you\u2019ll want to get yourself ready to go. Being prepared and having a plan will make success that much easier. It will also help you focus on the important details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, get registered for the show. Use their online process if you can. Send it in by snail mail if required. Get registered and get your credentials. I usually start a file folder for each show we attend. Credentials go here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you need to travel for the show, make your travel plans early. Hotel space fills up fast in the show town. Airlines are jamming their flights full. Get your reservations made and secured in plenty of time. Most of the big shows make deals and arrangements with hotels, so check their rates and use their connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your show will likely be in a convention center or one of the hotels\u2019 convention spaces. If your show is at one of the hotels, stay there. You\u2019ll save on cab fare or parking fees. Usually, even though I spent 10 years flying and driving all over the US and Canada for my real consulting job, I try to avoid driving and trying to find parking. Use the local mass-transit or cabs to get around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Try to get a list of the exhibitors. Most shows have one available for registered attendees. Using the list, track down their websites so you can get an idea of what they will offer and general price and quantity ranges. Make a list of the vendors that interest you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The show might also have a floor map. Plot out where each of these vendors are so you can efficiently find them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many vendors will make appointments for their larger or preferred customers. At some point, you\u2019ll make appointments, too. Be sure to get them on your calendar, along with the seminars you want to attend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get some business cards. You can get card-blanks from an office supply store or online, and make your own using your word processor. Or, you can get a slug of them from Vistaprint or any of the thousands of local print shops near you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t get too fussy about business cards. You\u2019ll just be using them to give your dealer your shipping information. You won\u2019t be selling to them \u2014 they are selling to you \u2014 so nothing fancy is required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Name, address, email and phone number are all you need for now \u2014 maybe forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The focus of your visit will be to find and buy products for you to sell. You will also find vendors that you will be able to buy from over and over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Buying will cost money. You\u2019ll have to budget your Open To Buy (OTB) and stick to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your OTB, simply, is how much money you\u2019re able to spend on products. Vendors will have various purchase requirements, so you need to be prepared to meet them. Some sell in case-quantity with no minimum purchase. Others might have a $100, or $500, or $1,000 minimum order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How much are you willing to spend during this trip? Mark it down. Keep track. Stick to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Make yourself a BOLO (Be On the Look Out) list. If you\u2019ve done research on Amazon, you have a pretty good idea of the categories and kinds of things you want. Make the list and keep it handy for the show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ve arrived! Anticipation is high. You don\u2019t really know what to expect. What am I going to do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019re going to exhaust yourself walking, and you\u2019re going to overload yourself with the millions of things on display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t panic. Just take it easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You want to present yourself professionally. But, there is no need to dress up. Business casual is plenty good enough. Remember, you aren\u2019t selling to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll be doing a lot of walking, maybe miles and miles, and on concrete. Wear comfortable shoes. This isn\u2019t the time to be breaking in a new pair, or showing off that fancy pair of stiletto heels. Be prepared to get some blisters. We usually bring Mole Skin and other aids to deal with any blisters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every vendor will be offering you literature, price lists, and the like. My advice? Get their website address. Give them your card and ask them to mail or email you their literature. You\u2019ll be glad you did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why? Because paper weighs a lot. By the end of the day, you\u2019ll be lugging around 40 pounds of literature, most of which you\u2019ll not read. You\u2019ll be really tired, and the extra weight will just make it worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, if you insist, (I usually get some interesting material near the end of the day for evening perusal) where will you put it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n A rolling cart or bag seems like a great choice. No weight on your shoulders or arms. Room for lunch and water. Perfect!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Except that many shows prohibit them. Why? Imagine 10,000 people in narrow, crowded aisles, all with rolling carts. What a traffic jam. Those things follow you around in the same space as another person. They get stuck, bump into tables and other people, and generally irritate people trying to get around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leave the wheelie in the hotel room, and carry a backpack instead. There\u2019s room for the literature, your lunch and snacks, and your drinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of lunch, be sure to take one along. The convention venues will have concessions serving meals. But, they generally aren\u2019t very good, and they\u2019re expensive. We get a few Lunchables or similar snack-meals for lunch. Cheese and crackers, a hunk of hard salami, tuna fish, beef sticks, carrot and celery sticks, peanut butter, an apple or two. We take some nuts or trail mix for snacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stay hydrated. If you are in Las Vegas, or at elevation, you will lose water and not even know it until the muscle cramps and headaches double you over. It\u2019s easy to get cheap bottled water outside the venue. Refill the bottles from the drinking fountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take breaks. Even though there are thousands of booths, you\u2019ll see enough to over-fill you. Maintain your energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you walk the aisles, some of the booth-minders will see your name-tag, and call you by name. They\u2019ll ask what you sell. They\u2019ll offer you some sort of sample, or their catalog. Unless this is something that interests you, smile and politely decline. You aren\u2019t required to respond to every offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, as you walk along, you might make eye contact with a vendor. Again, smile, say, \u201cHowdy.\u201d And walk along. You aren\u2019t required to be rude, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most booths are open, meaning you can enter and browse at your leisure. If you pick something up, be sure to put it back where you found it. Inquire about the product, it\u2019s price, where the vendor is located, and the like. Be sure to give them your card. They might follow up with some nifty specials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When it gets down to business, one of your first questions to a vendor is, “I sell on Amazon. Is that OK?” Be upfront. Don’t waste time getting a deal only to find Amazon or other online is not allowed. Also, don’t start a business relationship with deception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If they’re OK with Amazon ask, \u201cWhat is your minimum?\u201d That will help you determine if you can get what you want. We\u2019ve been with vendors with a $1,000 minimum, but only found one product that interested us. No, we\u2019re not willing to buy $1,000 of this one product. Walk on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you decide to place an order, the vendor will follow you around their booth, and take notes of your order. They might write up your order on the spot, or they might need to send it back to the head office. Regardless, you\u2019ll be giving them your shipping information, and making payment arrangements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to make a buy, be sure to ask, \u201cIs this your best price?\u201d Be sure to write it down, because this might not be the same price as in their catalog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, be sure to ask for their Show Special. It\u2019s sort of like a Seniors\u2019 Discount. Many times, if you don\u2019t ask, you don\u2019t get.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be sure to get clear and readable copies of your orders. Be sure the price and quantity is legible. Later on, you might not remember what a \u201cFrlbnwt\u201d is, and is that 70-cents, or 7-dollars?<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the evening, back in the room, be sure to total up each order and compare that to your OTB. That gives you what\u2019s left to spend tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We pay using our credit cards, and pay off the balance every month. This does a couple of things for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, it gets the order on its way. No need to establish credit or terms with the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Second, we get Miles or Points we can use for future trips. I\u2019ve got about 1,000,000 miles accumulated. Yes, a Million. Guess I\u2019ll have to break down and take Sandi to Europe or Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Using the credit card can run you into trouble, though. Your card has some sort of limit. If your OTB doesn\u2019t keep your limit into account, you might exceed it and get a nasty fee. Keep track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The card company also might find a couple of thousand dollar charges in Las Vegas as suspicious. I like to alert them ahead of time that we\u2019ll be traveling. This minimizes credit shutdowns. Nothing more embarrassing than to have your card declined in front of a vendor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We deal with some vendors that will keep our CC on file. Re-orders are relatively painless. Some vendors, however, don\u2019t keep it on file and require a new Authorization each order we place. Pain. Oh well. We get our orders and make our profit, anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be sure to enjoy yourself. You\u2019ll see really interesting products. You\u2019ll meet really nice people. You\u2019ll experience new and different \u2014 everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take it all in and enjoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trade Shows are one of our enjoyments of the FBA Life. We get to travel to different places. We get to meet new people, and see old friends. We get to make some money along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be sure to include a couple trade shows in your annual plans. You\u2019ll be glad you did.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Link to PAC: https:\/\/provenamazoncourse.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nGetting Ready<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
At The Show<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n