A Fair to Remember Exhibiting at a trade show or fair can make your new product unforgettable-if you do it right.

County fairs, Renaissance fairs, craft shows, home and gardenshows, sports shows and auto shows are just a few of the eventsinventors can attend to sell their products, make some instant cashand test-market a new innovation. Your presence at a trade showmight even be the launching pad for landing new investors orsetting up a distribution network. All you have to do is pack upthe van, drive to the show, set up a booth and start selling. Youcontrol everything, and substantial sales success can point the wayto a big future market. However, your success at the show dependslargely on how well you present yourself and sell others on yourideas.

First ThingsFirst
Before jumping into your first big show, ask yourself somequestions. For instance: Will your product sell well at a tradeshow? Ideally, it should fill a need most people who attend theshow have, and it must have a simple, direct message. Fairs are theperfect starting points for products with broad appeal that wouldideally be sold in supermarkets, department stores and massmerchandisers. Normally, those markets are difficult for a smallinventor to penetrate. But entrepreneurs can build up sales atfairs, sometimes selling as much as $70,000 over a weekend, whichcan give them the success they need to crack the big retailers.

Perfect products are those that lend themselves well todemonstrations. A real-life demonstration is best, but pictures,videos, slides or posters can also work. Your product ordemonstration should sizzle and catch attendees' eyes. Beingable to show a before-and-after result simply and quickly is a goodway to persuade people to buy at a fair. Other types of productsthat do well are ones people can play with or try out, such astoys, musical instruments or sporting goods. Finally, food itemsand family recipes can do especially well. People can taste asample and, if they like it, buy it.

Next, ask yourself what kind of shows are best for yourparticular product and industry. You want shows that appeal to yourtarget customer, have plenty of visitors, and allow you to sellproducts. Start out with local shows. You will have fewer expenses,and you will be able to work more closely with the showpromoter.

Contact your local chamber of commerce or convention center toget a list of upcoming shows. Next, call the show promoter and askfor a copy of last year's convention guide. Once you receiveit, call at least three or four past exhibitors, and find out howmany years they've exhibited. Exhibitors will keep going backto good shows, so make sure at least half the people have exhibitedat the show for two or more years. Also ask the exhibitors whattypes of products sell best at the show and what prices dobest.

Before exhibiting at your first show for a promoter, though, tryto visit one of the promoter's other shows, as most promotersdo similar shows in a variety of cities. You want to see what otherbooths are like so you can design yours to stand out. This is alsoanother great way to talk to exhibitors and get more informationabout how the show works, how much merchandise you can expect tosell, and what steps you can take to maximize sales.

Unfortunately, successful fair products are frequently knockedoff by other fair sellers because the products are relatively easyto make. If you're confident the product will sell, considerpatent protection. Apply for a design patent at the U.S. Patent and TrademarkOffice for $165, which allows you to post "patentpending" on your product.

Once you start selling your product, you have one year to applyfor a utility patent. You can apply for a utility patent on yourown as the one-year "on-sale" time limit approaches; inthis way, you can retain your "patent pending" status fora total of two to three years. That gives you time to establishyour product in the market. You might want to consider using apatent attorney and obtaining a utility patent if you eventuallywant to take your product into the general market.

Secrets toSuccess
To get the most out of your first trade show, consider these top 10tips:

1. Don't let show sales cause amajor accounting nightmare at tax time. Set up a simpleaccounting system before you begin.

2. Get the best locationpossible. Don't be right in front where all thetraffic has to pass by. Instead, be in an area where there isenough aisle space for 10 to 20 people to watch you demonstrate aproduct. Also, don't be next to a busy booth where people willbe attracting a large number of visitors or giving their owndemonstrations.

3. Make sure your product standsout as a one-of-a-kind item. People won't purchase aproduct if it's readily available in other locations.

4. Sell, sell, sell.Products, no matter how great they are, don't sell themselves.You must generate the excitement that gets people to buy. Beforeyou exhibit, attend at least two or three shows to observe thestyles and tactics people use to attract a crowd.

5. Have people participate in ademonstration or interact with you during yourpresentation. That involvement will dramaticallyincrease sales.

6. Have your booth look active atall times, but make sure people don't pass yourbooth because no one is available to talk to them. A successfulbooth needs a staff of three to four people for a busy show.

7. Sell products you can makeyourself or that have minimal manufacturing costs. Ifyour product isn't cheap to make, shows aren't a goodlong-term strategy. Either your product will be too expensive, oryou won't be able to sell enough to cover your upfrontcosts.

8. Try to run out of your inventoryjust as the show closes. Predict how much you might sellbased on discussions with past exhibitors, then take 20 to 30percent more inventory than you think you'll sell. If you sellout, you'll still have had a successful show.

9. Sell products in the $10 to $30range. Your best show strategy is to create impulsesales based on a demonstration or a person trying out a product.Though some inventors who sell higher priced products feel they canget leads at a show and sell to prospects later on, this is amistake. The urge to buy drops once people leave a show, so youcan't count on these sales.

10. Use boothpromotions-such as free giveaways, two-for-one specials,combination packages of products and 'buy two, get onefree" offers-to double or triple your sales. Try a variety ofpromotions at different shows to figure out what works best foryour product. Also, check the types of promotions other people areoffering.

If your first show doesn't go as well as you had hoped,don't get discouraged. Realistically, you will be a runawaysuccess if just 10 percent of the people who stop by your boothlike and buy your product. That leaves 90 percent who won'tbuy. So don't set your expectations too high when you go toyour first show. If you persuade 10 out of 100 people to becomecustomers, you've had a great sales performance.

Adapted from Entrepreneur magazine's Start-UpGuide #1813, BringingYour Product to Marketby Don Debelak