Selling to an Industry

Selling to Convention Centers

No doubt about it, convention centers are valuable sales targets for B2B operations that are prepared for a an uphill selling battle. Here's how to sell to convention centers in the current business climate.

Personal motivation is essential for entrepreneurs who are interested in selling equipment and supplies to convention centers.

These days, initiative and strategy are two things that never go out of style � especially for companies that sell to convention centers.

Customer Profiles

Emerging sellers in the convention center market are advised to profile key sales targets before they invest in a specific sales strategy. A little industry knowledge can go a long way toward equipping your team with the tools required to convert high value convention center leads.

In this industry, it is especially important to develop a customer-focused approach. In general, convention centers are very skilled at spotting B2B companies that lack an awareness of the issues that are important to them and many will hold out for more knowledgeable suppliers, even if it means paying a slightly higher price.

Sales Team Considerations

Many businesses that sell to convention centers leverage a team sales approach.

Although your team may consist of individual sales reps, each rep has to recognize their role in the team strategy. There is simply no room for solo sales in this industry! Team-based training programs and other initiatives can be beneficial, but the best strategy for encouraging buy-in to a team sales model is for owners and managers to become role models for teamwork.

Marketing to Convention Centers

Marketing strategies for convention centers are constantly evolving. Businesses that sell in this market have to be diligent about keeping up with the latest marketing channels and technologies. Although they aren't a panacea, online marketing channels such as social media sites and email campaigns are gaining steam.

In order to feed new convention center leads to your sales team, you will need to systematize lead generation. One of the ways to simplify lead generation is to obtain updated lead lists. Vendors like Experian Business Services provide reasonably priced lead lists that can be filtered to accommodate multiple data fields.

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