Why Health Fairs/Expos Don’t Work to Get New Clients
I was just at a symposium yesterday in Orange County for holistic physicians and chiropractors and had an exhibit booth for the first time. To tell you honestly, it’s not my favorite way to attract business. Here’s why: It takes a lot out of me to have to be “switched on” sharing my business with people in a way that’s mindful of whether I’m really speaking to their needs. It takes a lot of energy to manage several people waiting in line for attention, and I’m not good at that.
I like to spend one-on-one time with people and sometimes I’m not good at keeping the conversations short. I’d rather get to know someone better than having extremely short conversations. I felt like I either found myself talking too much, or hearing them talk about themselves and my not sharing enough about what I could help them with. That’s why it’s not my first choice as an introvert to get business from a booth at an event/expo.
One thing that expos are good for is it’s a great way to test whether what you’re saying about your business resonates with your ideal clients. As you’re talking to your ideal clients and their faces show that they’re not excited, then you know you need to tweak your message. This can be very valuable to know and fix in your marketing materials, too.
Having a professional-looking booth on a budget that will draw people in can cost a decent amount of money. It also requires a lot of thought to strategically plan for the outcomes you are looking for. How can you draw people in among all the different booths people are checking out? What main action do you want visitors to take, and is it the most effective next step? Do you have marketing materials that stand out from you competition and really speak to your ideal clients? All these things must be thought out very strategically. It’s not as simple as just showing up and getting clients.
Attending it reminded me of what many of you often share with me. You’ve told me you’d shoot yourself if you had to go to another health fair or expo and give another chiropractic adjustment; you’ve mentioned that chair massages are disappointing and “they don’t work.”
So what must you be ready with before you do a trade show? Two key skills you must master before dumping money into getting a booth at an event (or spending money on marketing, for that matter) are:
- Being comfortable with talking in a way so your ideal client (A) feels that it’s a no brainer to either book with you or (B) keeps you in mind when they are ready.
- Confidently create and share an offer with a limiter that’s enticing.
When you get good at having a conversation that makes it a no brainer for people to take the next step with you, you have a skill that is key to bringing you clients and 6 figures consistently. My students in the Consistent Clients Formula program often tell me how thankful they are for the “Clients Say Yes” conversation script in it, because it’s a tried and true way of talking to people that works. People they talk to find it crazy not to hire them. Do you have a way of talking to people so they decide to take that next step with you? Do you know how to book 1 out of 3 people you talk to or, are you often having nice conversations that don’t turn into paying clients?
In a future article, I’ll show you how to create an offer with a limiter that’s enticing. In the meantime, want to learn how to design your services so that you are no longer trading dollars for hours? Register for our most popular call “How to Get 5 Clients in 5 Weeks & Put an Extra $5,000 in Your Checkbook”. Put your name & email below and you will be invited the next time it’s held.
