Sales Tip: Downsize your inventory before attending trade show

Feb. 20, 2020

Do your best to run your inventories down on sale items before the show.

There are products that are on special every year with excellent deals: screwdrivers, consumables, toolsets, etc. Do your best to run your inventories down on those products before the show. Have your own promo to unload them. Use them as a BOGO and create some fun. It would be a shame to get to the show and be overloaded with product X just when the show has some super-duper special and you can’t take advantage of it.

Also, make a list of the products you want to learn more about and what your selling challenges are. If you are consistently getting objections that are hard to handle, a trade show is the place to speak to the manufacturers and learn the answers.

About the Author

Alan Sipe | President, Toolbox Sales and Consulting

Alan W. Sipe has spent the last 42 years in the basic hand tool industry including positions as President of KNIPEX Tools North America, Sr. VP Sales and Marketing at Klein Tools, Manager Special Markets at Stanley Tools and sales management at toolbox manufacturer Waterloo Industries. Currently Sipe is the owner of Toolbox Sales and Consulting specializing in sales strategy, structure, development and training. Sipe can be reached at [email protected] or 847-910-1063. Connect with Sipe on LinkedIn.