https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2022 NextGen 101 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2022 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Channel Partners 101 (CP 101)
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • MSP Summit
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2022 NextGen 101 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2022 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Channel Partners 101 (CP 101)
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • MSP Summit
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Agents
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • Channel Partners Events
 Channel Futures

Sales & Marketing


MSPs: Time to Sponsor Your First Trade Show

  • Written by David Bellini 2
  • June 29, 2010
Don’t settle for stagnation! With the economic downturn, you’d be smart to replace any lost business and pursue growth. Here in our local IT company, we’re ready for new business; we h

Don’t settle for stagnation! With the economic downturn, you’d be smart to replace any lost business and pursue growth. Here in our local IT company, we’re ready for new business; we have the manpower and capacity, and there is plenty of talent we can hire if we need more staff. So here’s how we’re filling our sales funnel: a trade show.

We have hosted our own events, “Lunch and Learns,” but the results were not up to snuff. We invited our current partners and prospects, and ended up with mostly partners and folks trying to sell US products! So, we’re taking the plunge and getting in front of one of our favorite targets: CPA firms.

Last week we were at the Florida Accounting & Business Expo, at the Tampa Convention Center, pursuing new leads for our Managed Services business. This state-wide conference is a great place for us to find new local prospects; approximately half of the attendees were local and within our service area, since the event was held here in Tampa.

This is why a trade show is a great lead source:

  1. Exposure – you have a booth, you can do some other sponsorships, you’re in the conference guide
  2. The list – Glengarry Glen Ross jokes aside, the attendee list is huge. This enables you to start a drip campaign after the show
  3. Speaking opportunities – Another chance to drive your message and show the value of your offering
  4. It’s easy – all you need for a professional looking booth is a pull-up banner, some handouts and a logo tablecloth

Now I will caution that you need to have an automated sales process in place, or else the business cards you get and the attendee list will turn into a “someday” project. We put our leads into a marketing track in ConnectWise, to get the most out of our investment and achieve maximum ROI. And we know that if we don’t get them this year, we’ll likely see them at next year’s show.

Why We Pursue the CPA vertical

CPA firms are some of our favorite clients. Since we already have about 20 of them, we understand their business, their systems, and their pain. They don’t have to explain why certain request are vital to their business; we get it. We can even replace any IT staff they already have in place. As an extra perk, CPA firms are great about sharing referrals with us, and their referrals are usually slam-dunks.

Have you tried sponsoring events? What were your results with Lunch & Learns?

David Bellini is president of ConnectWise. Monthly guest blogs such as this one are part of MSPmentor’s annual platinum sponsor program. Read all of Bellini’s guest blogs here.

Tags: Agents Cloud Service Providers MSPs VARs/SIs From the Industry RMM/PSA Sales & Marketing

Most Recent


  • cybersecurity digital transformation
    Is it Twilight or a New Day for the Technology Advisory Channel?
    "We get to a certain point where we're like, 'How do we get bigger?'" Bret Hickenlooper said.
  • Navigate business
    How Partners Can Navigate Economic Uncertainty, Possible Recession Ahead
    The biggest mistake is companies waiting too long to reduce costs.
  • ransomware detected
    The Gately Report: Zscaler Tracks New, Increasingly Dangerous Ransomware Group, Most Targeted Types of People
    Universities are leaving students vulnerable to email-based attacks.
  • 100 Million
    Talon Cyber Security Gains $100 Million in New Series A Funding
    Partners play a key role in the company's growth strategy going forward.

2 comments

  1. Avatar Travis June 30, 2010 @ 10:53 pm
    Reply

    This sounds like a very good idea. We have a very specific vertical that has tons of trade shows in our location. We rarely see any IT companies/sponsors at these shows.

    We’ve signed up to sponsor a couple of upcoming shows and we hope the results are worth it!

  2. Avatar Marie Rourke July 1, 2010 @ 4:10 am
    Reply

    It’s a good suggestion – especially for vertically-focused MSPs. Another suggestion to consider – if you don’t have the funds to sponsor these shows out the gate (as it can be $$$)… see if you can register to attend (for fee or for free).

    And remember, like any trade show, you must attend w/purpose. Don’t just show up and expect leads to come to you. Have a plan of engagement and work that plan.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your Channel Futures account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Drive revenue
    Proofpoint Protect: Rising Vendor, Partner Revenues Amid COVID-19
  • Growth plan
    N-able Empower Day 1: How to Grow Your Business
  • Cloud Computing diagram for Microsoft gallery
    Avaya Cloud Office by RingCentral Adds Capabilities for Global Businesses
  • Call Center Contact Center
    Avant Analytics: Expect Big CCaaS Adoption, Fueled by AI, Through 2021

Upcoming Events

View all

MSP Summit

September 13, 2022 - September 16, 2022

Channel Partners Conference & Expo

May 1, 2023 - May 4, 2023

Galleries

View all

Images: Telarus Hosts Partner Summit, Gives Partner, Supplier Awards

August 5, 2022

7 Channel People Making Waves This Week at Kaseya, AT&T, Cohesity, More

August 5, 2022

The Gately Report: Zscaler Tracks New, Increasingly Dangerous Ransomware Group, Most Targeted Types of People

August 5, 2022

Industry Perspectives

View all

Seize the Application Modernization Opportunity

August 2, 2022

A Growth Mindset: Your Organization’s Strategic Differentiator

August 1, 2022

Timely Tips for Non-Negotiable Patch Updates

July 29, 2022

Webinars

View all

Outsmarting RaaS: Implementation Strategies To Help Your Clients Before, During, and After a Ransomware Attack

August 23, 2022

Why it is Important to Upgrade Aging Servers and How to use Live Optics to Upgrade Efficiently

August 25, 2022

Executives at Home are Not Alright: An Intro to Digital Executive Protection

September 8, 2022

White Papers

View all

Work Goes Remote – (and Other Top ITOps Trends)

May 25, 2022

The New Bottom Line: How MSPs Can Meet the Healthcare Crisis While Evolving Their Businesses

April 19, 2022

How to build a Security Operations Center (on a budget)

April 4, 2022

Channel Futures TV

View all

Vonage a ‘Single Communications Stack Provider’ for Partners, Customers

IBM, Partners and the $1 Trillion Hybrid Cloud Opportunity

June 26, 2022

Agents Share ‘Secrets,’ Industry Opportunity

May 11, 2022

AT&T, Microsoft, Cisco, ThreatLocker on Unlocking Partner Potential

May 6, 2022

Twitter

ChannelFutures

Bret Hickenlooper of @sumocom is more excited than ever to be in the channel. dlvr.it/SWHhP1 https://t.co/S0YfM2Vpiw

August 8, 2022
ChannelFutures

.@Vista_Equity acquiring @avalara in $8.4 billion deal. #automation dlvr.it/SWHd98 https://t.co/klle3bZMMp

August 8, 2022
ChannelFutures

Hackers access @twilio customer data via #phishing attacks. dlvr.it/SWHWXn https://t.co/dV9bal0vGS

August 8, 2022
ChannelFutures

[email protected] produced a 50-minute webinar on creating a work culture in which LGBTQ+ employees feel safe. You can… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

August 8, 2022
ChannelFutures

#MSPSummit preview: Surviving, thriving during economic rough seas with @SL-Index's Peter Kujawa.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

August 8, 2022
ChannelFutures

.@ConnectWise says use #cyberinsurance policies to protect from worst of cyberattack repercussions, but first beef… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

August 8, 2022
ChannelFutures

Check out our pictures from the #TelarusPartnerSummit that @telarus hosted in Salt Lake City.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

August 5, 2022
ChannelFutures

Channel People Making Waves This Week Include: @spoonen, @RoyArsan, @TheAnneChow, @AnuragTechaisle… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

August 5, 2022

MSP 501

The industry's largest and most comprehensive partner awards program.

Newsletters and Updates

Sign up for The Channel Report, Channel Futures Update, MSP 501 Newsletter and more.

Live Channel Events

Get the latest information on the next industry-leading Channel Partners event.

Galleries

Educational slide shows and images from live events.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Events
  • Telecoms.com
  • MSP 501
  • Black Hat
  • IoT World Today
  • Omdia

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X