Meet, Mix and Make Business Happen

Companies have been getting the new year off to a great start in Coventry as hundreds of businesses from around the region attended the B2B Expo, which the Federation of Small Businesses runs in conjunction with the local paper, The Telegraph. With 54 exhibitors and a packed programme of speakers and seminars, there was much to keep the delegates engaged. One of the attractions was the networking breakfast which brought together 250 businesses for that perfect opportunity to make new contacts and generate leads for business potential. Events such as the B2B Expo are an ideal mix of learning opportunities, marketing vehicles and new business development, so they are great for moving your business forward. Looked at in the right way, every aspect of these events can be seen as preparation for making the sale. At seminars and talks you might learn of a new selling technique or an innovative way to market your business or maximise the effectiveness of your operations. As an exhibitor you get to overtly promote your brand in a professional business atmosphere to a captive audience. And with networking opportunities, either as a formally staged event or casually as you meet other delegates or exhibitors during the day, every encounter can be the start of a relationship that can lead to new business. Even just experiencing an event such as the B2B Expo can give new sales staff a quick introduction to and feel for the business environment they are now part of and how their competitors or customers are operating. B2B events and exhibitions can be great ways to develop contacts to help with your future recruitment needs as sales recruitment agencies in Coventry will often exhibit or may even deliver seminars. At the Coventry B2B Expo, the council made a special pitch to promote their 'Get An Apprentice' scheme, highlighting the different ways you can develop your future resource requirements. Networking and opportunities to meet other businesses can also be a great way to subtly scout out your next career move. As a sales professional, you will be good at striking up conversations, but you should be equally good at listening, so these can be great opportunities to learn about the developments within companies before hiring plans are made known to the outside world. If sales recruitment agencies in Coventry happen to be exhibiting at a B2B conference or exhibition alongside companies you would like to work for, then make the most of the connections to garner the perfect introduction. You can do so by engaging the recruitment representatives as your introducer or by gaining insight from the recruiter about potential positions vacant or the best contact for speculative applications. This will allow you to introduce yourself appropriately to the people who matter. Whatever your professional or personal objectives are when attending a B2B event, remember that you are a representative of your company, so it is not just about what you can get from the opportunity. Your presence makes an impression about the company you represent and the product or service you sell. Even when engaged in an interaction that you think won't benefit you personally, remember that it is an interaction with your company so it is always an opportunity to shine.