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Growing Your Business

Owning and operating a successful business is an amazingly rewarding experience. However, to stay in business long-term, you need to continuously grow your client base. To do so, you should always strive to provide exceptional customer service to your clientele. You can accomplish this task by training your salespeople well. You should also search for effective ways to advertise your business’s product or service offerings. Some wonderful places to advertise your goods or services include newspapers, magazines, your website, and the social media outlets you engage in. On this blog, I hope you will discover smart tips to help you succeed in business.

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Growing Your Business

Understanding Some Common Trade Show Assistance Guidelines

by Claude Medina

If you have a small business and want to expand your marketing techniques, you may want to start attending trade shows in your area. If you do not have a lot of free capital to spend on travel expenses, marketing materials, and the fees associated with some trade shows, then you should look for a trade show assistance program in your state. Most states will have certain guidelines you will have to meet in order to receive the money. Keep reading to learn about a few possible guidelines you need to meet.

Live In The State Where You Receive Assistance

This is likely the easiest guideline to follow. Since states typically have specific trade show assistance programs for their residents, they do ask that you live in the state and that your business also resides in it. However, while you may need to live in the state to receive assistance, money is often given to businesses that are traveling outside of the state to attend a trade show. This is a way to bring commerce into the state and to highlight the goods and services in your area.

Another way to highlight your state specifically is to show the commerce logo for your state. Many states will ask you to place a sticker somewhere on your booth or to display marketing materials, prints, tablecloths, or photographs with the logo. 

Fill Out The Appropriate Paperwork

Before you can receive money for trade show assistance, you will need to fill out paperwork. The paperwork can usually be found through the Department of Commerce website for your specific state. Once the paperwork is accepted, the Department of Commerce will look at your application and attached paperwork, and make a decision on whether your business should be accepted through the program.

If you are accepted, you will receive a specific amount of money that corresponds with your trade show expenses. However, certain expenses may not be eligible for reimbursement. For example, the assistance program will not pay for anything that relates to the running of your business. This means that employee salaries are exempt. Also, you will need to foot the bill for travel, lodging, and food expenses. 

General marketing materials printed or produced that highlight your business, but do not directly relate to the trade show itself are likely to be exempt from reimbursement as well. Basically, you will need to absorb some costs yourself, but the trade show assistance will help to make it more financially viable for you to market your business at a trade show. For more information, contact a business such as Eyekon Group.

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