Trade Shows Don't Work? You're Doing It Wrong | Max Frambach
Most businesses leave trade shows with a stack of cards and nothing else. Max Frambach shows how live podcasting turns trade show attention into real leads.
Hosts: Bernie Franzgrote and Wayne Pratt
Marketing pro Max Frambach shows how live podcasting at trade shows turns lost attention into real leads.
GROWTH CATEGORY: Marketing & Branding
Most businesses leave trade shows with a stack of business cards and not much else. Max Frambach thinks that's a waste of one of the best audiences a company will ever stand in front of.
Max runs Blurrberry Media Agency in the Netherlands. He builds digital strategy for companies that want their marketing to actually move the needle.
His big idea: drop a podcast studio right into the middle of the trade show floor. Glass walls. Silent disco headphones. Real audience. Real content that keeps working for months.
Watch the full conversation here:
WHO THIS IS FOR
SMB owners. Solopreneurs. Corporate escapees. Leaders building systems. Anyone who has ever paid for a trade show booth and wondered where the leads went.
KEY LESSONS
Lesson 1: Most owners don't know who they're selling to.
Max sees the same pattern over and over. A business owner tries to reach everyone, so the content has to be vague enough to fit everyone. The result is content that fits no one. The fix is uncomfortable but simple — pick the customer you actually want, and build everything for that person.
Lesson 2: Podcasts belong in the middle of the funnel.
Podcasts don't close deals. They build trust. They give your audience a way to learn how you think before they decide to work with you. Measuring a podcast by direct sales misses the point. Measure the steps in between — downloads, repeat visits, time spent on related content.
Lesson 3: Listening beats selling — every time.
Max walked through how he handles a new client. He listens all the way to the end. No interruption. Then he holds up the mirror — "here's what I'm hearing, is that right?" That's the move most owners skip. It's also the one that changes the conversation from a pitch to a partnership.
PRACTICAL STEPS
Three things you can do this week:
- Pick one customer profile. Write down their job, their problem, and the words they use to describe it. Build your next piece of content for that person only.
- Audit your funnel. Where does your podcast or content actually sit — top, middle, or bottom? Measure the right thing for that layer.
- Listen before you pitch. On your next sales call, stay quiet for the first ten minutes. Then repeat back what you heard. Watch what happens.
ABOUT THE GUEST
Max Frambach helps companies cut through digital noise and build content that actually converts. He solves the problem of marketing that looks busy but produces nothing measurable. He cares because he watched too many good businesses burn budget on the wrong channels.
Find Max on LinkedIn or visit Blurrberry Media Agency.
LISTEN ON AUDIO
FAQ
Q: Do trade shows still work for B2B marketing? Yes — but only if you build a content layer around them. The booth alone won't carry the ROI.
Q: Where do podcasts fit in a sales funnel? In the middle. They build trust and educate. They don't close deals on their own.
Q: What metrics should I track on a business podcast? Track the steps between listening and buying — downloads, repeat visits, time on related pages. Skip the vanity numbers.
K4B ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Carl Richards
Fred Crouch
Jovan Strika — @Hive
Melanie Webber
