Work the Show and Make It Work For You
1. Stay near your booth
Presumably, if you are exhibiting, you want to make contacts and have conversations about your product or service. How can you have those conversations, if you aren't near your booth? Am I saying you have to be there every single minute? No, of course not. Unless you have a partner working the booth with you, you'll need some breaks away so you can talk to some of the other vendors. But limit your away time, and keep half an eye on your booth while you are away.
2. Stay in front of your display
I actually saw a guy set up his display so it covered the entire table, and then he sat behind it, while potential contacts were in the room. I wonder how many people he missed because they couldn't see him.
3. Stand, don't sit at your booth
This was the biggest mistake I saw. Almost half the exhibitors in my room were sitting behind their tables. It's harder to shake hands. You're not as inviting. You kind of look like you want people to step up for an interview, and that's not the impression you want to give. Yes, it's tiring to stand all day. (Thankfully this event had a lunch period where the vendor room was closed. That gave me a whole hour to rest my feet!) But you will get more people stopping by your booth, and you will have better conversations when they do stop. I actually stood in front of my table. The darn things were wide enough that it was awkward to get a good handshake when I was standing behind it.
4. Have a reason for people to give you a business card
You want contact information so you can follow up later. So give them a reason to give it to you. A drawing is always good. I offered three prizes of a month's free coaching, and I collected 28 cards to follow up with later. I considered that a success! I also suggest having blank cards for those people who don't bring cards to the event but still want to sign up.
5. Follow up promptly after the event
This seem so obvious that I wish I didn't have to write it. But I have heard stories about people who sit on potential leads for months after an event. You paid money to be there. You took the time out of your schedule. And you stood for hours and were exhausted afterward. Why wouldn't you follow up promptly to turn those contacts into clients or referral sources?
6. Use the "Puppy Dog Close" after the event
If you've done any reading about sales, you know what I'm talking about. Remember when you used to be able to buy dogs and cats at pet stores? Well, a classic technique was to let a customer "take the puppy home for the weekend for free. If you don't want him, just bring him back on Monday."
How many puppies do you think came back on Monday morning?
The concept is simple. Let a customer experience what you are offering for free. If they see the value, they will continue to pay for it. I knew I could show value in a month, and it was worth investing my time for the payoff of a new client.
And it paid off for me. I converted enough free clients to pay for the show and then some.
So the next time you are exhibiting at a trade show, remember the six points above and make the show work as hard for you as you worked it.
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