At the Trade Show

Before you verbally engage a visitor, make eye contact with any attendee in the aisle who looks interested in your display headline or graphics. Smile and say hello or make a general comment or friendly gesture. Do not engage attendees in the isle until the visitor indicates interest in your product or service. This is the job of your display headline and graphics. On the other hand, don’t waste your time. Once you are engaged with a visitor, qualify the visitor as a serious prospect or just an interested bystander.

Ask a non-intrusive question. For example “how are you finding the show?” or “Have you found the show helpful?” Then be more specific with “What does (company on name-tag) do?” “May I help you?” is a little too general. “If the visitor expresses interest you might ask if you may provide information on a specific aspect of your industry, product or service but, each booth staffer will need to develop his or her own style. These innocuous questions help relax the visitor while providing you with lead qualifying information as to the “quality” of the visitor. Give the visitor a chance to interact and provide more specific information. If you determine the visitor is not a serious prospect, then politely suggest the visitor have a nice day or enjoy the show, then move to a different spot in your booth space.

Again, never intercept a visitor by impeding his or her path in the aisle. Ask your questions of the visitor if he or she shows interest in your headline or video hook. Ask questions to identify the special needs and interests of the visitor. This will be your invitation to suggest how your product/service can meet the visitor’s needs and solve problems. Engage visitors with friendly body language and a relaxed disposition. Don’t be aggressive or sound desperate, relax and enjoy yourself. Get and use the visitors name up front and use it going forward in your conversation.

At this point you can provide more technical information or call over a technical staffer from your company. If there is information you can’t provide at the show, make a note and promise the visitor a follow-up via email, phone call. If you don’t have a technical staffer at the show, get the information from your technical specialist in the home office or from the tech department of your vendor and deliver the answer to the visitor by the end of the day or the next day. This will keep you fresh in the mind of the visitor and help develop a more receptive attitude with the prospect. This follow-up exchange would be a good time to set an appointment with the prospect for a visit to his or her home office.

If your exhibit space permits, you may want a technical authority from the home office to answer questions from visitors who want to get a little deeper in the weeds with regard to the technical aspects of your service or product. If space is limited you could have a connection directly from your booth space to your company via Skype to interact with visitors and fill in details your booth visitor may require.

Trade Show Engagement

Do not engage visitors in the isle until the visitor indicates interest in your product. This is the job of your “hook” headline and your graphics, or demo piece.

Trade Show Visitors

Ask questions to identify the special needs of your visitor. This will be your invitation to suggest how your product can meet the visitor’s needs.

Trade Show Booth Staff

Stay Fresh. Booth staffing is long, hard work.

Next > Getting Leads

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