I have been writing articles on what you should do on your exhibition stand to make your exhibition or trade show a success and I find I’m often thinking of things I’ve seen happen at exhibitions which are big ‘no nos’. So here are some tips on what NOT to do on your exhibition stand.
1. Don’t eat or drink whilst manning the stand. Make sure you staff on duty are ON duty. Like any other workplace, you don’t want to be seen by your customers to be lazing around. Give staff on duty set breaks and make sure they leave your stand. BUT they should also be aware that they are still ambassadors of your company and should behave well even when off the stand.
2. Don’t stand around chatting with your workmates. You will be wasting precious time when you could be chatting to prospective customers. Also, its just not a very professional look. If someone is interested in your exhibition stand they want to know they can walk in and find someone to talk to. Remember, in an exhibition hall your competition is only metres away. If you don’t give your visitors attention straight away, someone else will!
3. Don’t be too pushy. There’s nothing worse than the hard sell. Not only does it come across as desperate it will make your visitors think that maybe there is a commission involved for the salesman and they will ultimately mistrust and move on to the next stand. Remember, at an exhibition, the people are there because they are interested in your product. You don’t need to harass people, the ‘selling’ has already been done by the exhibition organizers.
4. Don’t be shy. Whilst keeping in mind tip #3, don’t be afraid to walk directly up to someone, who may have wandered on to your stand, and introduce yourself. Be polite but firm. Ask if there’s any information they would like. Have business cards at the ready to hand out. Chances are, they will hand one back – and you have their contact details, so even if they wander off again, you can contact them after the show.
5. Don’t try and do any other work whilst manning your exhibition stand. You are there to make new contacts, sell products and get your business recognized. Don’t waste this opportunity by fixing up products or phoning the office or discussing business with your workmates. All these things can be done when you get back to your office. Use the time wisely to do what you came for.
OK – so these all seem fairly obvious but you’d be surprised how many times you will see this on an exhibition stand. You may also be surprised at just how effective they can be at ruining any chance of making a sale!
