There are often thousands of attendees at a trade show or exhibition. How do you know who the serious buyers are? Well, hopefully you’ve done a bit of homework before you’ve arrived at the show. Firstly, you would have chosen a show which best caters to your specific industry so much of the work of weeding disinterested parties has already been done by the show’s organizers. Secondly, you will have sent out invitations, contacted people you know who will be going to the show, arranged times to meet with potential customers and made sure everyone you want to speak to knows where you are in the hall.
Make sure you have well trained, well presented, professional sales people manning your exhibition stand. Your product specialists may well know their product inside out but if they have no people skills or sales training they are not likely to be able to create a lead or make the sale. On the flip side, your sales people must know their product and be well informed. A good team working on your stand is ultimately far more important on the day than a great looking exhibition stand.
Try and find out before attending the exhibition or trade show where your bigger competitors are in the hall. It could be to your advantage to get an allocated space closer to a company which is selling a similar product to your own, especially if they are a large well-known company, as they will attract your target audience into your vicinity for you.
Make sure you have all information you’ll need at the ready on your exhibition stand. Have printed brochures at the ready and displayed clearly. If someone shows an interest in your brochures, ask them straight out what they are looking for. You’ll know from their answer if they are a real prospect or just collecting info. Either way, it is good for you to get your company’s name out there but just don’t spend precious man time on someone who is just browsing. You may miss out on the one who is there to buy!
If your product/s warrant it, have a selection of printed material. Have specific handouts for each product you are selling. If someone is interested in a certain product, they want to feel that you have exactly what they need and will want that specific information without having to plough through lots of other stuff.
Use AV where possible. Even if you are doubling up on info you already have in your printed material, a video display is far more direct and immediate. In an exhibition hall environment there are so many things going on that you need to use whatever devices you can to attract attention. Anything with light and noise will attract a crowd far easier than a nice glossy brochure!
Once people are on your stand, have some basic rules in place with your staff as to their sales pitch. If someone is ‘just looking’ make sure you get their details anyway. Maybe have a competition barrel where people can drop their business card or fill in their details to win a prize. That way you have all their contact details to follow up after the show.
Don’t waste time with potential customers if they are not looking to buy now. Get their details, give them some info but move on. Obviously you don’t need to be rude, but do be firm. You can work on them later. You are there to do a job. Don’t waste the time you have on your stand. If someone is looking to buy now, have a ‘meeting area’ ready with seating and privacy where you can make them feel comfortable. Have coffee/drink/food on hand which will ensure they stay at least for a short while.
Exhibiting at a trade show is not cheap. Every minute is precious and should be accounted for, but with a great sales team on your stand coupled with a good product and an experienced exhibition company working behind the scenes, you will find that exhibiting at a trade show can be a very profitable exercise.
