Identify who you are looking for before doors open
Determine before the show opens who specifically you would like to engage with. Not every attendee will represent a potential opportunity for you; that is okay. Your role is not to entice every possible person to stop. Rather, identify those that fit your target profile and recognise early on which conversations will prove most productive.
When you think ahead regarding job titles, industry sectors, size of companies, typical challenges these organisations face, and when they plan on purchasing products / services similar to yours, your staff will then be equipped to ask more meaningful initial questions rather than “Can I assist you?”
For example, instead of asking, “Are you looking for assistance?”, you could ask, “Are you currently reviewing suppliers for next year?” or “Is this something your team plans on improving?”
Making that slight adjustment to the types of questions being asked immediately impacts the value of the conversation.
Create a clearly understood message on your booth
Attendees should easily comprehend what your organisation does and what problem(s) your organisation solves for them without requiring a lengthy description. Your messaging has a greater impact than creative wordplay. As such, your display area should communicate clearly to attendees what type of businesses you serve, what problems you solve for those businesses, and why these solutions matter to the attendees themselves.
A well-designed exhibition stand will also support your desired types of discussions by providing sufficient space for your staff members to converse with attendees, encouraging attendees to enter into your space, and facilitating the flow of conversations. Partnering with a professional custom exhibition stand company can provide you with the necessary tools to develop a visually appealing display that meets all of your functional sales objectives. In addition to your stand looking attractive, it should also facilitate the sales process.
Train your staff members to qualify leads and more than simply engage in friendly banter
While friendly banter has its place, it provides little in terms of qualifying leads. Your staff should learn how to efficiently qualify leads in order to focus on the appropriate leads for your organisation.
Establish a basic format for qualification prior to the event. Determine why they stopped by your stand and what needs their business is trying to satisfy. Is there is an active project related to your product or service? who is responsible for decision-making authority related to your product or service, and when they may take action? These questions don’t have to be presented in an interrogation style. They can be part of a normal conversation.
Follow up quickly after the event, while the conversation is fresh in their mind
Often, much of the heavy lifting for closing sales occurs after the event. Follow-up communications should be sent shortly after the event while the attendees still remember you. Be sure to refer back to the original conversation when sending follow-up communications rather than referencing the event itself.
As opposed to a standard sales pitch, a brief yet relevant email typically works best. Reference what they were interested in learning about during the event, reference any additional materials you provided during the event, and suggest an actionable next step.
While exhibitions can create openings for new relationships and lead-generating activities, they rarely result in closed sales on their own. By preparing adequately for an exhibition, listening attentively during interactions with attendees, and communicating effectively via follow-up communications, those busy couple of days can ultimately translate into something far more valuable than just another crowded schedule.
