If you want to be a successful trade show marketeer, you must have a well-trained trade show booth staff to help your trade show booth stand out from the other trade show booths at the trade show. Fortunately, training your trade show booth staff is pretty straightforward, and it starts will learning and using these ten simple tips for staffing trade show booths.
ONE: ON YOUR FEET! Save the chairs in your trade show booth for your prospects. You should be standing up. Trade show booth staffers who are standing are much more approachable (and can easily approach prospects) than staffers who are sitting down. If you are staffing a trade show booth, you belong on your feet.
TWO: TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. Make sure you are in good shape for the show. Get a solid night of sleep before each day at the trade show. Eat a complete breakfast. Drink plenty of water and stay hydrated. And wear comfortable shoes.
THREE: IDENTIFY YOURSELF. Always wear a name tag with your name and your company name on it, written in big, easy-to-read letters. Make sure your name tag is easy to see, and not partially hidden behind your tie or tucked into your pocket.
FOUR: SMILE AND BE FRIENDLY. Greet your prospect with a smile and immediately find out their name. Address them by name when you talk with them. People appreciate being addressed by their name. So get their name and use it. When your conversation is over, thank them for stopping by your trade show booth, and again, use their name.
FIVE: ASK QUESTIONS. It may seem obvious, but before you can start spouting answers, you must know what your prospect's problem is! Don't begin a conversation by telling a customer what you can do for them (unless you're telepathic and can read their mind). Wait until they tell you what they need. Ask questions, and then listen to the answers. Your goal is to find out what your customer needs. After you understand what your prospect needs then you can tell them how you can help them. Of course, by asking questions, you may also find out that they don't really need what you are offering. If that is the case, then you need to thank them and move on.
SIX: AVOID YES or NO QUESTIONS. Ask open ended questions, not yes or no questions. When you ask a prospect a yes or no question, you almost always just get a yes or no answer which ends the conversation. Instead of asking, "Can I help you", rephrase the question to "What are you looking for at the show today?" The first question can be answered "NO", but the second question requires an answer. If you still get a "nothing" or "I don't know" answer to the second question, you need to follow it up with another open ended question.
SEVEN: SHUT UP AND LISTEN. Follow the 90-10 rule of thumb. Ninety percent of your conversation should be spent listening. Ten percent of your conversation (as a rule of thumb) should be spent talking. You learn more about your prospect when you are listening and not talking.
EIGHT: IGNORE. Don't ignore the visitors who come to your trade show booth, but do ignore the other trade show staffers and other trade show booth distractions. Trade show exhibit hours are never the time to discuss your next vacation or where you should go for happy hour. Don't talk with other trade show staffers, unless it is to introduce a prospect or to get additional information. And always remember that customers in front of you come before customers who may call you on your cell phone.
NINE: GIVE A LITTLE... Invest in some trade show booth giveaway swag (swag being short for Stuff We All Get) and hand it out to prospective clients. Trade show swag (aka freebies, aka giveaways, aka handouts) is a great way to reward people for stopping by your trade show booths. There are many trade show booth give away swag ideas to choose from - from things as simple and cheap as pens and magnets to as expensive as ipods and trips to Hawaii (let me know of the booth that is handing out the latter two and I'll be sure to visit). Just make sure your trade show giveaway swag has your company name and contact information printed on it.
TEN: REMAIN FOCUSED. Stay focused on your trade show booth, and not the trade show booths across the way or your competitor's trade show booth three rows away. Resist your desire to leave your trade show booth under the guise of doing competitive research - do your competitive research after the trade show floor is closed to visitors for the day. Record the Saints game on your TIVO so you can watch it when you get back home. During show hours, you must be at your trade show booth, not distracted, and with a smile on your face and ready to do business.
Be sure that your trade show booth staff learn and use these ten easy staffing tips, and make your trade show booth shine among all the other trade show booths. As long as you are exhibiting at a trade show, you should do it right and maximize your trade show marketing dollar, which means having a properly trained, professional trade show booth staff. Here's to your staff and your trade show success!
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Make sure you have an attention-getting trade show booth for your trade show booth staff. Check out some of the eye-catching trade show booths available here. And get some trade show swag ideas while you are there, and use them to drive your trade show traffic through the roof!
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