Tips For Getting Quality Leads From a Trade Show Booth
Prior to attending any trade show you’re going to need to take some time to train your staff (and remind yourself) how to interact most effectively with visitors that pass your trade show booths. Conversing with those who stop by your trade show booth needs to be done just right in order to facilitate continued interaction and meet your goal of gaining this potential client’s contact info as well as gauging just how good a lead he or she may be to your company. Here are a few tips to get you started.
Use Open Ended Questions
The staff who will help manage the exhibit are going to need to be good at breaking the ice with people in a way that gets them to stop and talk as opposed to just saying “yeah” or “no” and walking on by. The trick; open ended questions.
Some examples might be “How have you been enjoying the event?”, “What brings you to the show/our trade show booth?”, or “How are you feeling about this year’s show?”
It’s good to have 3 or 4 to use and really work on pre-show so they seem authentic yet the staff feels prepared and ready to engage with visitors in the most effective way.
Don’t Pitch
Trade shows are a time for fun. Yes, your end goal is sales, but that’s not for the show really. Sales are for later; and that’s why you want to work so hard on getting quality leads during the show.
Instead of sales pitches like “Have you tried the new _____?”, use openers like those listed above. Staff are to then try and collect contact info while also creating some meaningful conversation about the products as well as the needs the visitor has your products can fill. This is what’s required to get quality leads from a trade show booth. Not sales pitches.
Keep Your Trade Show Booth Staff Focused
While it’s definitely true you don’t want the staff to sound salesy, you do have specific goals for your trade show booth. Everyone needs to stick to it and stay focused. While staff may find common ground with a visitor on some personal level, it’s the company and products the display is promoting that need to be the focus of conversation in order to maximize time and reach the most visitors possible.
Using these tips will not only help you gain qualified leads though. They’ll also help you let go of those attendees that just won’t benefit your end goals. If you find someone is inappropriate and you need to move on to another visitor – be kind, give them the giveaway you’re offering, along with a big “Thank you for stopping by!” Then, discretely shift your attention to the next waiting visitor.
By taking just a few minutes to teach your trade show booth staff these tips before each event you’ll increase the effectiveness of your staff, your display and, you’ll get only quality leads your business can use to build its brand and its success.
