5 Top Tips to Improve your Exhibit Demos

Seeing a product or service in action is a proven way to further a sale. Naturally, many companies choose to feature in-booth demos in their trade show exhibits.

Here are 5 Top Tips that help ensure that your in-booth demos effectively engage your target audience and successfully communicate your important messaging.

  • Anticipate your target audience’s top 3-5 questions. What do your prospects routinely want to know? Use that knowledge to build a short, 1 to 2-minute overview of your product / service that answers those questions.  This will enable several of your group to “self-qualify,” i.e. walk away.  Others, however, will be prompted to ask additional, specific questions, which takes them further down the sales pipeline.
  • Frame your Solution Story with Relevant Context. Outline how a specific client experienced a specific challenge; then illustrate how your product or service solved it.  Even if your job is to present a product how-to, avoid discussing bits and bytes on a show floor; you’ll generate greater interest.
  • Include your attendees in your demo. Your rep’s know their products inside out and often monopolize the sales conversation. This is an example of “push” marketing. To avoid this pitfall, design demos to deliberately focus on the attendee; ask them about their companies, their role, and their current challenges.  This information will keep your rep’s solution storytelling on point and relevant.
  • When one attendee asks a questions, deliver the answer to the entire group. This is incredibly important. There is nothing more off-putting than having a booth rep focus on a single attendee who is clearly a “good lead.”  They are tacitly telling everyone else, “You’re not important to me.” This behavior could damage your company’s brand image and decrease referrals.
  • Have a clear next-step for the attendees. This could be general, such as directing them to another demo in the booth, or more specific, such as urging them to sign-up for a trial, schedule an onsite demo, or opt-in for future contact.

An effective demo station engagement strategy is probably the single most value-generating activity at a tradeshow. For more details, View the document

It pays to do your homework, properly prepare, get a good night’s sleep, and put yourself in the proper mindset for the day. And it probably wouldn’t hurt to stock up on Altoids.