Set-up is over and the booth looks great. Event sponsorships and signage are giving the brand great visibility outside the hall. A killer pre-show campaign promises to drive record traffic to the exhibit floor.
Everything is ready.
Everything except the staffers traveling in to work the booth.
How do you help staffers succeed at tradeshow selling, when most of them don’t even report to you? Share the following insights with them during pre-show and daily staff meetings and watch their production soar.
Understand the Staffer Role. Too many trade show staffers confuse their role at the show with the title on their business card. They think their purpose on the show floor is directly connected to the work they produce back in the office or out in the field. In most cases, they couldn’t be more wrong. The primary role of every staffer at a trade show is to open new relationships. That’s true whether the staffer is an account rep or a product specialist. It’s also true whether the staffer is a marketing coordinator or a sales manager. Once the show opens, the number one goal of every person in the booth is engaging prospects, jumpstarting conversations and uncovering new opportunities. That’s Job #1. Everything else is second place.
Check All Egos at the door. Clients are often amazed by the professional crowd gatherers and brand ambassadors we often provide. They ask, “Why can’t our staffers engage attendees that productively?” One of the answers to that question is peer pressure. No one likes to be turned down or told “no,” especially in front of one’s peers. So, rather than risk being embarrassed, most staffers stand around and wait to be approached. Contrast that with the mindset of a professional crowd gatherer. The pro doesn’t see any shame in being told “no.” For them, being turned down simply releases them to approach another prospect who might say yes. Successful staffers understand that it’s not about their ego and it’s not about “no.” It’s about getting to “yes” as often as possible.
Prospecting is a Continuous Process. Trade show staffers can be pulled in a lot of different directions. A hot prospect comes along and the staffer quickly moves into demo mode. Existing clients visit the booth and suddenly the staffers feels obliged to entertain and schmooze. Former colleagues or industry associates stop by to say hello and staffers get sucked into long conversations. Unfortunately, all those scenarios distract staffers from their real goal – prospecting for new business. Encourage staffers to schedule time outside the booth to meet with existing clients and industry friends. Staffers can buy coffee, a round of drinks or dinner, but they should do it during off-duty hours. Remind staffers that good trade show demos don’t need to be long-winded affairs. They simply need to demonstrate the capability to meet the prospect’s needs and win their agreement to move this conversation beyond the show floor. Above all, help staffers understand that prospecting is a continuous process. If they aren’t qualifying an opportunity or securing agreement to meet after the show, then staffers need to be proactively working the aisle. And we’ve already established what that means – risking a “no” and looking for the next “yes.”