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Sparkling Exhibit Booth Behavior Builds Customer Base
by Mike Mraz
Last September I trained
members of the Foreign Agricultural Service's outreach staff who work at
U.S. agricultural trade shows in markets throughout the world.
They asked me to make a few suggestions to help small and
medium-sized agricultural exporters become more effective at
using trade shows to increase overseas sales.
As a marketing consultant, I have helped many companies evaluate their trade show efforts critically and reflect on whether their actual efforts can achieve their expectations. By thinking carefully and applying common sense, companies can make trade shows pay off in supplying new customers, more sales and higher receipts.
Did you know that 116 million people attended more than 4,300 trade shows in North America last year? . . . that 88 percent of attendees typically exert a buying influence on the products and services shown? . . . that 70 percent of attendees have a strong product interest? . . . that 49 percent plan to buy a related product or service in 6 months? . . . that 41 percent are first-time visitors?
These numbers--from the Center for Exhibition Industry Research and the Trade Show Week Data Book--explain why trade show spending amounted to $53 billion last year, 18 percent of North America's marketing budgets. Why do companies spend that kind of money on trade shows? Because it pays off. A trade show-generated lead costs $419 to complete. In comparison, it costs more than 2 2 times that amount ($1,080) to complete a field-generated lead.
Exhibits Pay Off
And the spread is increasing. Sales representatives say that 13 percent of buyers nowadays are less accessible than they used to be, and sales staffs end up making 40 percent fewer face-to-face calls. Face-to-face selling amounts to only 20 percent of the time worked by a field representative but 67 percent for an exhibit booth staffer. So smart companies put their best efforts into trade show exhibits to capture customers economically.
Does increased trade show participation guarantee greater sales? Not necessarily. There's a big difference between showing up and being effective. While many companies have become smarter and use trade shows more effectively than they did in the past, the vast majority of companies do not. For example, we know that 91 percent of trade show attendees haven't been contacted by a direct sales person within the last 12 months.
How can a company use an obviously good selling tool like a trade show and then drop the ball by not following through with the customer? It happens all the time. Especially when a company overlooks a key element to trade show success: the exhibit booth staff. One of the things successful exhibitors have in common is that they bring to the trade show floor well-trained people.
People Are Critical to Success
Eighty percent of what visitors later remember about products and services is learned from the people who staffed the exhibit booth. Here are a few suggestions to help companies recognize and develop the skills they need in the people who represent them at trade shows.
Why Are You Here?
Successful trade show people know why they are exhibiting at each trade show. They have a clear idea about who can use their products and/or services. They have already developed detailed customer profiles. They know how to promote the benefits of their products/services to potential customers. They have done this thorough market research. They have thought through the research and development processes of their company's particular interests, and they know how to measure success. They can educate attendees about exports. And they can make new contacts easily because they worked hard to learn how.
Can You Attract Customers?
People attract customers when they practice attractive behaviors. For example, can you carry on a conversation when a visitor approaches and asks a question? Can you start a conversation with a stranger out in the aisle who makes eye contact with you? Are you at ease welcoming visitors to your exhibit who say nothing to you? Can you ask a wide variety of open-ended, probing questions of each attendee to learn the who, what, where, when and why of their product/service/market/export interests? Do you have a pocket full of specific, open-ended, probing questions such as how much? how many? and can you tell me more about that?
Is your export knowledge superior? Do you understand your customers' problems? Can you explain how your products/services can help customers overcome these problems? Can you streamline your presentation so that it clearly answers each customer's need? Can you use a lead card gracefully to capture visitor data? Can you identify the client contacts you'd like to make at your next trade show? And invite them to meet you in your booth?
Can you make visitors glad they came to your booth? Are you willing and able to commit yourself to follow up on each lead you gain from the trade show? Do you understand basic body language and use it to win customers?
Make a Great First Impression
You have only one chance to make a first impression! Dress professionally with your prospect's style in mind. Stand tall, with your head and shoulders straight back. Establish eye contact immediately. Smile but don't overdo it.
Since it's your booth, you are the host. Extend your hospitality. Shake hands firmly. Be enthusiastic--it's infectious. Wear comfortable shoes. Be friendly and approachable. If you wear a jacket, leave it open. Keep your breath fresh. Be nice; people buy from people.
Wear Your Name Tag on the Right
Wear your name tag on the right side of your body so, when you shake hands, people can see it. Don't sit; it makes you look lazy. Don't lean; it's a sign of boredom. Don't eat, drink or smoke in the booth. Don't play with change or other items in your pockets. Don't chat with your fellow staffers; concentrate on bringing in the visitors. And don't assume anything about an attendee; every attendee could be a million-dollar sale.
Take time to walk the show hall. It not only keeps you fresh but is market research. Know what your competitors are doing. What are they doing better than you?
Be Ready at the Start
Get to your booth early. Organize ahead of time. Start when the show starts. Prepare for many possibilities. Secure your personal belongings so they aren't in the way. Invite clients and potential clients to visit your booth. Never take down your booth before the show is over; you may do last-minute business.
Listen carefully to each attendee. Decide whether each one is a potential customer. Once you have identified a potential customer, ascertain his/her needs. Help find solutions to those needs. Then follow through with what you and your company can do for the customer.
If visitors are not potential customers, politely thank them for their time and see them on their way. More prospects are coming down the aisle.
Have answers prepared for the top 10 questions attendees are likely to ask. Identify the top 10 complaints attendees are likely to make, and figure out what you and your company can do to solve those problems.
And, finally, go easy on your handouts. Most handouts never make it home. Instead, let attendees know you'll send a copy to their place of business. Then they don't have to carry the extra weight, and you have an excellent reason to get their address so you can follow up with them. That's why you're there in the first place--to build a customer base.
The author is the national spokesperson and director of training for Skyline Displays, Inc., 12345 Portland Avenue, Burnsville, Minn. Tel.: (612) 895-6293; fax.: (612) 882-7468; E-mail: mym@skycorp.com ; Internet: http://www.skycorp.com/
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