1. Pick a show your target customers will be attending. You’d be amazed how many companies pick the wrong show. If you’re thinking of exhibiting visit the show first if you can and get a feel for the type of attendees and how many.
2. Look professional and in keeping with your brand. That doesn’t mean wear a three piece suit if that’s not your brand nor does it mean you can’t have fun just make sure you’re appropriate.
3. Always be aware of your behaviour – Even if the stand is quiet assume people are watching you, don’t do anything you wouldn’t do in public. I once saw someone eating a burger on a stand and apart from stinking the place out with the aroma of burnt fat guess what kind of an impression he made with all the juices running down his greasy hands.
4. Be helpful, even if the person you’re talking to is unlikely to give you any business always be nice, polite and helpful. You never know, they might recommend you.
5. Be sure to treat everyone, fellow exhibitors, visitors, exhibition staff and anyone you come in contact with as you would like to be treated yourself. People want solutions they don’t want problems, if there is a problem always suggest a solution and hopefully one that makes everyone happy.
6. Be focussed, know why you’re there. Ie is it a PR exercise, brand awareness, to generate leads or a combination of some or all of them.
7. Engage with the exhibition visitors when they walk by your stand, be bold but not pushy, strike up a conversation. You’d be amazed at how many will talk to you when you just say hello to them.
8. When engaging with visitors, talk about them, find out about their needs and why they’re at the exhibition. Use questions to qualify them, be subtle and don’t interrogate. That way you’ll know if you can help them with your products and services. If they’re not interested why waste your time and energy and theirs.
9. If you meet someone and there is a possibility to do business, always take notes of what you said and to who and then follow up after the show and keep true to your word. Don’t wait, don’t collect £200, don’t go past GO, contact them immediately after the show. Better still ask them when the best time to call would be.
9.5 Take two pairs of shoes with you (different styles) and change them every two hours. It won’t stop your feet from hurting but will be easier on them as they will press on different pressure points.
Coincidently if you take those 9.5 steps not only are they good advice for generating leads on an exhibition stand, most of them also make for good advice to lead a prosperous and fruitful life.
At our planned events we are giving a way a copy of the written e-book by John Hotowka, ‘How To Become A Lead Generation Machine At Exhibitions’ with a ton load more information than you can shake an enquiry pad at – click here for more details of the UK dates and locations.
