In the second part of our guide to becoming an ace exhibitor at trade shows, we look at the event itself and how to follow up on leads.
Once you have set up your booth at the trade show, it’s all about the people. How will you meet as many potential prospects as possible, and how will you convert them into leads?
Train your booth staff
As well as the stand itself, which helps to attract visitors to your booth, your staff are key. It is the people who will draw in potential customers, engaging them and creating leads for your ecommerce business. It is therefore essential that you select the most effective staffers in your company.
This does not mean simply picking your sales staff and sending them to the show – you need to train them to adapt their selling style to the trade show floor.
Here are some tips on booth staff etiquette:
* Wear your badge on the right side so that visitors can see it when shaking hands with you
* If you don’t know the answer to a question, say so and use it as an excuse to follow up after the show
* Smile – the vast majority of the time, people smile back
* The trade show is your office away from the office – visitors will see the booth as your environment, making a judgement about your company and whether they want to do business with you
Follow up, follow up, follow up
According to research by the Centre for Exhibition Industry Research, almost 80 per cent of leads generated at trade shows are never followed. Do not let this happen to you! Trade shows are a great opportunity for you to create qualified leads. Your booth is an effective media to create sales, but only if you follow up your leads appropriately.
* Train your staff on how to capture information when speaking to prospects – what information should they be looking for that would be beneficial to follow up on?
* Categorise your leads – “A”, “B”, “C” or “1”, “2”, “3”, for example – as they are generated, so you can review them afterwards.
* Create a system to manage the leads – after the show ends, who will be responsible for following up?
* Follow up in a timely fashion – don’t wait weeks and weeks to go through the data. Follow up the week after the show’s visitors return to their office, so they have time to clear their work backlog before hearing from you.
Measure your success
After the show, as well as following up your leads, go back to your initial objectives and measure the success of the trade show. Will it be worth buying another booth next year? What lessons did you learn?
Click the link for part one in this series
