Since I was at a trade show last Friday, this seemed like a good topic. Especially since I saw some big mistakes being made by exhibitors. I thought I would do a quick run-down of the mistakes and I saw, why, and how to avoid them.
1. Stay near your booth
Presumably, if you are exhibiting, you want to make contacts and have conversations about your product or service. How can you have those conversations, if you aren’t near your booth? Am I saying you have to be there every single minute? No, of course not. Unless you have a partner working the booth with you, you’ll need some breaks away so you can talk to some of the other vendors. But limit your away time, and keep half an eye on your booth while you are away.
2. Stay in front of your display
I actually saw a guy set up his display so it covered the entire table, and then he sat behind it, while potential contacts were in the room. I wonder how many people he missed.
3. Stand, don’t sit at your booth
This was the biggest mistake I saw on Friday. Almost half the exhibitors in my room were sitting behind their tables. It’s harder to shake hands. You’re not as inviting. You kind of look like you want people to step up for an interview, and that’s not the impression you want to give. Yes, it’s tiring to stand all day. (Thankfully this event had a lunch period where the vendor room was closed. That gave me a whole hour to rest my feet!) But you will get more people stopping by your booth, and you will have better conversations when they do stop. I actually stood in front of my table. The darn things were wide enough that it was awkward to get a good handshake when I was standing behind it.
4. Have a reason for people to give you a business card
You want contact information so you can follow up later. So give them a reason to give it to you. A drawing is always good. I offered three prizes of a month’s free coaching, and I collected 28 cards to follow up with later. I considered that a success! I also suggest having blank cards for those people who don’t bring cards to the event but still want to sign up.
5. Follow up promptly after the event
This seem so obvious that I wish I didn’t have to write it. But I have heard stories about people who sit on potential leads for months after an event. You paid money to be there. You took the time out of your schedule. And you stood for hours and were exhausted afterward. Why wouldn’t you follow up promptly to turn those contacts into clients or referral sources?
Anyone else have stories (horror or otherwise) about trade shows?
Tags: Networking Events
All good points. I’d like to add this – have your game face on! While attending the DC Green Festival a couple weeks ago, a few of the vendors were sitting behind their tables, buried by their offerings, and they were sitting with arms crossed and frowns on their faces. Sorry, I’m not about to approach someone like that!
I like the idea of a free giveaway. I was on a panel at an economic summit and what I offered prospects was an additional discount on my business offering. It definitely generated interest, and yes I’m following up now!
Excellent point, Nancy. I did see a couple of those at the Expo also, and you’re right. Not going to approach them. One lady, who was one of the VIPs at the lunch, actually had a look that said, “Whatever you do, please don’t come talk to me.” So I didn’t. And neither did many others.
[...] is a follow-up article to the one I wrote in October about networking at trade shows. If you missed the previous article, check it [...]
[...] what? I saw the same mistakes this year. I think it’s time to link back to my trade show post from last year. Check it out. I’d hate for you to make the same [...]