The success of your trade show exhibit depends tremendously on the preparedness of your booth staff. That’s why it’s essential to help your staff develop the necessary skills that promote optimal customer interactions. To get your staff motivated and ready to improve product awareness and generate leads, check out or tips below.
Set Firm Guidelines for Booth Behavior
This often-overlooked aspect of trade show planning may be one of the most important factors influencing the effectiveness of your booth. Although it might seem obvious, staffers should be refreshed on the do’s and don’ts of in-person customer service.
Your staff needs to appear friendly, welcoming, and available when a potential booth visitor nears. There is no way to know whether the attendee across the aisle could be your next biggest client, so remind your staff to be constantly engaged; potential customers may pass by if they aren’t warmly approached and invited in.
To that end, encourage staffers to leave their personal phones and tablets out of sight. While these devices may come in handy as communications tools before or after the show, they should remain hidden during exhibition hours, so staffers don’t appear distracted or disinterested as booth visitors arrive.
Establish Clear Goals for the Event
Many exhibitors go for a strategy of bulk data collection to generate as many leads as possible. While there may be some real sales somewhere in that pile of half-filled forms, the quality of those leads overall is probably rather poor.
Instead, focus on identifying a smaller number of qualified leads. Setting a target of 10 or 15 qualified leads, with legitimate interest indicated by the visitor and a firm agreement to follow up, will enable a much more productive and focused effort during the trade show.
Doing so leaves plenty of time for your staff to engage in general public relations efforts, network with colleagues, and disseminate information to other booth visitors. It also has the effect of firmly establishing in the staffer’s mind what the real goal of the trade show should be.
Incentivize Participation
Enthusiasm is an absolute necessity for an effective trade show presence. If you’re struggling to identify sufficiently motivated and energetic booth staff, consider offering incentives to help sweeten the deal.
Pay careful attention to the expectations and aspirations of your personnel when determining how to properly encourage them. While some might be motivated by the promise of a commission on leads that generate future sales, others might be more attracted by additional vacation days or even a gift card. Figuring out a proper incentive simply depends on the nature of your business and the specific interests of your personnel.