Whatever walk of life you are involved in you will have ascertained that there are various types of people. Those that attend trade shows are no different. It's hard to provide an exact definition of the various types or to work out just how many different types there are.
You have chosen to exhibit at a trade show, because it is the most productive way of showing off your company's goods and services. It also means you and your team get to meet more people in one day than you could probably meet in a month or more. It is for this reason that so many companies choose to attend trade shows on a regular basis, despite them requiring a reasonably generous budget.
It is important that you maximize your time, and importantly this needs to be done talking to people who are genuinely interested in your products and services. Problem is trying to work out those visitors that are timewasters and those that are genuine.
Firstly, look out for visitors that are just snooping around, picking up brochures and checking for giveaways. You can usually tell who they are because as soon as you start to speak to them they shy away or say they are just browsing.
Secondly, there will be plenty of people attending your booth who are competitors; in fact it is very likely that you have sent a couple of your own team out to do exactly the same thing. There's nothing wrong with it; just try not to spend too much time talking to them as it time you could be spending time talking to real new customers.
Thirdly, there is the real timewaster; someone who can potentially take up a lot of you and your teams time. They are great at pretending to show interest in your company and its products. No one quite knows what this type of visitor gets out of doing this, but regrettably there are plenty of them around. They are by far the most difficult to weed out; the last thing you want to do is put off a genuine visitor.
If you are careful in making an assessment you can probably work out whether they are genuinely interested or not within about five minutes. The best thing is that if you suspect them of being a time waster, start asking some fairly detailed questions about what they do and the company they work for. Show interest and you will soon see whether your visitor isn't too keen on talking after all.
It is necessary for you and your team to welcome everyone that enters your booth area; it's an important part of the job. Learning about those visitors who are likely to waste your time and those that are genuine is something that comes with experience. After you have attended several trade shows over a couple of years instinct kicks in; all you need to do ask a few questions and see what type of response you get and an experienced person will know.
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Written by Lawrence Reaves for Monster Displays - http://www.monsterdisplays.com/ - who specialize in the manufacture and production of trade show displays, digital signage, large format graphics, and an unending collection of accessories that are superior in today's market.
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