I hear this one desperate thought over and over every time I talk to someone about tradeshows.
"How do you get people on the tradeshow floor to engage with you when you’re in your trade show booth? They just keep walking by."
Well, whoever said you have to stay within the limits of your booth? Kick those chairs out. Stand-up! Move that table around – don’t make it a barrier between you and your potential customers. Get out in the aisle and talk to people!
Engagement Begins With Trade Show Space Design
Your first step in jumpstarting engagement with tradeshow attendees is creating a trade show booth that builds excitement – that captures the interest of people walking by. To do this, you need to set your goals for the tradeshow, and know your company’s mission as well as your marketing message. Then, build a tradeshow booth that says to everyone, "Here I am World! Work with me. I am the best you will ever experience!"
What Gets People Engaged?
No one likes being "sold to." And there’s a good chance that all those people walking by are afraid to engage, believing they’ll just get a sales pitch. You need to prove them wrong.
Having a trade show booth doesn’t just mean you get a day out of the office. It means you have the chance to:
- meet prospects face-to-face
- reach out and shake hands
- learn about each other
- discover if you can exchange business on many different levels
It’s not only about you selling to them. It is about how you may be able to help each other grow your businesses through collaboration. Taking the time to chat with them, finding out who they are, what they do and who they know is the biggest spark of creating new business opportunities for both parties.
Get Out On the Tradeshow Floor
So blow off just sitting around and pushing your company’s literature onto people that are walking past! Instead, stand up and get in the aisle. Get people engaged on the tradeshow floor by reading their name tag, walk up to them and say “Hi, John” (after all, the sweetest sound for most people is the sound of their name!), shake their hand and invite them into your mini-showroom.
Your trade show booth will show the prospect who and what your business is all about. Remember to create excitement and show examples of your work. Take 2 to 3 minutes with each person you invite into your space to begin to build a rapport with them. While you’re talking with them ask questions about their life, draw them out so you can learn more about how you can help them.
You’ll find that just by being naturally curious about someone else will cause them to remember you and your message. Don’t just jam all your products and services into their heads! Simply show them you are different from the competition by reaching out to learn about them and show them how to apply your company’s solutions.
Follow-up Engagement
The most important thing to remember? Ask for the follow-up connection call! You’ll want to reach out to your new business connection by phone after the show. When you get a “Yes” that’s the power of a successful trade show… and that’s also when your other marketing tools can start to work.
What methods have you used to engage trade show attendees?