A recent survey of trades show attendees found that the most dissatisfied attendees are the ones that bought something they didn't really want. They only bought something because they felt pressured into it. These attendees don't do business again with the companies that pressured them and their opinion on the pressuring company is lowered.
How does this happen? Are these attendees just pushovers? Or are trade show employees just getting too pushy? It seems to be the latter. Many trade show employees think that you have to get in people's faces to get their attention. But that's not true. You can be a good salesperson without resorting to aggressive, forceful selling behavior.
Bullying attendees into buying your product is not the way you want to do business. You'll eventually run out of consumers to bully because your reputation and brand image are so bad. Instead, try using a needs-focused approach to selling at trade shows. Engage attendees in conversation, and listen more than you talk.
It's not hard to do be a good listener and to create productive, lucrative sales conversations. In fact, you've known the key to a good sales conversation since you were in grade school! When you learned the keys to telling a good story, the 5 Ws and H: what, why, who, when, where and how, you learned how to create a successful sales conversation with each attendee.
What: Figure out what the attendee needs. Is the product perfect, but too expensive? Is the attendee looking to try a new product and doesn't know anything about the product? You need to know the attendee's needs before you can move on to other questions.
Why: Why would your product or service fit perfectly with the attendee's needs? Give concrete reasons. If the attendee needs a widget that is a size 5, but can't find it, do you have a size 5 widget? If so, that's the reason why the attendee should buy from you.
Who: If you know what other companies will be represented at the trade show, have your staff research them. (Or research them yourself and share the knowledge with your staff well ahead of time.) If your company worked with another company that's at the trade show, your employees should know that. It can be a good conversation starter and you can say how your company has changed.
When: You need to know where the prospect is in her sales cycle so that you can figure out how you can help. If the timing isn't correct right now, let her know how you can help her down the road, or how doing business with you know will save her time and/or money down the road in her cycle.
Where: Ask about where your prospect is located. Hopefully you have a store nearby, or you can travel to visit the prospect's business. Let the prospect know you are willing to travel to get their business (if you are in fact, willing).
How: Show how your product and company can benefit your prospect. Use poster printing with clear photos and minimal text to help illustrate your point.
Not only do you need to know what to say, but should know how to say it. Pay attention to your body language. Smile when approaching someone and nod when they're talking to show you're listening. Don't cross your arms or move your eyes across the crowd, looking for the next prospect. Keep your attention focused on the person you're talking to. Make the attendee feel special and that person will stick around to listen to what you have to say, and may even end up being your best customer!
By injecting the theatrical into your company's presence at a trade show or industry convention, you are gaining added value to your trade show exhibit appearance.
It takes a special skill for business presenters at trade show exhibits or at a convention keynote address to capture an audience and mesmerize them with a persuasive message. Properly staged, your trade show booth can add excitement and drama to your product story.
The most effective trade show booth personnel require an actor's flair for the dramatic and an ability to win its audience. Similarly, if your company's top guns are to deliver the convention's keynote address, they need to be groomed to perform like a Broadway actor.
A case in point would be Microsoft's Chairman Bill Gates at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas in January 2006. Gates gave the keynote address and was also able to highlight features of the new version of Windows designed to appeal to the average consumer. With engaging and inspiring articulation, Gates demonstrated new photo-editing tools and a revamped media player designed to improve the way that Windows software tackles the most commonly used media files. Gates personally demonstrated the improved remote-control experience that will be part of the Media Center edition of Vista. Using humor,
Gates began his keynote speech by noting his recent appearance, along with his wife, Melinda, and U2's Bono, as Time magazine's "Persons of the Year." He quickly added there was another major contender for that high visibility award. "Probably if there had been one more hurricane, Mother Nature would have been on the cover," he said. "For a lot of reasons I'm glad that didn't happen."
Gates was natural, engaging and compelling. He was thus able to inspire trade show attendees with his vision of the digital future. He also mesmerized his audience when he talked about the digital gadgets becoming such instrumental parts of our future. The attendees lapped it up.
But what do you do if your company chairman is not Bill Gates giving a dramatic keynote address? How do you find a business presenter to attract attention to your trade show appearance and give inspired information on your new product launch at your next trade show?
According to William Hall, Founder of the Fratelli Bologna company of San Francisco, and a noted professional trade show presenter, the answer is simple. Capitalize on business theater. It has a human agenda, provokes thought, and, with business theater, you also provoke sales.
There are a variety of types of trade show presentations from spectacle, educational, and visionary types. The narrator follows a script, the public relations person pitches the audience like an evangelist, the CEO of the company motivates and inspires, the demo jockey is a knowledgeable professor -type who demonstrates how to use a particular product or service.
It would be ideal to have a bit of all these types in one person. A presenter who can engage, entertain, inspire and add flair to your sales story at your next trade show display.
So start at the beginning. First ask, ?What is my company's purpose for exhibiting at a trade show??
If the company wants to show it presence as part of the industry, but has nothing new to say, then a magician, a comedy act, pool players, or battling robots can often suffice to dress up its act. But if the company needs a platform to educate the trade show attendees and generate sales leads, then the smart move is to hire a professional presenter at your trade show exhibit. The trade show is where business theater consultants attract, engage and inform the conference attendees at the trade show booth.
If you are looking for a truly professional business theater presenter for your trade show display, Hall advises that you consider the following characteristics. They are:
First, the presenter at the trade show booth needs to look comfortable, confident and fit into your company's image.
Second, the presenter needs to give a fresh show every time. Trade show visitors need to feel that they are seeing the show/demo for the first time it has been given at your trade show exhibit.
Third, the professional presenter needs to vary their voice pitch, rhythm and use of story telling techniques to thoroughly engage the trade show visitors.
Fourth, the presenter's body language needs to reinforce the company's brand. That means that the presenter has done their research and have a solid understanding of the company they represent.
Brands such as Yahoo! in Sunnyvale, Apple Computer Inc. in Cupertino, eBay in San Jose, Google in Mountain View, Hewlett-Packard in Palo Alto, Oracle in Redwood City, and Sun Microsystems of Santa Clara, all use professional presenters.
Remember if you do it right, you can use the power of theater to drive your company sales at industry trade shows.
Both Kaitlyn Miller & Dick Wheeler are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Kaitlyn Miller has sinced written about articles on various topics from Credit Cards, Advertising Guide and Brochures. For more information, you can visit this page on . Kaitlyn Miller's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.
Dick Wheeler has sinced written about articles on various topics from Trade Show Exhibit, Trade Shows and Trade Show Exhibit. Dick Wheeler is President of Professional Exhibits & Graphics headquartered in Sunnyvale, Ca, with a showroom in Sacramento. He offers trade show exhibit, graphics and management services.. Dick Wheeler's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.