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How to be Successful at
Tradeshows
Anyone working with
your trade show booth should take the old cliché “You never get a second
chance to make a first impression” to heart.
While the phrase gets used so much it often looses its power, it is
definitely true when it comes to representing your company at a trade
show or convention.
Each trade show presents you almost endless opportunities to start new
relationships with clients and vendors. You have the opportunity to make
great first impressions from the very first moment the trade show begins
until they turn off the lights at the end.
Many long term successful business partnerships have begun at trade
shows. Those who fail to make a great first impression are throwing away
years of profit for the company.
A good beginning is the best foundation you can have for a long term
business relationship. Negotiating and closing the deal becomes much
easier if you have already established a positive and trusting
relationship with the client. The following tips will let you continue
to make a great first impression throughout the entire run of the trade
show.
The most important thing to remember at a trade show is that you are
actually selling yourself. No mater what your company produces, the main
attraction will be the personnel in the booth. This is true whether your
company sells computers, cars, or nail clippers.
Buyers these days are a more skeptical than they were in the days prior
to the dot-com bust. While they still need to find companies to do
business with, they have witnessed the many corporate scandals and
downfalls and are understandably nervous. They need to find companies
that they feel they can trust.
While most companies will perform the required research and due
diligence before signing a contract with you, all things being equal
their gut feelings will really make the decision. They will most likely
form their opinion of you during the first few minutes of contact at
your booth. They are seeing whether your motivations are sincere and if
they can trust your intentions. If they don’t believe that you are a
good person they are not likely to believe in the products and prices
you are offering them.
They truth is that people need to buy into you before they can buy into
what your company has to offer. Most people already know the truth of
this statement.
One of the biggest keys to creating a good first impression is
non-verbal communication. Your body language will be under constant
scrutiny. It does not matter what you are saying with your mouth if your
body is giving the impression that you feel at all negatively about your
company or the attendee. They will pick that message up loud and clear
and simply move on.
You give the very clear message to “go away” if you are standing in the
back corner of your booth with your arms crossed. You tell potential
customers that you are not interested in what they have to say if you
are sitting, reading a book, or chatting with other exhibitors. Even if
you ask the attendee if you can offer them assistance, your body
language is telling them that you would rather be doing just about
anything else.
If your body language is not inviting, people will simply stay away.
People need to be engaged and welcomed into your booths. All too often
people assume that this means you need to give the attendee a constant
stream of babble from the moment you lay eyes on them. This technique
will most likely send them scampering to your closed, quieter,
competitor.
Remember that listening is the most important part of communication.
Your success will dramatically improve when you change your focus from
what your company offers to what your customer needs. Ask detailed
questions and truly listen to the answers. Really take in the
information and give them responses that let them know that they have
been heard.
One of the best ways to create a great first impression is to stay
focused on the attendee and be totally committed to solving their unique
problems. It gives them a good idea of how they can expect you to
conduct your business with them in the long run. This is the best
possible foundation for a long term positive relationship.
You will get maximum results if your attendee is the focus of your
attention. You will not end up with a business relationship if you do
not make a good first impression. Be sure to listen more than you talk
and avoid any off color humor, language, or body language. People need
to know that you can be trusted if they are going to do business with
you.
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