Booth Staff Training

• The ability to attract, qualify & gather follow up data for the sales team is your booth staff’s responsibility; This section describes how to properly prepare, train & educating them

Booth Conduct

• Prospects will constantly be judging your booth staff's competence, which inevitably establishes a good or bad judgment about your company in their minds; this section will describe what training items need to be addressed with booth staff & describe how to self-train your booth staffers in areas, such as:

  • Physical Appearance

  • Choice of Words

  • General Demeanor

  • Level of Enthusiasm & knowledge they have for the product

• All of these things will determine to the prospect whether your booth staffer is powerful and persuasive or weak and ineffective

How to Engage, Qualify, Conduct Needs Analysis & “Close” with a Prospect

• Trade show attendees primarily consist of decision makers or influencers planning to make a purchase within the next 12 months; when covering this section with your booth staff, you will ensure that your booth staff is prepared to sell effectively by learning strategies & a suggested time frame for engaging, qualifying & closing with attendees

How to Ask “Open Ended” Questions

• If you or your booth staff are currently using the strategies in the "Booth Crime" scenario's below to obtain qualified leads, then you will need to break them of this bad habit by teaching them the "right type" of questions to ask, which are covered in this section, for obtaining qualifying information from attendees!!!
   

• "Booth Crime" SCENARIO #1
  Exhibitor 1: Hi, can I provide you with some information about our company?
  Attendee 1: No, I was just looking to see what your company does.
  Exhibitor 1: OK, can I please swipe your badge real quickly before you leave?
  Attendee 1: Sure
  Exhibitor 1: Thanks for stopping by our booth, have a great day!
   

• "Booth Crime" SCENARIO #2
  Attendee #2 is walking around with a bag full of give aways
  Exhibitor #2 is waving around their promotional give away in the air
  Exhibitor 2: I bet you don’t have one of these cool give aways yet?!!!
  Attendee 2: No, I don’t - What do I have to do to get one?!!!
  Exhibitor 2: Just let me swipe your badge!
  Attendee 2: OK, sure thing!
  Exhibitor 2: Swipe Badge  -  Thanks for stopping by our booth, have a great day!
  Attendee 2: You too, thanks - this give away is great!
   

• "Booth Crime" SCENARIO #3
  Exhibitor 3: Hey, thanks for stopping by our booth! So, how’s the show going for you so far? Attendee 3: I’ve seen a lot of interesting products, I’m glad I came…
  Exhibitor 3: Not as interesting as xyz exhibitor’s party last night though, huh?!!!
  Attendee 3: Oh yeah, that was great, I drank so much last night & I’m feeling it today!!!
  Exhibitor 3: Me too!!!
  Attendee 3: Well, I have to get going, it was good talking to you…
  Exhibitor 3: Good talking to you too – can I swipe your badge before you leave?
  Attendee 3: Sure, why not…
  Exhibitor 3: Thanks, see you around!
   

• The type of leads obtained from these common trade show scenario's are a waste of time for your sales team to follow up with, a waste of money for your company & a valuable opportunity lost for your business, to obtain targeted, qualified leads! Be sure to cover this section with your booth staff, so they know how to ask the "right questions" for obtaining qualified leads!

 Networking; “Why” & “How” to Do It

• A trade show lends itself to many networking opportunities, where you will find valuable business opportunities & contacts in which you can help their business & those that can help your business; this section will describe how to engage conversations with potential contacts, as well as how to build & maintain a relationship with them

This particular section of the Training Manual is very important, because often times businesses use any warm body they can find to staff their exhibits; this practice is harmful to achieving a high ROI and valuable business opportunities are squandered!

All booth staff should always be trained how to sell in the trade show environment, in addition to knowing your company's products inside & out!!

Booth Staff Selection Guidelines

• This section describes why you should carefully consider who you will have representing your company in the trade show booth & what type of employees are best suited for being your booth staff