2 Tips to make sure you don’t scare away your potential customers and you get the "right swipe"
Welcome to the tradeshow! Where time is a precious commodity and spending your time wisely is the aim of the game. With so many people to see and so little time, it’s important you make every visit to your stand count. After all (and let’s hope!), the chances are that there are more potential customers in the hall than there of you and your team. We have 2 tips to help to get you 1) get talking to your potential customers and 2) ensure visitors leave with your company information if all of your team are busy.
If you get talking to your customers, that’s great. However, traditionally people jump straight in with a hard sell tactic and bombard their customers the minute they walk into their exhibition area. On the other hand, company information in the form of a leaflet, catalogue or a give-away seems like a great idea but is usually left at the corner of the stand where people are unsure if it is alright to take a catalogue or if they are there for decoration purposes. So, let’s take a look at how to refine this...
1) NO HARD SELL
First off, the hard sell. Maybe it works for some people but most just find it intimidating. Who likes it when someone just randomly comes up to you in the street and starts trying to sell you something? Well, that’s what it’s like at an exhibition. You aren’t 100% sure if you’re interested, the stand looks kind of interesting but the pack of hounds waiting to jump on you the minute you step foot in there, on the other hand, does not. Instead, rely on your products to draw people in. If they weren’t awesome, you wouldn’t be there would you? Give the customer time to explore your stand and have a look around and then go in and give them more information on what you do. After all, your stand should be there to entice people and you should be there to give the details on how amazing your company and products are and how you can help them.
Rely on your products to draw people in. If they weren’t awesome, you wouldn’t be there would you?
2) COMPANY INFORMATION TO TAKE IS CLEARLY SIGN POSTED
Let’s hope the above tactic works so well that your whole team are engaged with visitors. In this case, it is imperative that interested visitors can leave with the information they need on your latest offerings and services. Time is a commodity at any event and perhaps your customers simply don’t have time to stop and wait for a chat. Marketing literature and merchandise is usually neglected in the corner, where even if people do have the guts to take something, they probably feel guilty about it. Instead, make a song and dance about it! Pop a sign about them encouraging people to take one. Go for a simple “Please, take one for later” or go for something more fun like “Psst! Did you forget me?”. Either way, encouraging people to take your marketing material means they’ll no longer feel guilty and you get to spread your message.
Go for a simple “Please, take one for later” or go for something more fun like “Psst! Did you forget me?”
If you combine both of these tactics when it comes to your events and exhibitions, the chances are you’re likely to come across as both more friendly and more approachable in the long run. When it comes to getting that elusive right swipe, the rules are the same as dating - if you’re too pushy, people won’t like it but you should always leave them with something to remember.
