Why trade show booths are like cages at the zoo..

As the lead sales person for new exhibits and sponsorship at SIMA, I talk a lot about trade shows. And I get some funny looks when I tell folks that trade shows, in general, are more like zoos than anything else. Its sort of a dopey thing to say to someone you are trying to sell a booth to, but it helps me convey a very important point; that showing up in your booth is only half the battle.

First, think of the set up of a trade show. Exhibitors purchase space, made into various sized blocks...we order carpet that is different colors, establishing our territory. And we set ourselves up in nice, organized cages...attendees walk by, and casually observe us while they eat popcorn or look for free candy and pens. We pace in our cages like the sales animals we are, hoping to pounce on that fat, juicy passerby who may step over the carpet barrier and into our realm.

Does this seem a bit strange to you? Do you ever get tired of people walking by your booth, and you know they are purposefully not making eye contact because they are scared to death you might channel cheesy car salesman and con them into buying stuff they don't need? Let's chat about some ways to break out of our cages, and become more effective at trade shows.

Rule #1: Make friends. The best way to get people in your booth is to know the people who are walking by. If you have established trust or at least become familiar with some of the people walking by your booth, you will be more relaxed, more friendly, and your booth will be filled more with people. The best thing that can happen in a trade show booth is to have one satisfied customer tell a new prospect how great you are...if you can do that, you will raise your potential to sell.

Rule #2: Set your goals. Many salespeople automatically equate traffic or # of bodies with the success or failure of a trade show. Every year, I go to trade shows and hear the salesman on the ground say 'They are down this year' or 'The show has been alright, but there have been some really slow times...'. Make sure you and the folks in your booth know what the goals are before setting foot on the floor; if the goal is to get your business cards into as many hands as possible, that's valid. If its to get 15 people to walk through a 10 minute demo of your product, that is measurable. But if you don't set up your goals before the show, you or your salespeople will find it harder to effectively evaluate the show.

Rule #3: Get to Know the Audience. It kills me, exhibitors complain about the dead time, and then in the same breath vow that they never left their booth all day. Call me crazy, but if there are dead spots in the show floor, could you use that time to go sit in on an educational session (many trade shows give access to edu sessions for 1-2 exhibitor contacts)? Could you learn about the key issues that are affecting the people whom you are trying to get money from? Some may gasp at the notion of leaving a booth vacant, and if you have good coverage, you needn't worry, but if you don't like the dead time, than take action!

Rule #4: Get to Know the Key Players. The more familiar you are with the trade show staff (or if its a show put on by an association, the association staff), the better. These people can be a good resource to you on site, and can introduce you easily to board members, key volunteers, other exhibitors who know folks, etc.  I've been with SIMA for almost 6 years, and I know hundreds of our members by name, and I know what state they live in, and hundreds more know me...do you?

Rule #5: Make Arrangements with Key Clients/Prospects. Always try and have a plan to get key prospects or customers to give you more face time during times outside the trade show floor. Take them out to dinner, buy them a drink, have them swing by your open house, or try and set up a follow up meeting with them (get on their calendar!). But don't try to sell them when you do get the face time, that is what the trade show floor is for!

Rule #6: Consider sponsorship. This isn't me trying to sell you a sponsorship, this is me telling you that consistent support of a trade show in the form of sponsorship can help you get in front of attendees during the event, which can increase your opportunity to get them over the wall of your self-built cage. We do practice what we preach; we have found that sponsoring educational sessions, ads in show handouts, and other areas have really helped get us in the minds of prospects, and driven people straight to our booth.

Let's get our gorrilla strength up and bend those bars a bit, and get in front of our prospects and key clients in more personal ways!

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/amyjoaq/3411421967/