Not every person is a natural born salesman. Even employees who have been at the company for years, and know the products inside and out, may falter when presenting to a prospective client in person. The fast paced environment of trade shows only exacerbates this problem.
Your sales staff may require a bit of adjustment to get comfortable with the nature of trade show selling. Sales people are accustomed to seeking leads, which is not necessary at trade shows. Crowds and leads will be walking by your booth, and it’s your job to engage them and close them, sometimes in a matter of minutes.
This isn’t an easy task, but it helps to have a lead qualification process in place so your staff is able to quickly determine if the attendee they’re talking to is worth their time. Create opportunity-evaluation questions to help your trade show booth staff to determine which products will benefit the prospect they are speaking to, or if they are even a candidate for your offerings.
After you’ve done that, follow our trade show sales process and you’ll be well on your way to a successful show!
1. Acknowledge
every single person who walks by your booth.Some of the sales teams I know make a game out of it, challenging each other to see how many people they can each say hi to or they set a goal that they will not let a single attendee pass by without being addressed.
2. Engage
with the visitors who stop and express an interest in your company, product, or service. Give your employees a quick company description and benefits to memorize. Ask the pre-set opportunity evaluation questions to gain an understanding of what the attendee is looking for and what their company needs. If the prospect is unqualified or their needs do not match your products benefits skip to step 5!
3. Present
your products that best match with the client’s needs.
Sell the attributes of the product that best match with what the prospect is looking for. You do not need to tell them every single benefit of the product just enough to interest the potential customer. Prepare your employees for possible objections and hesitations. Have a tech on hand to answer advanced product questions.
4. Close
the sale. Depending on your company and the products you sell, the act of closing can very from getting the clients information to actually having them purchase a product. Most trade show attendees are there to gather information so it is unlikely a prospect will purchase the day of the show.
5. Disengage
with the prospect and thank them for their time. It can be challenging to shake and disengage, but it’s important to move on to the next booth attendee. This can be the hardest step for people as they don’t want to seem rude or upset a potential client, so be sure your booth staff is comfortable with this part of the process before the show starts.
Trade shows are sales marathons so take it slow and use these steps with every attendee you meet. These tips are especially important to share with members of your both staff who do not work in the sales department.
Proper training can go a long way in establishing a comfort level in your staff, which in turn, will help convert more leads. Isn’t that why you attended your trade show in the first place?
