Five ways you are sabotaging your trade show experience. I learned this after being the first employee of Agenda Show and Co-Founding The NTWRK Agency and LA Men's Market. Before # 1, build a beautiful booth! That does not mean it is expensive. It must look great and emphasize your brand. If your booth looks dirty and poorly designed, you lost before the game started. I got inspired to write this post after buying a pair of Stand Shoes. These would be perfect for the hard floors of a trade show. 1. Lack of preparation. The buyer walks into the booth. "I love this (Fill in the blank, shoe, pizza, robot vacuum). How much is it?" Brand person. "I don't know. Let me check the price." Or, I want to write an order. And the brand person does not have the documents, iPad, etc, ready to go. Correction. Brand person, "We love it too, for all these reasons; here is the price and 5 more reasons you should buy. And we can get your account set up right now." 2. No Greeting: A person walks up to the booth, and no one greets them. Follow the 20-second rule. Everyone should be greeted within 20 seconds of arriving at the booth. At crowded shows, this can flex up. Correction: Have a greeter(s) welcome everyone in, politely ask who they are if the badge is not visible, and get them to the right person on the brand team. 3. Being on your phone. This should be # 1. I get it; a business must be run during the trade show. There is nothing more disappointing than walking by a brand at a show and seeing multiple people's heads down on their phones. I can't tell you how many times I saw someone walk by and have to jump into the aisle to get their attention. And that often would lead to a relationship. Correction: If you must use your phone. Excuse yourself from the booth. Let a colleague know you have to step away and will be back. 4. Sitting down. Buyers are walking by, and the brand team should be up, energetic, and say hello to everyone. People sitting down makes the booth look like it has no energy. Motion creates emotion. Correction: Stand up! Wear comfortable shoes. And if you have a business where you need to sit with people at the show, factor that into the booth design. 5. Low energy. It is very true; much business happens before and after the trade show, at dinner, at the bar, etc. I am sorry; no excuses. If you are at the booth, you need to look alive. Correction: Get some rest, eat breakfast, drink some coffee, go for a run, or do whatever gets you going. Bonus: Anticipate what a buyer would have to leave the booth. For example, have a phone charger ready, have water, snacks, etc. If the buyer says, I need to go to get water and charge my phone, your reply is, I've got you covered. What are your keys to success at a tradeshow? Let’s discuss. KRMC
Ben Etienne
8mo
Cool shoes! I'll add not taking ownership of follow up with your visitors. Expecting them to remember you and leaving it at that, instead of getting their contact info and letting them know you'll be in touch (and adding a note about your chat) goes a long way
Paul Witt
8mo
You should advise every brand out there. Everyone needs mentorship and training
CEO, Rent With Thred - premium menswear on-demand
8moGreat post, is LA Men’s Market still active?