Episode 015 – Top 7 Traps to Avoid that can Ruin Your Results & ROI
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Here are the top 7 traps to avoid when working trade shows. These are not mistakes – traps are things and situations you can get stuck in if you’re not careful. Things that in the moment might not even seem like it’s anything wrong. TRAPS TO AVOID AT THE SHOW: Trap #1 - Don’t compare your booth to others. -- It’s easy to look at other booths and think they are doing everything better than you are. This could put you in the wrong mood from the start and hurt your chances for success. -- But at that point, there is nothing you can do about the display, the lights, the literature, the giveaways -- nothing. -- But there’s everything you can do about your attitude, engaging attendees in positive and meaningful conversations, and reaching your goals. -- Now if you get some ideas from other booths that you’d like to upgrade or try for future shows, then go take pictures. Grab some of that nicer literature. Even talk to the people at that booth and ask them who built their display or where they got their backdrop. -- Turn it into a positive experience for you! Just don’t let it drag you down! So trap #1 – don’t compare. That only leads to a negative attitude which will definitely affect your performance! Trap #2 - Not resetting your booth each day -- Before the show starts on day one, you and your team make sure everything is perfect. The display looks great, the literature is filled in the rack, you have your giveaway items in a perfect pyramid – you booth looks like it came out of a magazine! -- But when you get to day two or three, the booth just isn’t as perfect. Odds are the majority of people walking by are brand new and didn’t see you on day 1 or at very least didn’t stop by. Don’t you want everyone to have the best impression of your booth and your company? -- So get to the show a few minutes early at the beginning of each day, and have your booth looking like it did on day 1! Suggest assigning one person to check how your booth looks once or twice during the day each day. They can be in charge of refilling the literature, the giveaways, picking some paper scraps off the carpet, and making the booth look like new again! That’s Trap #2 – Not resetting your booth. Take a few minutes and make your booth look great again! Trap #3 – Thinking that scanning badges or gathering business cards is enough. -- Success is not just having a bowl is full or a ton of badges scanned. -- Think about how much time and effort is going to be spent following up. So many emails and phone calls will be made to people who will never buy from you. -- You need to be sure these people are qualified! Ask them the right questions to make sure they are qualified before getting their card. Or if you have a great conversation at your booth and get their business card or scan their badge, then make notes to refer to before following up to increase your odds of success. That’s Trap #3 – Just getting business cards or scanning badges without qualifying Trap #4 – Assuming your booth staff knows how to work a show. -- Just because your staff knows how to talk to people or have worked 100 shows before doesn’t mean they know how to engage people and qualify them in a show setting, plus do everything to help you hit your show goals. -- You need to train them at very least on the basics! Go back and listen to Episode 3 on Training Your Staff for Success -- Some of your veterans may think they don’t need the training or resist. You can ask them to be involved in the...