Trade shows are a way to get your brand in front of people. Some may never have heard of you before, and some may already be familiar with your brand. Either way, you will have the opportunity to market your company and make thousands of contacts. To get the most out of your trade show experience, make sure you avoid these five mistakes.
1. Poor Display Planning
Booths need to be customer-friendly and highly visible in order to be effective. Poorly designed displays make it difficult for customers to maneuver and create traffic jams, decreasing your exposure. The more crowded a trade show gets, the more likely people are to start skipping booths.
Plan for volume and keep enough promotional items on hand to restock frequently. No one wants to take the last pen from the bucket.
2. Insufficient Staffing
Not enough representatives and you miss out on opportunities to promote your business. However, too many workers socializing and customers feel like they are interrupting a company break. Customers don’t want to feel that you are too busy for them.
Make sure your booth is appropriately staffed, and that they all understand the proper ways to present company literature and promotional products.
3. Failure To Listen
Not listening to prospects can make them hurry away from your stand. Hitting them with a hard sell right away is not always effective. Neither is tuning out and waiting for the customer to ask questions.
If you have chosen appropriate promotional items that capture customers’ attention, don’t lose that attention by dismissing everything they say. Being an active listener and anticipating questions can make customers want to find out more about your company.
4. Lack of Enthusiasm
Grumpiness and apathy are sales killers. You and your staff should be enthusiastic about both your company and about being at the show.
Cheerfully offering a stress ball or notepad shows you care about being there and that you want to develop relationships. Failing to connect with prospects because you are bored or disinterested means potential customers are getting away.
5. Poor Quality Promotional Items
Unless you are in the promotional products industry, the trade show is supposed to be about marketing your business and not the giveaway items. However, poor quality products say a lot about the way you do business. If you have to apologize for the cheapness or illegible print, you give the impression that your company either likes to cut corners or uses bad judgment. Think twice before you order bargain basement items.
Tags: business gifts, exhibition gifts, Promotional merchandise, trade show ideas