Trade show staff is a crucial element that determines the success of your business at a trade show. The staff members that run your booth will need to be very knowledgeable about your business as well as your products or services. Increase the knowledge base of your employees to help ensure a positive trade show experience. Staff training is the most critical element to planning for your trade show booth.
Staffing Trade Show Booths
A trade show salesperson should be ready for the event. Prepare your employees in advance with questions that they plan to ask potential prospects who stop by the booth. The staff that work the booth at trade shows should know this event is not a “vacation” from the office. The team should be prepared to engage prospects and know the products or services they’re promoting thoroughly.
Teach your staff how to operate while being in a competitive environment where the customer’s undivided attention may not be present. There is a lot of activity on the trade show floor, and the staff member might only have experience speaking to customers in a non-competitive environment. A few training sessions will teach your employees how to capture and engage the potential customer with a lot of activity around. Also, train your staff about body language and how to be perceived as positive.
Staff According To Booth Size
It is a shame to leave money on the table because you did not correctly staff your booth. Make sure that you have enough staff members to educate attendees and sell to those who are ready to buy. In the case of a trade show, it is beneficial to have additional staff members who can answer questions and walk around the showroom floor with samples, offers, or information.
It is also important not to overstaff your booth. You do not want to have employees hanging out inside your trade show exhibit with no responsibilities while attendees are shopping around. If you feel you need to bring extra employees, work out a schedule and assign each booth staff a shift(s) to work throughout the event.
No Food or Drink
You don’t want your staff eating or drinking while working the trade show booth. It is important to maintain professionalism at all times, including taking breaks. Necessary breaks are another reason why you must hire enough staff your booth. Staff members will inevitably need to leave the booth to eat, use the restroom, etc. By including enough staff members and allowing them time to eat and socialize, all parties involved will be much more satisfied.
Stick To The Script
Everyone has a role to play, and it’s important to establish the responsibilities of each staff member before the show begins. Each member of the team should know what their range of activities will be and what is expected before, during, and after the event. Someone will need to set up the booth, remove materials from the show, hand out offers, accept sales, and more.
Staff Dress Code
Staff members should maintain a common theme that represents the brand professionally. It’s essential to keep the dress code throughout the event. You’ll want your staff members to be approachable and easily identifiable in a crowd.
Engage With Attendants
Prepare your business and staff members for the sheer amount of expected attendees and how they will engage with the staff members. Attendees will ask questions, and staff members should be ready to provide the information. Not only that, staff needs to know how to lead the conversation toward collecting customer information or a conversion.
Setting Goals and Incentives
Most staff members will take more action with incentive. It’s important to go the extra mile for your staff members as you’re expecting them to go the extra mile for the business. Provide them with more incentive than they regularly receive. You control what the reward will be; it can range from a higher commission to free product to company equity.
Smile!
When it comes to showcasing your business on the showroom floor, attitude is everything. Your staff needs to be approachable and happy to be there. People smell discomfort, and it repels them. By giving your staff members incentivized reasons to be present and specific goals, you help provide confidence to your staff members. Confidence is attractive. The personality of your staff is essential, and it can affect your prospect’s perspective of your business and brand.
Before & After Show
Have your staff prepare for the end of the show. Make preparations so that staff can quickly leave the booth and inventory removal is smooth, organized, and timely. This way, as the show draws near a close, staff members can begin removing items. As some staff members are tearing down the booth, others can be closing their last sales and answering questions.
Training your staff and ensuring that they are well-versed on what to expect is an integral part of participating in a trade show. You want to provide the best experience possible for all of the attendees and your staff members too. A happy team is far more approachable than employees that do not want to be there or did not know what to expect.
[…] to hold samples, pens, etc. • Product Samples—or fun gifts for your potential new customers • Staff for the booth—if employees are unavailable, hiring outside for the event might be more cost-effective. • […]
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