Half the battle for having a successful trade show is working with experienced exhibit services at the planning stages. However, this only sets you up for the trade show. Now that you’ve got a solid foundation under you, it’s up to you to make the most of this good start. You’ll meet a lot of new people at a trade show, and many of them will visit your exhibit, requiring an introduction to your business and the products or services you offer. Here are a few tips to help you and your staff meet and greet visitors at your trade show.

Don’t Ask For A Name & Move On

It’s obviously a good idea to plan and prepare a sales pitch or other conversational structure for meeting people at your exhibit. However, it’s better not to jump into the pitch immediately. If you ask for someone’s name and then immediately jump into the sales pitch, this is often an obvious indicator to people that you don’t really care and aren’t prepared to listen; you are only concerned with delivering the pitch.

Have a conversation; talk about the trade show itself. Lead into the sales pitch naturally, instead of forcing it as quickly as possible.

Don’t Get Too Intimate

It’s important to be sociable and even personable; however, it’s also crucial that you are professional about this and maintain some distance. For example, discussing family details may or may not be appropriate depending on the flow of the conversation and the subject matter, while talking about dating availability is out of bounds in the vast majority of situations.

Conversations with trade show visitors should be attentive, showing interest and focus on them, but that doesn’t mean requiring intimate or specific details about their personal lives.

Don’t Disparage Competitors

Obviously, your business doesn’t operate in a vacuum, and you will likely have competitors in your field or industry offering similar products or services. The best way to approach this fact with visitors is to play up the positives of your products or services. Don’t be focused on naming your competitors and then denigrating them. This is not only less professional, but it may also actively discourage people you are talking to who want to hear how your product differentiates itself, not why another product or service is worse.

If you want to work with an experienced exhibit services company to ensure you get a good return on your trade show investment, contact Lighthouse Exhibits.