An important detail that is often overlooked in trade show exhibiting is making sure the company staff is fully prepared for the trade show. Exhibiting at trade shows can be a profitable solution for promoting your company but being prepared is key. Pre-show training is a cost-effective way to achieve success at a trade show and will add huge profit potential for the company attending exhibitions. There are many challenges that can arise and knowing how to properly handle them will create a stress free and smooth event. Most of the success at a tradeshow is determined by the booth staff at the event. Remember the booth staff is the image of the company! Let’s go over the importance of booth staff training!
Find Resources
There are many resources available that are unknown to many exhibitors. It’s important to take advantage of these resources. Spending the money on properly preparing staff is a critical aspect of the trade show experience. Throwing the staff into an event when they are not able to handle a large amount of attendees can effect their ability to sell to potential clients and provide valuable information. This can cause the trade show to be unsuccessful. Our article on effective trade show planning is centered around preparing for a show.
One valuable tool is knowing what the booth staff is going to need to help create a effective and profitable trade show experience. Many will agree that “time is money.” Having staff that is lacking the understanding on how to sell their company can result in wasted time at a trade show. One of the first things every booth staff member should know are the company’s goal. This way they fully understand the company’s objective and how they would like to see those objectives accomplished.
A good way to achieve this is by setting goals for each show. Additionally, having a reward for meeting those goals in the most productive way. This will get the staff excited and they will work even harder to achieve any and all goals the company wants to meet. A great way to achieve this is by having pre-show meetings. This can happen either the night before the show or the day of the show. It ensures that the objectives are fresh in their minds and all the fundamentals are covered.
Know the Product
Knowing the product is another important aspect of proper booth staff training. The booth staff needs to be able to answer any question the attendee’s might ask and be able to feel confident doing so. The booth staff needs to effectively engage attendees and have them leaving the booth with a positive experience. It is a good practice to have one staff member engaging people right off the floor. They can escort them to another staff member who can introduce the product and answer questions.
There are many trade show booth staff training tools available. Some are seminars, workshops and training manuals. Using these resources is a great investment. It will allow the booth staff to be properly trained on how to effectively sell at a trade show. Another trade show training tip is to remember to teach the trade show booth staff is proper dress code and body language. These things are vitally important to the trade show experience. Knowing how to sell at a trade show is critical. However, this cannot be done effectively if the staff is not dressed professionally. Body language can also tell potential clients if the staff is excited or if there is little interest in the show.
Spending the time and money on properly preparing staff is key. However, it is better to be proactive and set measurable goals. That makes it easier to asses the accomplishments of the show. Trade shows offer great return on investments if they are done properly and training is a critical aspect of that strategy. Spending the money now will mean a larger return on investment later. Additionally, training can lead to more successful trade shows and more business.
