TRAINING YOUR STAFF - The Ultimate Trade Show Success Series

TRAIN YOUR STAFF OR CUT YOUR LEADS IN HALF

Your booth staff will have a strong impact on the attendees’ first impression of your company. Whether this is a positive or negative experience is up to you and how well you prepare your staff.

When choosing people to staff your booth, select people who are naturally likable, knowledgeable, and approachable. If your technical person does not possess those qualities, save their expertise for when needed.

Your first impression is everything. Once an attendee is greeted by a friendly staff member, is made to feel welcome, and shows interest, you can then pass them on to the less sociable, but more knowledgeable, team members if needed.

When to Train Your Staff

Staff training needs to be done before the event. Talking it over on the flight is not enough. You will either want to have a training session yourself or hire a trade show staff-training expert to help you out.

How to Train Your Staff

If you choose to do it yourself, here are some tips that can help:

• Create a plan of action for the event. Everyone should know the company’s goal for the event. Everyone must know why you are there.

• Everyone should know what role they are playing once in the booth.

  • Are they a greeter? If so, what is their introduction script?

  • Are they in charge of scanning badges, taking down lead information, etc.? Are they your social media person?

• Know the dress code.

  • Will everyone be wearing the same-colored pants, shirts and shoes? This is a good idea to help prospects identify members of your team. The more nicely dressed your team is, the more serious your company will appear to visitors.

• Discuss the schedule.

  • It’s a good idea to have scheduled time slots for all of your booth staff. Breaks will be needed, and you NEVER want your booth to be left empty.

  • Have a plan for restroom breaks, lunch breaks, and resting breaks. You always want your staff to look fresh and energetic.

  • Overworking them will actually weaken your trade show results.

• Know the VIPs.

  • Part of your team plan should include each member knowing who your target market is.

    • Do you have a different action plan for qualified leads and nonqualified leads?

    • Of course, you will also want to teach them exactly how to qualify leads as well.

• Timing! If you have hired a trade show presenter, or if you are doing it yourself, the team needs to know how to handle a crowd. Once a presenter moves the audience into the booth, your team must act fast to collect information and sort out the leads. Hesitation will allow money to literally walk away.

• Never say, “I don’t know,” and leave it at that. If your staff cannot answer a question from a prospect, they should always say, “I don’t know, but let me introduce you to someone who does.”

• On the first day of the show, have everyone arrive together or meet at a specific location. You will want your staff to be able to find the convention center, and your booth, quickly. This step will avoid having staff members showing up late because they were lost.

• Have booth rules. In order to keep your booth running smoothly, you will need to have some rules in place.

  • No cell phones, unless they are using it for event photos with attendees to be used in your social media marketing. A booth where people are gazing down, hypnotically, at their cells phones is NOT inviting.

  • No food or drink in the booth. Save the food and drink for break time. Bottled water is fine but should be consumed out of site of the attendees.

  • Talk to the guests, not only to each other. There is plenty of time for that back at work.

  • Look inviting. Smile at attendees, face forward, keep your hands out of your pockets, your arms uncrossed, and keep your gaze up. The warmer they appear, the more traffic you will get.

  • Maintain personal hygiene. It should go without saying, but your team should look their best. Their nails should be maintained, their breath should be fresh, and they should smell pleasantly. After 8 hours on the floor, people tend to sweat and also become unaware of their breath.

  • On breaks, especially after eating, they should brush their teeth. Attendees will leave your booth quickly if a staff member’s breath is repulsive. Also, keep mints handy.

  • Staff should keep a stick of deodorant in the personal belongings area. Big sweaters but might even bring a fresh shirt to change into at mid-day.
    

How to Keep Your Staff Happy

Remind them not to wear new shoes on the trade show. Standing for 9 hours in new shoes can become unbearably painful.

Keep an emergency kit in the booth. Include simple things that you might need like:

• A mirror

• Face and hand wipes

• Band aids & first aid ointment

• Breath mints

• Safety pins

• Duct tape

• Aspirin, cold medicine & allergy medicine

• A small sewing kit, etc.

Have floor padding in your booth. Otherwise, you and your staff will be standing for many hours on hard concrete. This can wreak havoc on your feet and spine. If your staff is not comfortable, it will be difficult to keep them smiling and looking approachable.

Have a designated, and safe, location in the booth for personal items like jackets, purses and bags. This should be non-visible to attendees, as it will make the booth look cluttered.

Have a staff meeting at the end of each day. Discuss what went well, what worked, and what did not. Have an open discussion about what everyone can do to make the next day even better than today.

Chesmark, Chad. The Ultimate Trade Show Success Guide: How to Guarantee Maximum ROI From Your Exhibit . UNKNOWN. Kindle Edition.