The behavior of your tradeshow booth staff will ultimately decide the level of your tradeshow success. While a well-designed and attractive tradeshow booth is a good draw for visitors, effectively staffing your booth with well-trained individuals is one of the most important aspects of the whole tradeshow experience for both exhibitor and attendee alike.
Once an attendee/visitor is hooked by the appearance of your tradeshow booth, it is essential that your staff create meaningful dialogue. This helps staffers determine if the visitor is a good prospect for further follow-up. The appearance of your trade show booth staff is also very important and must not be overlooked. Professionalism is paramount and can make the difference as to whether someone stops to talk or keeps walking. Most importantly, the impression your staff members make while working the booth will determine how effective they are at qualifying and generating viable leads. Again, the tradeshow booth’s design and its appearance can go a long way in reaching out to prospective buyers but it is the trade show booth staff that will ultimately make it a worthwhile endeavor.
According to authors Jay Levinson, Mark Smith, and Orvel Wilson in their book, Guerilla Trade Show Selling, the following staff behaviors annoys booth visitors and inhibits sales effectiveness:
Top Things That Drive Visitors Nuts:
- Being ignored;
- A staff that doesn’t know the products/services they are selling/offering;
- Eating in the exhibit;
- Being interrupted;
- Hands in pockets;
- Being kept around when they’re ready to move on;
- Gum chewing;
- Continuous throat-clearing;
- Bad breath.
While some of these may seem obvious, they play out at many booths at many shows, to varying degrees. Investment in a tradeshow booth can be a large one, so make your investment count. Investment in the training of your booth staff to achieve top performance by projecting a true professional behavior is also a must.