In today’s digital world, we can do everything from ordering food to finding our soul mates online. However, while the internet may have simplified a number of day-to-day activities, nothing can beat the charm of face-to-face interactions at trade shows and exhibitions.
These interactive events provide you with the ideal opportunity to gather a large number of quality leads and convert prospects into long-term clients. The only problem is, that you’ll face a great deal of competition on the show floor, so you need to make sure you put your best foot forward to create the biggest impact at your trade show exhibit & display in Orlando.
Here’s a look at some tips that will help you generate maximum leads with your trade show rental booth in Orlando
Understand the Environment
The trade show in Orlando is an important business event for you, so it’s absolutely vital that you fully understand how marketing at such events works. Typically, when you reach out to a prospective client, you will be put in touch with individuals who aren’t very high up on the totem pole.
This means that actually getting through to the decision maker and making a real impact will take several months of hard work. At trade shows, you will likely be interacting with key decision-makers, so you need to make a good first impression. We’re not saying that you will sign lucrative deals across the trade show table, but you will be able to schedule follow-up meetings and calls with the right people.
Now that you know who you’re talking to, you can make intelligent decisions regarding the design and marketing plan for your trade show rental booth in Orlando.
Set Reasonable Targets
Setting targets for such a large-scale event can be a daunting process. This is why it’s important that you break down your goals. Instead of one large overall goal for the trade show, set smaller goals for each of your departments. You can also use the SMART principle while listing out your goals. They need to be:
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Achievable
R – Relevant
T – Time Dependent
To understand how many leads you need to generate for the show to be profitable, you need to know the closure rate of your sales team and what your profit margins are from your sales. Once you understand what your targets are, you can give each staff member a daily or hourly target during the trade show.
Make a Statement with Your Booth
At packed trade shows, it’s important that you find a way to stand out from the crowd. You will have only a few seconds to grab a potential client’s attention, so your booth’s design and graphics need to be absolutely flawless. On the show floor, your booth needs to:
- Have a clear message – If you’re lucky enough to have a booth that is visible from a distance, you need to use that to your advantage. Ensure that clients can tell what you’re offering without having to walk all the way to your booth. If they can’t see anything that interests them, they aren’t going to make the effort to engage with your booth.
- Be tech-savvy – One of the easiest ways to draw people to your booth is by offering them a completely immersive experience. This is possible with the help of video walls, self-help kiosks, VR headsets, and more.
You can also improve brand recall by using your brand’s colors extensively through your exhibit. If you’ve decided to get a trade show exhibit rental in Orlando, you can lean on the expertise of the rental company to help you create an aesthetically-pleasing booth.
Make Your Presence Known
In the weeks and days leading up to the show, make sure people know you’re attending by promoting the event on social media. This is important because 75% of customers have already selected the booths they’d like to visit even before the show.
To make it on every visitor’s list, you need to build an extensive pre-show campaign. Use the event’s official hashtag with your social media posts to reach out to a wide audience and let them know what you have in store for them. A good idea is to upload behind-the-scenes videos of the work you’re doing for the event. You can also share images of the giveaways you’ll be handing out and the kind of products you will be showcasing.
Find the Right Staff
More often than not, staff members at trade shows have been found complaining about how much they hate working the event. An unenthusiastic staff member will not be able to hold the attention of an interested visitor and they will definitely be unable to interest new clients. If you’re serious about generating leads during your trade show, you need to ensure that you have excited and enthusiastic staff manning your booth.
The staff members you choose should be well-informed about your products, have great communication skills, and be able to work together with a team. While it is possible to hire professional models to man your booth, we always recommend asking your company’s employees to volunteer their time.
This way you can guarantee that the staff in your booth actually want to be at the event. Additionally, they won’t need to undergo any training to learn about your products or services.
Create a System That Works
Collecting leads isn’t the easiest trade show target to achieve. There’s a lot that goes into collecting visiting cards, scanning the relevant ones, understanding the person’s needs and requirements, deciding if they’re good leads or not, and scheduling follow-up calls and meetings.
Luckily, technology has made this a little easier for us by introducing lead collection software and hardware. Before you head to the trade show, shop around and find a system that your team is comfortable with. You can choose to purchase or rent the lead collection program before the event. Make sure you set up data collection touch points at every entrance and exit to your booth.
Additionally, we would recommend manually collecting data and keeping a physical record of the same. If anything were to go wrong with your lead collection system, this will allow you to continue to generate leads without any hassles or worries.
Work Your Booth Right
Given the low attention spans that people have these days, it has become increasingly important to make snappy points that leave an impact on customers and keeps them interested in what you’re saying. At a trade show, the task becomes harder since there are so many other booths and individuals looking for a way to grab your customer’s attention.
This is why you need to ensure that your staff has mastered the art of identifying a good lead when they see one. In just 6 minutes, they should be able to collect the individual’s data by following these simple steps:
Step 1: Engage & Greet – 30 Seconds
Approach customers with a smile and welcome them to the booth. Ask open-ended questions to get them talking about what they’re looking for.
Step 2: Qualify the Lead – 90 Seconds
It’s time to figure out whether this conversation is going anywhere. At this stage, your staff should ask potential customers very specific questions regarding their requirements, as well as their knowledge about your products and services.
Step 3: Say Goodbye – 15 Seconds
If the individual isn’t too keen on talking business and appears to be a timewaster, staff should wait for an opportune moment to thank them for coming by the booth and shake hands with them.
Step 4: Product Demonstrations – 2 to 4 Minutes
If the client is serious about forging a bond with your brand, your staff needs to offer them a quick product or service demonstration. Ensure that they tailor the demo to satisfy the client’s unique needs and requirements.
Step 5: Close the Deal – 90 Seconds
Now that you have successfully piqued the client’s interest, it’s time to fill out the lead form and collect their details. Before they leave the booth, ensure that your staff have a solid follow-up plan and have set a time and place for a call or meeting once the event is over.
Keep Your Literature Out of Reach
Many companies make the mistake of printing hundreds of thousands of brochures for trade shows. More often than not, these pamphlets are then handed out to every single person passing by the booth. Typically, these brochures are thrown into the nearest trash can, or simply stuffed into a pocket or bag and completely forgotten about.
If you really want to make an impact and generate leads, don’t hand out your sales literature at the start of an interaction. Instead, strike up a conversation with the customer and tell them about your services. If you need to demonstrate a point, you may pull out a brochure, but you don’t have to give it to them.
Once they show genuine interest in your brand and your offerings, you can ask for their details and then hand out your marketing literature. You can also provide freebies and giveaways to only those visitors who you have interacted with. This will make visitors feel like they’ve had to work for or earn your brochure, so they’re likely to treat it with more respect.
Now that you have a foolproof plan in place to gather your leads, don’t forget to enjoy yourself on the show floor. If you and your staff members are truly smiling and having fun, the customers are likely to pick up on your vibe too. Once the show is over, remember to follow up with your leads at the promised date and time.
Read here – Effective ways to reduce your trade show expenses.
