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• When a visitor says, "I'll be back", assume he will not return. Properly inform prospects at the time of their first visit, so that they don't need to come back.
• Stop traffic by smiling at people who walk by.
• Concentrate on getting information rather than on giving information. Try to obtain a profile of each visitor. This allows you to identify the prospect's needs before you begin your sales presentation.
• Handle attendee's objections as positive communication rather than negative communication. Lead the prospects through their objections and allow them to develop their own conclusions.

• Be aware of your prospect's attention span. Non-verbal body language will indicate the patience level of the prospect. If necessary, condense your sales presentation.
• Just as booth graphics communicate specific images and messages about the company as well as its products and services, your exhibit staff also projects a message to the visitor through posture and gestures.
• As a booth staff person, you can easily claim too much space in the exhibit by leaving your personal belongings around. Remember, this is supposed to be a show-and-tell territory, not your office.
• The typical exhibit stance - arms crossed and folded - is the classic closed-knowledge gesture. It may feel comfortable, but it sends a deadly "don't talk to me" message. Take a more approachable stance.

Have your staff fill out the lead generation card rather than the prospect or customer. This way you are sure to get all of the pertinent information as well as make a personal connection with that lead. It also gives the staff member a better opportunity to find out the exact needs of the prospect. - Denise Stabler, Future Industries

90% of all sales literature distributed at an event is often thrown out at the trade show, either by sales people or attendees themselves. We bring limited quantities and only use sales literature as conversational visual aides. [You may want to load the literature into a ring binder so that it’s apparent that it is not for deposit into the show tote bag.] Always take the customers name and information and send literature after the show. Only hand out literature as a last resort when customers indicate they prefer to take it at the show. - Kelly Steinkirchner, Product Mgr, Buffalo Filter

In our business of fabric manufacture, we have found people prefer to be mailed sample swatches after the show rather than take them along from our exhibit. This has allowed us to ship less to the show site, and also enables us to contact the office daily with sample requirements that can be sent out – to be waiting for potential customers when they return home from the show. - M. Reardon - Tweave, Inc.

Be quick and effective with the leads, not only when you come back from the show, but also when the show is still running!! Don't wait too long; your prospect can forget you. Be the first who come back to him with all the answers, quotes, literature, that they requested! Make sure they will remember your company ...so before the prospects leave the booth, ask them for the best time to call back. Let them know what you will talk about. - Name withheld by request

The success of a trade show is often measured by the number of leads created (especially qualified leads). However, trade show staff often forget to get the visitor's contact info or to indicate what they are interested in. As a result you end up with either very few leads or leads that the sales team throws away as unqualified.

Use an incentive such as an internal contest to see who gathers the most qualified leads among your staff. The qualification should include the basic information needed by sales; what product they are interested in, when do they plan on buying, how much money is in their budget, when would they like the follow-up call. [It doesn’t hurt to review your definition of a qualified lead with your sales team before the show to confirm their needs.] Have regular staff updates during the show to share their rankings as a way to remind them that their #1 goal is to gather qualified leads. - John McDonald, CTO - blueC 802, Inc.

Our main objective is to capture email addresses and to send out the first email within 48 hours. It is far more effective than waiting 3 or 4 weeks to follow-up. - Dianne Beveridge, Data Harvest Educational Group

Send a "thank you" e-mail the evening after an attendee stops by your booth. The e-mail should have your company's graphic identification and your contact info. This is an immediate reminder of your company's product or service and sets a tone of professionalism and customer-focused service. - Martha Davis -- CBCAmRent

• MC 37 -- Effective Show Presentations
• MC 35 -- The Art of Engaging and Disengaging Prospects At A Show
• MC 29 -- How to Hire the Right Trainer For Your Exhibit Staff
• MC 16 -- How To Improve Your Sales Success at Exhibitions
• SM 24 -- Exhibitions Are Not Sales Call
• SM 21 -- Relationship Selling at Exhibitions: Avoid the Seven Deadly Salespeople
• SM 15 -- Secrets of the Aisle
• SM 13 -- How to Improve Your Exhibitions Performance Measurably

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Skyline Exhibits
3355 Discovery Road
St. Paul, MN 55121
Toll Free: 1-800-328-2725
Tel: 651-234-6000
Fax: 651-234-6571
Web: www.skyline.com