Successful at trade shows: Inspire visitors and make a convincing impression

Successful at trade shows: Understanding goals, expectations, and your own role

• What is the purpose of a trade fair?
• Role of trade fair staff—what is my job, what is expected of me?
• Goals of the trade fair: Company goals and my personal goals.
• What are my own mental barriers?
• What do trade fair visitors expect?
• Differences: Visitors vs. Prospective customers vs. decision makers.

visitor contacts

• How do I start a conversation?
• What are typical mistakes and how can I avoid them?

Making a successful first contact

• The effect of body language, open, positive facial expressions, and gestures facilitate positive initial contacts.
• Decision window: how long do I have before the evaluation is made based on sympathy or antipathy, and how can I influence this time window?
• Conversation starters that spark curiosity and interest.
• Steer conversations and use the right questioning techniques to determine needs.

Determining demand at the trade fair

• Identify needs, summarize them, and match them with my offer.
• Active listening: How do I obtain the right information for my line of argument?

Elevator pitch at a trade fair

• 30–60–90-second presentation.
• Presenting my company/product.
• Create a structured pitch so that it contains everything my counterpart needs to know, in the right order.

Communication

• Target group-oriented communication: Who are my visitors and how can I establish quick access?
• Conversation techniques: How do I structure a conversation, identify potential, and conclude?
• Handling objections: What to do when things don't go as planned?
  Collecting typical objections – brainstorming.
  A targeted method for identifying my counterpart's concerns and finding the right arguments.
• Selling at trade shows—what does that really mean?
• How do I establish a sales circle?
• end of conversation

Collaboration with colleagues the trade fair booth

• Team roles at the trade fair booth – what role do I take on, what colleagues do my colleagues take on?
• Understand and observe trade fair and team dynamics.
• Mood barometer – how can I keep motivation high and actively engage visitors throughout the day?

My personal action plan