Getting the Most Out of Your Trade Show Experience

Most companies spend huge amounts of time and money designing, construction, outfitting, transporting, and setting up their trade show booth. This course aims to have you understand some of the basic skills that would allow you to get the most out of your trade show experience. The workshop will start by looking at who attends trade shows and why they are there. It will explore a number of things that should be done before the show even starts, including setting trade show goals, understanding your company, and developing good trade show introductions. It will then look at trade show etiquette and skills emphasizing active listening, body language and questioning. A special emphasis will be placed on conducting prospecting. The workshop will end with an exploration of the follow-up necessary after the show. This course will highlight basic skills that should allow you to generate more leads, prospects and especially qualified prospects at your next trade show.

After you complete this course, you will be able to:

• Understand the types of people that attend trade shows
• Develop trade show goals, which are S.M.A.R.T. - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.
• Know what your company does (products, marketing strategy, your customers) in order to work successfully in the trade show booth
• Realize the importance of good conversation from the opening lines of introduction to the closing of the conversation, hopefully with a potential sale.
• Develop a variety of introductions that could be used to engage potential customers at a trade show.
• Understand the importance of Pre-Promotion to the success of the trade show.
• Realize the importance of targeted promotional giveaways.
• Understand the importance of good booth behavior including Active Listening, Body Language, and Questioning.
• Conduct prospecting activities at a trade show, including First Contact, Qualification, Determining Needs, and Closing the Deal
• Develop and conduct follow-up activities with leads, prospects, and qualified prospects after the trade show.

Course Topics:

Session 1: Course Overview

• Learning Objectives 

Session 2: Lay of the Land

• Attendees
• Why Do People Attend Trade Shows?
• Who Attends Trade Shows?
• Attendee Exercise 

Session 3: Setting Trade Show Goals

• Knowing Why You Are There – It Matters!
• Goals
• Self-Reflection Process to Determine Trade Show Goals

Session 4: Before the Trade Show

• Know What Your Company Does
• Making a Good Impression
• Introductions
• Promotions
• Show Promotions and Giveaways, Part One
• Show Promotions and Giveaways, Part Two 

Session 5: During the Trade Show

• Basic Trade Show Etiquette
• Active Listening
• Reading Cues
• Demonstrating Listening
• Tips for Becoming a Better Listener
• Body Language Basics
• Asking Questions
• Probing Techniques, Part One
• Probing Techniques, Part Two
• Paraphrasing Techniques
• Echoing Techniques 

Session 6: Prospecting

• Qualification
• Determining Needs
• Closing the Deal
• Choose a Role
• Other Things To Do While At the Show

Session 7: After the Show

• Post-Show Process
• Following Up On Leads
• Following Up on Prospects
• Following up on Qualified Prospects