Credit: Alfred Eisenstaedt "Sudden Fear"
There was a lively debate the past week or so on the TSEA LinkedIn group. It was centered around training your booth staff but also discussed motivating your staff. Obviously I am a big proponent of booth staff training…it’s one of the services I provide. It’s usually the people who think they know what they are doing in the booth that need the most training on booth selling skills. They may be the best sales person you have in the field but they often make lousy booth reps…until they are trained that is.
Mike Thimmesch of Skyline Exhibits wrote a great article “The Surprising Value of Introverted Trade Show Booth Staffers” that I encourage you to read. I agree with Mike completely that sometimes your less outgoing employees make better staffers. I’ve found that techies and customer service folks pay much more attention to training to get out of it what they can. While sales people tend to think there is nothing you can teach them they don’t already know. But I’m generalizing…there are exceptions to every rule.
But this brings us to the idea of motivating your booth staff. Yes, I think you should motivate your staff. I think they should know why they’ve been chosen and why your company is participating in the trade show. They should understand the goals and objectives of your presence at the trade show. If someone starts making excuses why they should not or can not go talk to them. Find out what the real reason for them not wanting to be there is. For some it’s fear. They are terrified they will not know how to talk to people and they will look like a fool. For many this is the case even though they don’t say it. Good booth staff training far enough in advance of the show will help alleviate those fears.
Some people dread being away from their family. Some people cannot be away from their family because they are a primary care-giver. Some people are afraid of flying. The point is to sit down with them in private and confidence and find out if their hesitation is something that can be overcome or if it is a deal breaker. A staffer that is worried the entire time they are at the show is not a good booth staffer.
Then there is the guy or gal who thinks trade shows are stupid and a waste of time. I find that usually there is a bigger underlying reason and the “trade shows are stupid” is just to cover up the real reason. Sadly those who really do think shows are a waste of time are usually in upper management. That topic is a separate post for the future though. There are also staffers assigned to the booth who think it is beneath them. They are too busy to go to the trade show. This last group should not be sent…that is the “haters” and the “all too important” people. Do not try to train them, do not try to motivate them…it can’t be done. The last place you want these people is in your booth.
Going to your industry trade show should not be punishment…it should be a privilege and believe me there are plenty of people in your company who will see it as a benefit. A customer service rep who is trapped in an office with a headset every day would welcome the chance to get out for a few days and meet those customers face-to-face. An engineer would love to talk to customers to find out how they use their product and what improvements could be made. A new hire could be totally immersed in the industry and your company in just three short days.
DO NOT SEND THE HATERS.
Now I know what you’re going to say…I don’t get to pick my booth staff, they are assigned to me, there’s nothing I can do. That’s a cop-out plain and simple. It’s your job to explain why those people will not make good staffers and why it’s bad to force them to be there. And if you can’t do it because your boss is a bully, give me their number and I’ll explain it while you go on Monster and try to find a new job.
If you like what you read here be sure to sign up for our RSS feed at the top right of this page. If you’d like to talk to me about how you can select and train your booth staff to make a positive impression when exhibiting at a trade show or event (or call your boss), give us a call or drop us an e-mail or if Twitter’s your thing you can reach me at @tracibrowne.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Hello Traci,
I am still laughing as I write this … “And if you can’t do it because your boss is a bully, give me their number and I’ll explain it while you go on Monster and try to find a new job.”
Thanks for parsing out the various hidden reasons people have for being reluctant to booth staff. So now, besides being an organizer, a marketer, a cheerleader, you also need to be a psychologist to be a trade show manager.
And yes, you have the ability to refuse a booth staffer who is a”hater” or other energy vampires. Your job is to maximize your trade show results, and your staff is essential to your success.
Thanks for another great post!
Oh Mike…you just like this one because you are in it again!
I think psychologist is part of the job description for anyone who has to work or live with others. Let’s put it this way…you only have to be all those things if you want to be a good trade show manager.
And I wasn’t kidding about the phone call…I’d love to make that call…
Traci (& Mike) great stuff!
Hey – are you headed to ASAE in L.A. maybe we can take a crash course there!?
We also stress that it is good to be a “real” person and to tell prospects early on that it is okay to say “no”. In fact, I’d rather DQ a person on the floor in 1 minute than bring back a lead that we’ll end up chasing for nothing. Genuine real people who like other people. That’s who we send. Oh yea, they need to know our products AND the likely challenges that our client face. The last thing is they must be tough and full of energy. I require my team to go non-stop from breakfast to the last reception or function. You never know where you may meet your next client or biz partner – often times it’s in a session, at a reception, etc. Don’t send people who can’t hang with the task physically. This is the most expensive sales effort companies invest in. Get tough or stay home!
Great perspective on this – but remember, sometimes we don’t have any choice of staffers for the booth — when you are a small staff association or an association staff of 3 – everyone has to do it at some time.
Linda, thank you for taking the time to comment. Yes, small companies and association don’t always have a lot of choice like you said. But hopefully with a small staff everyone is at least vested in the process. After all, your presence at a show may mean the difference between getting paid and not getting paid…or having a job at all.
As long as everyone going to the show sees the value they can be trained to do a good job. Preparation is key in trade shows as with everything. You can’t just show up and wing it.
Thank you for your comment Paul. I love that you brought up the issue of stamina. Not all companies are lucky enough to be able to send 30 staffers for the show and work in four hour shifts. When at a show ever second of the day should be focused on working the goals and meeting the objectives you’ve set for the show. That means wake up early and be where people are for breakfast (if you do not already have one or two or three breakfast appts set up) and be the last one to leave the hotel bar at night. As long as there are potential customers out and about…you should be too.
That’s not to say you need to be a party animal. Please, pace yourself or order a club soda…you need to be on the top of your game from the crack of down to late at night. Do not skip meals, have plenty of water to drink, and pack a few meal bars or nuts to get you through the busy patches.
Small companies for whom staying in business at all depends on the success of the show are who you should be emulating.
Someone who is outgoing, engaging and friendly. Be careful of sending all sales people. Even though they are outgoing, they might come off too pushy and trade shows are not all about selling. They should be a time to inform and spread the word about your business as well.