| Make no mistake -- you're in a rough spot.
Exhibiting is a competitive environment. You're vying for attendee's attention, against
companies that are larger, better-funded, with newer exhibits and cooler ideas than you've
got.
What this means is that anything you can do to
differentiate yourself from the crowd is a "Very Good Thing." Being different
gives you an edge over the masses. On the other hand, being different invariably costs
money.
Or maybe not. You can differentiate yourself effectively by
embracing the ‘power of questions.' Having a team that can ask the right people, the
right questions, at the right time, is the single most cost effective thing you can do to
guarantee fantastic show results.
Very few people know how to ask effective, powerful
questions, and quite frankly, those who do, tend not to wind up working the show floor.
Luckily, asking great questions is a skill that can be taught to those who weren't don't
already have it. If you're like me, and weren't born with that great skill, here are seven
strategies your team can start using today to make themselves better exhibitors:
Strategy #1: Listen
The best questions begin in silence. Train your people to
embrace the 80/20 rule -- they should be listening 80% of the time. Listening is more than
not talking. It's an opportunity to focus on the information the visitor is providing. The
data they're sharing is invaluable and helps frame more appropriate questions throughout
the conversation. For sales people in particular, listening is a real challenge. Yet, if
they conquer and embrace this skill, they could easily boost their performance in flash!
Strategy #2: Determine Identities Quickly
One of the first questions your team should ask is some
variation of "Who are you and what do you do?" Never, ever rely on badges.
People can easily swap them. This is probably the most commonly used competitive
intelligence gathering strategy.
You want to determine identity quickly for a number of
reasons, but the primary one is this: Knowing who you're talking to allows you to deliver
information in the most appropriate fashion: a buyer for a powerful chain is a very
different attendee than an intern at a friendly competitor!
Strategy #3: Ask Open Ended Questions
The first question you ask a booth visitor should never be
one that they can answer with a simple "Yes" or "No." This is an easy
way to give them permission to end the conversation quickly. Known as "closed
questions, "Yes" or "No" answers, don't usually help you to understand
your visitor's needs. The better alternative is to focus on questions that invite
attendees to tell you more about themselves, their challenges or their particular
situations (their stories). These include questions such as:
- What are you doing about X?
- How do you handle X?
- When do you need X?
Strategy #4: Follow Up With a Relevant Question
When a visitor spends time telling you their story about a
particular situation or challenge, your very next question must relate to what they've
just told you. This then demonstrates that you're actually listening, and care about what
they have to say. Failing to do this is likely to damage, if not destroy any credibility
you may have established throughout the conversation so far.
Since this is such a common mistake exhibitors make, it's
well worth having your team practice this skill in pre-show role-playing exercises. Have
them work at this until it's automatic and starts to feels completely natural to them.
Strategy #5: Compliment Them
If you find yourself with a visitor who's somewhat
reluctant to talk about their situation, try complimenting them. It's a subtle yet
powerful way to stroke their ego. A simple "I'd really like to know what you think
about X," or "What's your opinion on Y" will often get people talking,
especially those individuals who love to show off their knowledge. I'm sure you know the
type! Remember that everyone likes to be valued and recognized.
Be careful with this. You always want to appear genuine,
without seeming to fawn over your visitors.
Strategy #6: Get Off Topic
Exhibiting is not just about making those immediate sales.
There's far more that goes on with your booth visitor. Building long-lasting, profitable
relationships is key! To do this effectively, you may need to take the conversation
‘off-topic.' Don't be afraid to use questions to do this. Ask questions that allow
you to get to know the visitor better. This can be as simple as "Where are you
from?" Look to visual cues -- clothing, jewelry, pin, etc. – anything that
allows you to go further conversationally and further reinforce the relationship. It's
only when you start asking
Strategy #7: Go After Low Lying Fruit
Visitors often indicate, often unconsciously, what they
want to talk about. If they mention a subject repeatedly, or devote considerable time in
one particular area, that's a pretty good clue to let you know that this topic is
important to them. Yet many times, either exhibitors don't hear what's being said, because
they're tuned into their own mind or, they might ‘shy away' from a topic because it's
sensitive, or something they just don't know about. They might avoid the latter not to
show their ignorance.
Speaking from experience, that's not a good, solid plan of
action. What's it says to the visitor is that "you're just not interested" in
them or their situation. It takes courage to ‘grab the bull by the horns' and frame
questions directly around that topic, inviting visitors to elaborate further.
For example, "You seem to have concerns about our
widget's durability. Could you tell me what's troubling you?" Addressing these
concerns head on is the best way to build a prospect's confidence in your products and
services.
Asking questions is only half the battle. The other half of
the equation concerns what you do with the answers they give you. If your team asks great
questions, listens to the answers, and then responds with the standard boilerplate
one-size-fits-all answer, you've accomplished nothing.
Instead, answers must be customized on the spot –
responsive, not only, to the client's needs, but also to the tone and timing of the
conversation.
Brief your people on the need to take things further than
just the familiar and often, boring, sales pitch. Keeping the focus on relationship
building and the lifetime value of the customer helps make this easier and takes a lot of
pressure off of your team. It's far easier to concentrate on having a meaningful,
value-laden exchange if your team knows this isn't their only chance at bat. With any
luck, this is just the beginning. They'll be asking your customers questions for years to
come! |
