Finding the right booth staff is more important than you think; they are the face of your company, and everything they say will be on your behalf. Your prospects will base their decision on whether or not they will proceed with purchasing from you on their experience with your staff. It’s scary, isn’t it? You can treat your staff as the cornerstone of your custom expo booth; without the right booth staff, your booth will tremble (figuratively). But with the right staff, you will be reaping the benefits and increasing your chances of onboarding many new clients. Are you ready?
Select the Roles
One of our first booth staffing tips is to understand that it is unrealistic to have trained staff handling all aspects of trade shows, as one staff could be good with one role but not so good with another. Therefore, there should be a division of specific roles so that each staff can focus their energy on that core role and become an expert at it; the aim is to ensure that at each stage of a customer’s journey, they are given the best service possible, which will increase your chances of conversion.
Crowd Gatherers
The crowd gathers outside of the stand space; they actively approach your prospects, quickly greet them, give them a quick 30-second rundown of what your company is about, and then ask them some brief questions to see if they qualify as someone who is looking to make a purchase or are just after free giveaways.
Hosts
Hosts, like a receptionist, refer to your prospects’ first point of contact as they approach your booth. Hosts will operate as guides and help address the customers’ questions by either directing them to the right person to speak to or offering the right marketing material for them to take away if they are just browsing.
Product Specialists
Once your potential client is qualified as a potential buyer, they can be passed on to the product specialists, who are your staff that know your product’s ins and outs; they can answer specific technical questions and are there to put your client’s mind at ease if they have any concerns about your products. With in-depth product knowledge, this person should create a foundation that satisfies the client’s trust and increases their willingness to proceed with a purchase.
Lead Generators/Sales
Lead generators are skilled professionals who are experts at selling your products by presenting a convincing case that will give your potential customers excitement and incentives to make a purchase. Their goal is to qualify attendees and collect data so that if they are not yet able to proceed with a purchase, your sales staff can follow up after the event to try and close the deal.
Screening and Selection
If you have a large team, then you should be selective of who you pick for each role, but rather than pick the role which suits a person’s technical skill set, consider giving them a role based on their personality – this will put your staff in a much more comfortable position to execute the role naturally. Then all you need to do is give them some training to ensure they understand all the fundamentals of what they need to do during the event.
You will be looking at staff who are friendly and approachable as a host, and for someone who will be looking after lead generation, they must be a people person. A lead generator’s role is not just about being able to list out all the features of your products; it is also about creating an exciting experience for your potential client that makes them want to buy from you.
Training and Preparation
One of the most important booth staffing tips to get right is ensuring your staff is well trained and prepared before putting them out it is critical. Training involves product knowledge, speaking to customers, maintaining confidence, using the right body language and knowing when you should move on (some customers might just be there to chit chat, and your staff’s goal is to ensure all the serious customers are being well attended to).
Being prepared means making sure that your staff knows what to do in all situations; for example, if they don’t know the very technical details, then make sure they have access to an information pamphlet that they could hand over to your client or so they can refer back to it whenever they are not sure of something. Ensure your staff is on the same page as your priorities; what is the first thing they should do once a customer approaches your booth, and do they know how to filter out the serious customers, etc.? Trade shows are only live for a few days, so you’d want to make sure you are making the most out of your b2b event.
Prepare Merchandise and Uniforms
Branded merchandise is a must if you are looking to make sure your prospects do not forget that they have visited your booth once they return back home; the key to the merchandise is consistency – make sure all your company expo colours are printed consistently and obvious so they can identify that it is from you straight away (this is how they will remember you). The same goes with uniforms; having branded uniforms makes it obvious to your customers who they should be reaching out to if they need clarification on anything.
Uniforms also give your booth an overall professional finish, as all the colours would tie in together, and you’d be able to effectively differentiate customers from your staff. It also makes for a great team photo at the end, which also helps your social media exposure as everything will look like it was well thought out and executed seamlessly.
Do a Test Run
The only way to ensure your staff are up to the challenge is to do a test run; you can do this by doing some role playing within your company. Ask one of your colleagues to act as a customer and ask to prepare them with a list of the top 10 common questions to ask your trade show staff. See how they respond with trade show communication skills.
Remember, preparation is everything, so you should make sure you reserve plenty of time for your trade show staff to wrap their heads around their role and each of their responsibilities. They will all need to play their part in order for you to process people flow efficiently and effectively. After this test, you should have a clear understanding of whether they are ready or areas where they need to improve. Confirmation of their successful performance will give your trade show staff the confidence and peace of mind they are doing the right thing so they can enjoy themselves out there.
Conclusion
Now you are equipped with our top booth staffing tips checklist of what is required to ensure you have the right trade show staff team for your next event. A lot of it comes down to preparation, so make sure you do not leave it as a last-minute item on your list! Staffing is only one part of your list of things to do when exhibiting; you will also need a customised exhibition booth to ensure everything is consistent and enticing so it wows your visitors. They will make sure visiting your booth is the first thing on their list. The team at UCON Exhibitions has all the necessary skills to get the job done for you, so your time can be reserved to focus on other things such as staff training, etc. Remember, the earlier, the better, so you don’t need to do any unnecessary last-minute stressing!
