First impression matters, and as a visitor at a trade show, their decision would be based on how inviting a booth looks collectively, which means that as an exhibitor, you are part of that package. To ensure you get off on the right foot, consider implementing the following tips to change the way your body language is perceived. If you are a first-time exhibitor, sometimes even the most basic things could ruin the way you are viewed from the customers’ point of view, even if you have the most extravagant custom exhibition booth. We’ve compiled a list of our top 15 body language tips for you to tick off for your next trade show event.
Always Smile
One of our top trade show body language tips is to smile! This indicates that you are happy, and when customers see this, it gives them comfort that you are not here because you have to but because you want to and are having a good time. People naturally get drawn to happiness, and it will preempt them from wanting to approach you and strike up a conversation, as they might be wondering what you are smiling about and maybe want to get a piece of it too!
Look Presentable
Looking presentable means turning up to your booth looking fresh in formalwear, smelling nice, and being approachable. The opposite would be showing up looking tired and wearing rugged jeans and clothing that is not ironed. As a visitor, you wouldn’t be excited about approaching that booth, let alone speaking to that person. Looking good also shows that you offer good service and products. It shows that you care about how you look, which gives your customers more reason to invest in or buy from you.
Stay Confident
Confidence shows that you know what you are talking about and that you fully understand your products and services, and that is what people want to deal with. Customers won’t trust your business as much if your exhibitors don’t seem sure of themselves. This includes hiring people who haven’t been trained. If you or your staff cannot confidently answer questions, it makes it very difficult for a customer to comfortably spend their money on your business.
Firm Handshakes
Firm handshakes imply trust and are a polite way to welcome and greet your customer. However, you should be cautious because some countries may prefer not to shake hands for religious reasons, so don’t take it personally if they don’t. Instead, you can pivot off of this and find out about their background and make them welcome through verbal communication.
Maintain Eye Contact
Eye contact shows how interested you are in what the customer is saying. The more eye contact you make, the more it shows that you are paying attention and taking the conversation seriously. Eye contact will keep your customer engaged and let them know that you are giving your full attention; this gives them no reason to talk to a competitor. Not having eye contact is a common mistake that exhibitors make, and are letting down their conversion rate.
Practice Active Listening
Spending the whole day speaking and listening to customers can become repetitive, and research shows that we only remember 25% to 50% of what we hear (the other 50% could be critical information in securing a new client). Active listening entails hearing the entire message of what is being communicated rather than just the words of what your customers are saying. You can improve your communication skills by trying not to get distracted by other conversations around you and focusing only on your potential client.
7. Keep your Arms Open
Visually, keeping your arms open (as opposed to crossing them) indicates that you are open for discussion and welcoming to anyone who is looking to approach you for a chat. Crossing your arms is a natural way to show that you want to protect yourself and that you are nervous or uneasy. It also looks visually less welcoming, which ultimately prevents people from entering your booth.
8. Avoid Sitting Down
Sitting down naturally indicates that you are tired, and it appears uninviting to customers because it will look like you want to be avoided so you can rest. If you are tired, it’s better to take this elsewhere rather than sit down in a location where you’d want to encourage visitors to enter your booth.
9. Practice Mirror Behavior
Customers feel more comfortable through familiarity; this means that if you have the same body language as them (such as standing and leaning on one arm on the bar table) – customers are more likely to feel as if they are speaking to someone who knows exactly what they are talking about which means less critical about your business and more about developing a connection with you who is representing your business.
10. Don’t Eat at Your Booth
Eating at your booth can seem like a lunchroom, which negatively impacts how customers feel about it when they see this. In a way, it indicates that whatever you are presenting is less valuable if you allow yourself or your staff to eat inside your booth. It will also make customers less likely to come up to you, since they probably don’t want to bother you while you’re eating. Make sure you have extra staff so they can man your booth while you go outside for food when you are hungry.
11. Approach Booth Visitors
Show your visitors that you want to talk to them by walking up to them in a friendly way to start a conversation. Customers sometimes just need exhibitors to take the initiative to talk to them and show that they are interested in getting to know them and are ready to answer any questions they may have. If you do not approach them, they will feel as if you are not interested, and this lack of attention will drive them to leave your booth without even giving you a chance to pitch anything to them.
12. Don’t Ambush Browsers
Browsers are unavoidable everywhere you go; they don’t necessarily know what they are looking for, so asking them would be pointless. We’d suggest giving them some time to actually walk around your booth, so they have a chance to educate themselves about what your business is about and figure out for themselves first whether or not it is something useful for them to invest in. If they are not looking around for help, it is a clear indication that they simply want to be left alone for the time being. Another strategy you may want to consider is preparing some event merchandise because these will help draw customers to you and avoids any “ambushing”.
13. Use Hand Gestures Wisely
Hand gestures help to emphasise certain things you want to convey to your customer, they could indicate the scale of something or how quick something is, and adding hand gestures into your conversation helps to keep your customer engaged and excited about what you are talking about. For some, communication through visual means is much more powerful than through speech.
14. Don’t Invade Personal Space
This is where you may become too aggressive and approach customers directly outside of your booth area. There is a reason why visitors have not approached your booth yet, and it could be for a variety of reasons, but it will appear rude if you blatantly approach customers out of nowhere, especially without any prior eye contact. Another thing is to not stand too close to each other either, give yourselves some space as breathing room for a more relaxed conversation – it will feel uncomfortable and distracting otherwise.
15. Read their Body Language
Understanding your customers’ body language can give you clues to how they are feeling or what they are thinking, and you can use this to your advantage and address their concerns. Perhaps customers don’t want to initiate a conversation, but if you manage to read their body language and understand the situation, you can start that conversation to make it easier for them to contribute and feel more comfortable about it. Rather than directing it at them specifically, you could refer to it generally as “what some people may think.”
Conclusion
To conclude, body language can be very difficult because some people do it subconsciously without even knowing they could be sending the wrong message. Our trade show body language tips give you skills that can be taught and practised that will help you succeed at trade shows because sometimes it’s the little things that make a big difference. Body language is one thing, but having the right exhibition booth is another large task. To make sure you get it done right, the team at UCON Exhibitions are experts in that field, so while you practise your body language skills, let us handle your booth for you.
