You have your promotional items, your booth setup planned out, your great giveaway prizes, and superb marketing materials about your business ready to go. You’ve trained your employees on marketing techniques and having conversations with potential customers….but how much time did you focus on talking about the best trade show accessory – a smile?
Are you thinking, a smile? What do you mean? That seems like such a small detail! Why does a smile matter so much?
Smiles Are The Best Trade Show Accessories
Do you remember in the musical Annie, when they sing, “You’re never fully dressed without a smile”? A smile truly can make an outfit and an impression. It is the number one accessory you need to make sure you and your colleagues are wearing at trade shows.
It is also scientifically proven that smiling makes us feel more positive, which puts us in a better mood. This mood then directly translates to doing a better job at the trade show. People are drawn to positivism, and when you feel good, you will make potential clients feel good as well.
Like great eye contact, a smile makes people feel comfortable. It will make them want to come check out your booth and feel welcome as they do.
As you are training your employees on all the key aspects of a great trade show experience, don’t leave out the importance of smiling. A smile can create a world of difference for your business, from happier employees to more positive experiences for potential clients and customers.
Just for the record, we have some pretty awesome trade show accessories to go with that smile.
So, now that you have a smiling, winning team – what is the worst trade show accessory?
The Worst of Trade Show Accessories
Don’t be afraid to tell your employees to leave the cell phone at home! Okay, that might be asking too much but at least keep it out of sight. Nothing is more impersonal than walking up to a booth to be ignored by someone on their phone.
Plus, you are losing customers by the simple act of your employees having a cell phone out. You can’t draw people to your booth if you aren’t looking at them. You can’t make eye contact while staring at Siri or Google. Truth.
Help your employees see that a no cell phone policy isn’t a punishment. It actually helps them do their jobs better. Give incentives based on the number of people they talk to, not sales made. This switches the emphasis from sales to connections.
Each person who visits your booth should leave with some kind of item – either a handout about your company, a pen, or other giveaway. And a good feeling about your company.
In our digital age, we eat, sleep, and errr…do other things with our phones. But we need to recognize that cell phones are doing more harm than good when the goal of trade shows is to promote your products and your business. If you are working your booth and on your cell phone the whole time, you are not engaging your potential customer base.
While there may be some slow times, cell phones should remain away unless absolutely necessary. Think about other ways to encourage employees to be productive during down times. Talk with the other trade show attendees and visit the other booths (as long as there are several people at your booth so it stays active!) or think up a new marketing idea for the next trade show or event.
A smile is inviting, warm, and positive, and makes the best trade show accessory. A cell phone creates a disconnect. This will inhibit your employees from doing their number one job: connecting with clients and promoting your business.
Encourage smiles as a simple and easy marketing tool that will help your employees feel positive and make great connections! No app required.
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