Trade Show Booth Staff Training Expert, Susan Friedmann, CSP, The Tradeshow Coach

A recent Gillette Survey of 500 HR professionals revealed that 84% agree that well-groomed employees climb the corporate ladder faster than those who are not well-groomed.  When it comes to first impressions, 90% of those surveyed place more importance on being well-groomed than even a firm handshake.

Tradeshow exhibiting, and your presence on the show floor, at educational sessions, and networking events, is when those first impressions count the most. How you look sends important visual cues to your prospects and customers about your professionalism, and your confidence.

As a company ambassador, your role should be one of complete and utter professionalism. Does that mean you need a uniform? Not necessarily. However, it does give a unified look to your team, and easily distinguishes you from others, especially in a crowded booth.  Uniforms help visitors easily pick out the company representatives.

No matter what, professionalism, being well-groomed, and proud to be at the show representing your company, is essential.  The role of company ambassador should be viewed as an honor. Leave behind the naysayers who feel shows are a necessary evil, and a waste of time and money.

A USA Today Snapshot® based on the Gillette Survey, featured the biggest red flags for job interviews:

Body odor 90%

Wrinkled, inappropriate or ill-fitting clothing 61%

Sweat stains 54%

Messy hair 49%

Piercings/tattoos 46%

These all aptly apply to your trade show exhibiting. I would also include bad breath in this list.  Very few people have the courage to mention this to your face, so the responsibility is yours. Popping an Altoid in your mouth every few hours, helps guarantee a little “breath freshness.” Plus, peppermint acts as a quick “pick me up” without the side effects of caffeine.

Jeffries in his book “What Up With Your Handshake?” notes that, “whether you’re actively job searching or currently employed, you never know when the next opportunity will present itself.  You can run into a potential employer at the gym (the tradeshow booth) or on your way to the store (a networking event), so it’s really important to look and feel your best at all times.”  Tradeshows and meetings are public forums where you never know who you’ll meet, and what opportunities are on the horizon.

This all adds up to awareness, and just looking your best at all possible times.

I was inspired to write this blog today after reading a chapter in Carmine Gallo’s book “Fire Them Up!.” In it he talks about three types of communicators, “the blah, the mediocre and the inspirational.”

The first thing that popped into my mind was how this was the exact way to describe exhibitors – blah, mediocre and inspirational. Of these three types of tradeshow exhibitors, only one of should represent your company on the tradeshow floor.

You’ve all seen the “blah” exhibitors who have zero drive and enthusiasm or energy to be in the booth.  They’re on their computer, or cell phone most of the day. They’re convinced that exhibiting is a total waste of their time, and they just want to go and do their “real job” – whatever that is.

The “mediocre” exhibitor is one step better than the “blah” exhibitor. They take care of being in the booth, but aren’t really clear about what to do, and they just wing it in robotic fashion.

Finally, there’s the “inspirational” exhibitor who is energizing, engaging and electric!

What makes the difference between the three types? In a nutshell, the inspirational exhibitor wants to be at the show, knows what he or she wants to accomplish, and enjoys interacting with visitors. This person is also proud to be a company ambassador at the show, and finds real meaning (and fun) in the role they play.

If your have blah or mediocre people representing you, consider finding substitutes – people should consider it a privilege to be a company representative at the show. Plus, make sure that you provide some tradeshow training, so they are well-prepared with the essential exhibiting skills before they step foot in your booth.

Remember, it’s your people who can make or break relationships on the show floor, so prepare them well!

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These days when you’re comparing trade shows, you have a new factor to consider: whether the show offers an integrated platform for social media. These platforms, such as GoExpo and ChirpE, help link exhibitors and attendees in a new and exciting dimension.

When you consider these platforms, ask yourself the following six important questions:

1. How does the software bring together attendees and exhibitors?
ChirpE works by  integrating familiar applications and services, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.  GoExpo is proprietary, but offers newsletter capabilities and maps of the floorplan so attendees can easily find your booth.

2. What’s the learning curve?

You may not have much time to learn to use the interface. A well-designed, intuitive system should make things much easier.

3. What usage metrics does the software offer, and when are the results available?

Measurable effectiveness is vital. Look for software that gives you clear, targeted reports in a reasonable amount of time.

4. What support is offered?

In the midst of a busy trade show, you need reliable service. Find out what kinds of support are available and what the downtime is.

5. How about data format and backups?

If the software allows you to gather names for your mailing list, you will need a way to save that data—and in a format that lets you use it later.

6. What is the privacy policy?

You may be entrusting important company data, from customer lists to passwords, to a third party. Make sure the information is secure.

What’s ahead for trade shows and other marketing efforts in 2010?

Last week, I referred you to the StrongMail “2010 Marketing Trends” survey which polled more than 1,000 business leaders across a wide range of industries about their marketing plans for the upcoming year. This week I’ll continue reviewing the trends.

Trend: Everybody is jumping on the social media bandwagon. A whopping 59% of surveyed companies will be increasing their social-media budgets. How many will be spending less? A mere 3%.

Social media has become the new essential tool for marketing.

3 things this means to you:

1.  Choose the right social networks. Twitter covers almost every audience. Facebook and Myspace pages work best for products with consumer appeal. LinkedIn groups are most appropriate for BtoB marketing.

2. Stay on message. The speed and flexibility of social media can be a huge advantage, but it can also be a pitfall. Set clear guidelines for all communications, and review the messages and results regularly.

3. Use social media to support trade show exhibits. Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn can allow you to increase the effectiveness of your trade show appearances. You’ll reap great benefits when you integrate social media into your overall marketing strategy.

In November the StrongMail “2010 Marketing Trends” survey polled more than  1,000 business leaders across a wide range of industries about their marketing plans for the upcoming year. For the next few weeks, we’ll be discussing those trends and giving you tips to make them work for you and your company.
Trend: For almost everyone, marketing budgets (particularly tradeshow budgets) should hold steady or increase. At 48%, more companies will be boosting their budgets than just keeping them the same (41%). A mere 11% of executives said they were allocating less money for marketing. With the economy on the upswing, marketing efforts can make a huge difference now.

What this means to you:
•    Spend smarter, not harder. Make the most of the budget you have by careful targeting. Invest in the trade shows that are likely to give you the best return.
•    Make new friends, but keep the old. In terms of profit, an established customer is worth from five to seven times what a new customer is worth. Send your current customers special invitations to come to your booth. Show them how much you appreciate their loyalty.
•    Out of sight doesn’t have to be out of mind. Maintain the connections you make at trade shows with targeted emails, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media.