Tip #9 – Position Yourself.

Do you know 85% of the positive feelings visitors to your booth have are due to the booth staff?¹ Work your booth at AMTS like the pro that you are. Be approachable, be positive, and be proactive – be a salesperson. Come out of your booth to meet your prospects on the show floor and smile like you mean it. Only you can bring them in, and you only have this one opportunity to make an impression with high impact.

In this spirit, the Association for Exhibit & Event Professionals offers these helpful Do’s and Don’ts on working and staffing your booth²:

• Do learn the 80/20 rule and take it to heart. The best exhibitors are those who listen 80% of the time and talk 20%. Focusing on attendees' wants and needs is a surefire route to success.
• Don't "throw up" on attendees. This very common practice occurs when nervous exhibitors can't stop talking and keep up a constant barrage of facts, figures, and sales spiel. Attendees are quickly turned off by this, and your chance to form a profitable new business relationship walks away.
• Do remember you're on display. What you're selling at a tradeshow is, primarily, first impressions. Be professional, well dressed, and mannerly at all times. You never know who's watching.
• Don't eat, drink, or chat on your cell phone on the show floor. When you need refreshment or a break, leave your exhibit booth. Remember, the eyes of the public are on you at all times, so you'll want to conduct yourself well.
• Do be realistic. Tradeshows are long events. You're on the floor for anywhere from ten to twelve hours at a go, often several days in a row. This is a lot for any one person to do on their own, and most Nichepreneuers are solo operations. Ask for help. Recruit friends to work the show with you. If nothing else, they can spell you while you grab a quick bite to eat.
• Don't forget! If you have friends help you at the tradeshow, it behooves you to provide them with some training. Make sure they understand what your services are, how you're different from your peers, and what the marketing message is. Also, have a plan in place to cover what they should do when they run into a question they don't know the answer to.
• Do ask qualifying questions. You want to know who you're talking to, who they work for, and in what capacity. This will help you determine if the attendee is a prospective customer or not.
• Don't be afraid to encourage people to move along if they're not interested in your services. Some of the people who attend tradeshows are 'tire-kickers' -- they like to discuss everything, but buy nothing. You don't want to waste your time with them.
• Do be polite and nice to everyone. The junior executive today can be a senior executive tomorrow.

As always, remember your goals and objectives of exhibiting at AMTS, and make sure everyone on your staff is working toward that common end. Enthusiasm in your booth, as in your everyday business, will be contagious. 

Don't forget the last step of any trade show - Follow Up with Tip #10. 

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