Opening Questions

exhibitor q & a

	ILLO: MARK FISHER
	HELP WANTED Send your tough questions about exhibiting to Linda Armstrong, larmstrong@exhibitor magazine.com

Booth Staffing

My booth staffers are well versed on our products and company, but when it comes to opening a conversation with strangers at trade shows, they're completely tongue-tied. What questions should they ask to get the conversation started?

The trick to effectively engaging attendees at a trade show is to be proactive, rather than just sitting in your booth and waiting for passersby to come to you. But in order for your booth staffers to properly engage attendees, they'll need a few well-crafted questions in their arsenal. Here are some dos and don'ts to help you develop questions that will lead to effective and equally beneficial conversations between staffers and attendees.

Don't ask a question if you don't want - or care about - the answer. When people ask, "How are you doing?" do they really want to know the answer? Probably not, especially if they're staffing a booth, because: a) the person will reply with "I'm fine," and this answer will lead you nowhere, or b) the person will launch into a lengthy explanation of how not fine they are, in which case you've wandered into an uncomfortable social situation without a clear escape route. So before the booth staffer asks a question, make sure he or she is actually interested in - and prepared for - all of the possible responses.

Don't ask a question if you don't know what to do with the answer. For example, if booth staffers ask, "Have you heard about our new widget?" and the answer is "Yes," staffers are usually at a loss for words. You can train your staffers how to create good questions, but you can't train your visitors how to answer them. So think of all the possible answers and make sure you know how to respond to each of them. If you don't have a follow-up response for each answer, find another question to ask.

Don't ask a question that leads to a sales pitch. Trade shows are filled with interesting facts and ideas; however, this also means that attendees are bombarded with information at every turn, and they struggle to sort, grasp, and retain the relevant nuggets. Thus, the last thing booth visitors want is irrelevant information. So asking, "Do you have a few minutes to see my presentation on ." is only offering them information they probably don't want because you know nothing about them yet. Plus, if they say "yes," your presentation will be utterly untargeted, as you have no idea who they are, what they want, or what they intend to do with your information. Such a question is a colossal waste of time for everyone.

Start on common ground. An easy way to open a dialogue is to ask visitors about something you have in common, such as the show or its sessions. So try questions such as: 1) "What brings you to the show?" 2) "Which sessions would you recommend?" and 3) "How many times have you attended this show?"

Give visitors an easy way into the conversation. Sometimes people are just as nervous about opening a conversation as you are. So offer them something to comment on, such as your graphics or product or something else on the floor. Such questions also give you insight into how to direct the conversation based on their interests. Try questions such as: 1) "What attracted you to our booth?" 2) "What have you seen on the show floor that caught your eye?" and 3) "What have you found most useful at the show?"

Make it about them. Ask questions that demonstrate to attendees that you're interested in them and their individual needs such as: 1) "What does your company do?" 2) "What are you looking for from the exhibitors?" and 3) "What are your goals for attending the show?"

With some carefully crafted questions and a bit of practice, your staffers will be tongue-tied no more, and before you know it, they'll be reeling in attendees left and right.

- Barry Siskind, president, International Training and Management Co., Toronto