Ok, you are prepared for the show and have addressed everything discussed in Trade Show Success Strategies ~ Pre-Show.  Opening day is just a few hours away and the question to ask is how do you make the most of your time on the floor?  How can we help insure that a desired ROI is obtainable?

It starts with YOU!

•80% of what a prospect remembers about a company is based on staff behavior and attitude
•YOU are one of the primary reasons why people will visit the booth
•64% of prospect’s impression is formed within 4 seconds
•YOU only get one shot at a first impression

Trade shows are unique sales environments in which everyone must be on top of their game.

•They are very expensive
•There are many distractions, anything from the neighbors circus act to the other neighbors “booth babes” can take your mind off the task at hand
•There is intense competition, you are surrounded by exhibitors trying to pull attendees away and into their booth..  Some of those are even your competitiors
•80% lookers vs. 20% real buyers
•You have limited time with prospects; 5-7 minutes
•They also provide a unique opportunity to beat the competition

How do you succeed in this unique environment?  Follow a 6 step process:

Step #1:  Attract & Approach

•Most attendees will not stop unless you approach them
•Use body language, appear approachable
•Attendees will not wait for you

Here are some interesting numbers for you.  6% of attendees will leave in 10 seconds, 11% leave in 30 seconds, 41% leave within the first minute if not approached.

Step #2: Qualify

•Know your audience
•Get the prospect to talk
•Respectfully dismiss unqualified prospects

Step #3 Present

•Rehears your presentation prior to the show
•Bond with the prospect and peak his or her interest in your companywill typically tune out
•Get to the point quickly, if you dont connect within the first 90 seconds the prospect

Step #4 Agree & Release

•Summarize your conversation
•Reconfirm prospects information
•Agree on specific next steps (followup call or meeting)
•Release and engage next prospect

Step #5 Document

•Capture good data (quality rather than quantity is the rule)
•Record key information, capture something personal about the prospect
•This may sound elementary but write clearly, accuracy is key

Step #6 Follow-up

I will dedicate the third part of this three part series to the “Follow-up” as I feel that this is all too often the weakest link in the process.

This is a process that will, without a doubt, put you on track for success in a trade show environment.  Remember that to begin new relationships, you must first engage and create a positive impression.   Being mindful of the fact that people need to trust you before they do business with you, be approachable, and listening more than you talk will help you do exactly that.

Despite personal opinions and individual usage, we all know Social Media is a powerful and ever-growing and ever-changing beast. However, I firmly believe the power of social media that we DO know, is a micro-fraction of what it will become. Despite the “I’m sitting on the porch” tweets so aptly portrayed in a recent cell phone commercial, most users are shifting away from the trendy and moving towards the value of new communication.

I was referred to a blog article by my long time friend and brother in-law @kevinvonqualen that begins to profile the faces behind the cell phones, TweetDecks & netbooks. A recent 30 day study in August 2009 reveals that the majority of users are aged 35-44, not teenagers, as we’ve been accustomed to believing and most users appear to be from the middle class. What is most interesting is that usage is spread amongst a variety of age groups and educational backgrounds, with no overwhelming shift towards a single group. These figures assume, Social Media is not designed or used for, or by, a specific demographic, yet, these individuals are collectively redefining the way we communicate.

An excerpt from www.briansolis.com

Data: August 2009

All stats are from Google Ad Planner unless otherwise noted

30-day traffic, (U.S., Worldwide)

Unique Visitors – 24 M, 66 M
Reach – 10.1%, 5.1%
Page views – 2.1 B, 4B
Total visits – 270 M, 550 M
Avg visits per visitor – 11, 8.3
Avg time on site – 12:10, 11:40

Gender
Male: 43%
Female: 57%

Age

0 – 17: 11%
18 – 24: 8%
25 – 34: 16%
35 – 44: 29%
45 – 54: 20%
55 – 64: 11%
65 or more: 3%

Household Income

$0 – $24,999: 13%
$25,000 – $49,999: 30%
$50,000 – $74,999: 27%
$75,000 – $99,999: 16%
100,000 – $149,999: 10%
$150,000 or More: 4%

Children in Household

Yes: 28%
No: 72%

Education

Less than HS diploma: 12%
High School: 9%
Some College: 47%
Bachelors Degree: 24%
Graduate Degree: 8%

–

30-day traffic, (U.S., Worldwide)

Unique Visitors – 110 M, 370 M
Reach – 45.6%, 28.8%
Page views – 52 B, 160 B
Total visits – 3.1 B, 8.7 B
Avg visits per visitor – 28,23
Avg time on site – 20:00, 23:20s

Gender
Male: 43%
Female: 57%

Age

0 – 17: 18%
18 – 24: 7%
25 – 34: 14%
35 – 44: 20%
45 – 54: 24%
55 – 64: 12%
65 or more: 4%

Household Income

$0 – $24,999: 7%
$25,000 – $49,999: 22%
$50,000 – $74,999: 36%
$75,000 – $99,999: 18%
100,000 – $149,999: 12%
$150,000 or More: 5%

Children in Household

Yes: 36%
No: 64%

Education

Less than HS diploma: 22%
High School: 14%
Some College: 36%
Bachelors Degree: 20%
Graduate Degree: 8%

–

30-day traffic, (U.S., Worldwide)

Unique Visitors – 1.2 M, 4.6 M
Reach – 0.5%, 0.4%
Page views – 31 M, 97 M
Total visits – 7.2M, 21 M
Avg visits per visitor – 6, 4.6
Avg time on site – 6:50, 6:50

Gender
Male: 48%
Female: 52%

Age

0 – 17: 3%
18 – 24: 7%
25 – 34: 20%
35 – 44: 36%
45 – 54: 16%
55 – 64: 14%
65 or more: 3%

Household Income

$0 – $24,999: 22%
$25,000 – $49,999: 29%
$50,000 – $74,999: 16%
$75,000 – $99,999: 20%
100,000 – $149,999: 8%
$150,000 or More: 5%

Children in Household

Yes: 11%
No: 89%

Education

Less than HS diploma: 4%
High School: 7%
Some College: 43%
Bachelors Degree: 32%
Graduate Degree: 14%

–

30-day traffic, (U.S., Worldwide)

Unique Visitors – 9 M, 23 M
Reach – 3.9%, 1.8%
Page views – 230 M, 410 M
Total visits – 53 M, 98 M
Avg visits per visitor – 5.9, 4.2
Avg time on site – 7:30, 6:50

Gender
Male: 64%
Female: 36%

Age

0 – 17: 11%
18 – 24: 9%
25 – 34: 18%
35 – 44: 29%
45 – 54: 18%
55 – 64: 10%
65 or more: 4%

Household Income

$0 – $24,999: 14%
$25,000 – $49,999: 28%
$50,000 – $74,999: 25%
$75,000 – $99,999: 20%
100,000 – $149,999: 10%
$150,000 or More: 4%

Children in Household

Yes: 22%
No: 78%

Education

Less than HS diploma: 15%
High School: 10%
Some College: 39%
Bachelors Degree: 27%
Graduate Degree: 9%

–

30-day traffic, (U.S., Worldwide)

Unique Visitors – 19 M, 73 M
Reach – 8.3%, 5.7%
Page views – 1 B, 3 B
Total visits – 94 M, 280 M
Avg visits per visitor – 4.9, 3.8
Avg time on site – 8:00, 9:10

Gender
Male: 45%
Female: 55%

Age

0 – 17: 13%
18 – 24: 9%
25 – 34: 19%
35 – 44: 25%
45 – 54: 21%
55 – 64: 11%
65 or more: 3%

Household Income

$0 – $24,999: 12%
$25,000 – $49,999: 27%
$50,000 – $74,999: 29%
$75,000 – $99,999: 18%
100,000 – $149,999: 10%
$150,000 or More: 4%

Children in Household

Yes: 28%
No: 72%

Education

Less than HS diploma: 16%
High School: 11%
Some College: 41%
Bachelors Degree: 23%
Graduate Degree: 9%

–

30-day traffic, (U.S., Worldwide)

Unique Visitors – 14 M, 31 M
Reach – 6.1%, 2.4%
Page views – 800 M, 1.4 B
Total visits – 85 M, 160 M
Avg visits per visitor – 6, 5.1
Avg time on site – 9:40, 9:00

Gender
Male: 50%
Female: 50%

Age

0 – 17: 3%
18 – 24: 3%
25 – 34: 16%
35 – 44: 31%
45 – 54: 28%
55 – 64: 16%
65 or more: 4%

Household Income

$0 – $24,999: 11%
$25,000 – $49,999: 18%
$50,000 – $74,999: 23%
$75,000 – $99,999: 23%
100,000 – $149,999: 16%
$150,000 or More: 10%

Children in Household

Yes: 10%
No: 90%

Education

Less than HS diploma: 4%
High School: 9%
Some College: 34%
Bachelors Degree: 37%
Graduate Degree: 16%

–

30-day traffic, (U.S., Worldwide)

Unique Visitors – 61 M, 120 M
Reach – 26.1%, 9.1%
Page views – 32 B, 39 B
Total visits – 1.2 B, 1.5 B
Avg visits per visitor – 19, 13
Avg time on site – 23:20, 21:40

Gender
Male: 36%
Female: 64%

Age

0 – 17: 34%
18 – 24: 10%
25 – 34: 12%
35 – 44: 16%
45 – 54: 19%
55 – 64: 7%
65 or more: 2%

Household Income

$0 – $24,999: 7%
$25,000 – $49,999: 39%
$50,000 – $74,999: 35%
$75,000 – $99,999: 11%
100,000 – $149,999: 6%
$150,000 or More: 2%

Children in Household

Yes: 57%
No: 43%

Education

Less than HS diploma: 32%
High School: 12%
Some College: 42%
Bachelors Degree: 10%
Graduate Degree: 4%

–

Via Compete.com for June 2009

Unique Monthly Visitors: 78 M
Total Visits: 459 M

Via Quantcast for June 2009

Gender
Male: 50%
Female: 50%

Education
No College: 48%
College: 39%
Grad. School: 13%

Children in Household
Yes: 43%
No: 57%

Household Income
$0 – $30,000: 20%
$30,000 – $60,000: 27%
$60,000 – $100,000: 27%
$100,000+: 27%

Age
13-17: 19%
18-34: 35%
35-49: 24%
50+: 19%

—

What are your feelings about Social Media and the direction it is heading? How do you use it to communicate in your business and personal life?