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Picture
this. You have just had an engaging conversation
with a prospective customer.
You approached them on the show floor, gathered important
information about their business needs, felt some
rapport being built, suggested solutions, gave the
prospect some crucial information that they responded
positively to and received a commitment to a follow-up
meeting to conclude your business. Sounds pretty good
- yes? But now there is one more challenge. The prospect
doesn’t seem to want to leave. What can you
do?
Whether you have established that your visitor does
not qualify for your products or services or, your
visitor qualifies and you have made a presentation,
the last step is to wrap up the conversation effectively
so you can move on to the next prospect.
On the show floor, effective time management is your
most valuable asset. There is nothing wrong with spending
extra time with a visitor getting into a detailed
discussion during low-traffic times. However, at high-traffic
periods you will be missing opportunities if you continue
talking after your objective has been met. Disengaging
is neither rude nor impolite. When handled properly
it leaves your visitor with a positive feeling about
you, your company and products or services. The trick
is to stay focused on your objectives and develop
the skill to end the conversation gracefully, when
you want to end it.
Disengaging is often easy, the logical end of a presentation
- you agree on a follow-up, thank the visitor for
his/her time, shake hands and move on.
" Mr. Smith, it has been great meeting you today.
I'll get that information out to you as soon as
I return to my office and then I'll call to set
up an appointment. Thanks for your interest and
enjoy the rest of the show."
But sometimes disengaging can present a real challenge-
some visitors will chat all day if you let them. By
allowing the conversation to continue needlessly you
are squandering time- both yours and theirs. You have
a specific objective for exhibiting and they have
an objective for being at the show. It is a place
of business and once the business of the day is complete
it is time to move on.
With some planning you can avoid
the disengagement trap. There are two types of disengaging
strategies: the presumptive
disengagement and the
conciliatory disengagement.
1. Presumptive
disengagement
If you have planned
your exhibit properly, you will have plenty of tools
around to use with this technique. Some of these tools
are promotional products, literature, in-booth activities
such as demonstrations or seminars, draws, or when
all else fails, your business cards. The trick is
to call on the right tool at the right time.
This technique simply presumes that you are both in
agreement that your business has concluded and that
it is time for both of you to move on to other opportunities.
There are three parts to the presumptive disengagement
technique: Refocus the set-up and the proposition.
Step
1 – Refocus
The first step of the process is to refocus the prospect’s
attention. Up until now the focus has been on business.
You spent the time reviewing their current situation
and offered some information that let them know how
you’re offering can satisfy their needs. If
your objective included writing an order, this has
now been completed and the customer is happy. You
now need to refocus their attention so you can gracefully
end the conversation. The refocus stage is a subtle
way of saying, “I am drawing this conversation
to its conclusion”. This is accomplished when
you stop presenting and say;
“
I am pleased that we had a chance to take a look at
your situation,” or, “I’m glad that
we had an opportunity to talk today,” or “I
am looking forward to getting your feedback once you
have received your initial order.”
Step
2 -The set-up
This is an important step of the process as it clearly
makes your point. You are taking full responsibility
for the disengagement by saying;
“
I know you are anxious to see the rest of the show,” or, “I’ve
taken enough of your time today,”
Step #3 - The proposition
Studies have shown that an attendee who leaves a booth
with something tangible to show for their visit,
has a stronger feeling about that company or their
visit than from the exhibitor who leaves them empty
handed. Giving promotional products or brochures
too soon robs you of an excellent opportunity. Offering
something as you are ending the conversation is
the best approach. This allows you to thank the
visitor for stopping by and gives the offering real
value. You might say;
“
We have created this new promotional gift for some
of our special booth visitors. You can see our web-site
has been engraved on the side so if you want to learn
more about what we do you can to visit us on-line.
Thanks for spending the time at our booth.” or, “We
have a demonstration starting is less than one minute
that will give you some additional information. If
you have the time let me get you a seat right up front.” or, “This
brochure has the information you asked about. The
information on page nine gets into the more technical
side of our new product. I will follow-up with you
next week. Thanks for dropping by and enjoy the rest
of the show.”
You can use a similar technique with a tire-kicker
who is a visitor who stops by and asks lots of questions
but you quickly realize that the chance of any real
business is nonexistent. You do not want to waste
valuable promotional products, literature or a seat
at the demonstration. You might say;
“
Here is my business card. If you have any further
questions please don’t hesitate to visit our
web-site or give me a call.”
2. The conciliatory disengagement
Conversations
that do not lead you toward achieving your show
objectives need to be derailed quickly.
These can include existing customers who want to
chat but are not interested in purchasing additional
products at this time, other exhibitors who want
to monopolize your time because they are bored,
people working the show selling their products or
services to exhibitors or students who were invited
by show management.
The solution here is a conciliatory
approach. You need to be on your constant vigilance.
Tire kickers,
customers, exhibitor and students are often charming
people who engage you in a conversation. Your job
at the booth is to assess each prospect to ensure
you are spending your show time with the right people
- the attendees who can help you achieve your show
objectives. Maintaining control over the conversation and asking
qualifying questions early in the dialogue will reveal
the prospects agenda quickly. (See Trade Shows are
Not Sales Calls, CEIR report SM24). There are four
steps to the straightforward disengagement: the
acknowledgement, the invitation, the reality check and
the call to action.
Step #1 - The acknowledgement
The last thing you want to do
is to appear rude, unfriendly or unprofessional.
You never want to
leave anyone, regardless of their ability to
do business with you, with a negative impression.
You also need to be aware that you are under
the
scrutiny of every passer-by. Other attendees
will see how you treat people and a negative attitude
may affect their willingness to approach you. Once
you realize that the visitor can not help you achieve
your current show objectives you move into
the disengagement by acknowledging the visitor as
follows:
For an established customer who
is not buying anything more at this time - “Thanks
for dropping by this afternoon. I am really pleased to know that we can count
on your on-going business.”
To a fellow exhibitor - “Thanks for dropping by, it’s important
that we keep each other in our networks. You never know when an opportunity
may come up when we need to speak.”
To a student - “I am glad that you have chosen our company as the focus
of your research.”
To a vendor - “There is always the possibility that your product is something
we can use in the future.” Step #2 - The invitation
You never know when opportunity will knock. Keep
yourself open to surprises. If you cut your visitor off too soon, you
may lose valuable insight that could prove beneficial in the future.
Step #2 - The invitation forces you to maintain this
awareness:
To an existing customer - “I really need to hear your feedback. It helps
me and my company grow and ensures that we meet your needs.” or,
To an exhibitor - “I would like to find out more about your company and
how it serves this industry.”
To a student - “Both my company and myself believe in ensuring the continuity
of our industry.”
To a vendor- “I might make sense for me to know a bit more about your
product.” Step #3 - Reality Check
This step is at the heart of the conciliatory
disengagement. It is a simple explanation of the situation that you are
both facing. Often
the visitor doesn’t realize that continuing the conversation
at the booth is detrimental to both of you. A simple explanation
sets the record straight. In all cases you can say;
“ We have a challenge. Show management told me that during the next few
hours we can expect over 1,500 people. The best you and I can do
is to start a conversation that will be filled with interruptions.” Step #4 - The call to action
The last phase of this technique is to set up
a plan for the future. If the visitor is agreeable to your plan then
they were serious. Here are
some offers you can make:
For the customer - “This show is over on Wednesday and I am planning to
visit your city early next week. Why don’t we set up a time to get together
over coffee so I can get all your feedback?” or “I am taking a break
a 2:00 P.M. Can you meet me at the hospitality area where we can sit quietly
and talk?” or,
To the exhibitor - “My focus for this show is on the attendees and if someone
drops by my booth I will have to stop our conversation mid-sentence and greet
them. Why don’t we meet for a drink after the show closes?”
To the student - “You have come at a busy time. After 5:00 P.M. things
quiet down significantly, why not drop by then?”
To the vendor - “I really can’t take time away from my focus at the
show. Why don’t you give me a call next week when we can spend a few uninterrupted
minutes exploring the potential of your product?”
Conclusion
The Presumptive and Conciliatory techniques
will allow you to disengage 99% of the time. There may be the odd time
when these do not work. In
these cases you should work with your booth colleagues to develop strategies
to help each other out such as subtle signs signaling you need help
or the presence of a manager who can handle the really tough questions.
Disengaging doesn't come naturally; it requires
practice and a real understanding. By not doing so when the time is right,
you will be under-utilizing your
show's possibilities.
Barry Siskind is author of Powerful Exhibit Marketing. He can
be reached at barry@siskindtraining.com or call 10800-358-6079.
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