Every,Minute,Matters,Discernin marketing Every Minute Matters: Discerning Attendee Types
Automation technologies represent a fundamental aspect of any modern industry. The major types of industrial automation solutions, such as DCS, PLC, SCADA, and MES, are used on a large-scale in process and discrete industries.DCS technologie Awhile ago, I got an email from one of the "gurus" I follow and it shocked me. The gist of it was this person wanted to trade services for a household item.To say it floored me would be an understatement.What was worse was a few days later t
The good news is that between 80-90 percent of the attendees are often there to purchase new goods and services. The bad news is that other 10-20 percent can eat up lots of valuable floor time. How in the world do you identify who are valuable prospects and who are just looking in this throng of people?Ive identified twelve distinct types of trade show attendees. Almost every person at the show will fall into one of these categories. Teach your staff to recognize these types. That way they can politely yet quickly handle the non-starters and spend their valuable floor time concentrating on the promising prospects. Keep them moving if They come for the demo any demo, every demo. Some people just love to watch a show, whether its for the newest floor cleaning squeegee mop or a hydraulic drill press that can bore through four feet of concrete. They seem to travel in flocks, congregating around one demonstration after another, with no intention of purchasing the products being shown. Asking a few open-ended questions will help your staff know whos at the show to do some shopping and whos simply looking to be entertained.They say Gimme, Gimme, Gimme Any type of giveaway attracts these types. Keychains, pens, can cozies, mouse pads, t-shirts it doesnt matter. If its free, they want it. They may even want more than one, to give to their family, friends, and colleagues. You can often identify this type by their bulging tote bags and pockets full of unsharpened pencils. Keen questioning will ascertain if this visitor has any potential.Theyre a Gambling Man. Winning contests is a passion for some people they have an almost biological compulsion to drop a business card into a fishbowl for any kind of drawing. They dont even care what the prize is, as long as they might win. Contests that require more than a business card to enter will help deter these types from finding their way onto your follow-up lists.They ask too many questions. Like it or not, trade shows are a prime opportunity for the competition to indulge in a little industrial espionage. Snooping can and does occur. These would-be spies often give themselves away by knowing far too much about your industry or asking specific, precise questions. Make sure that you do more questioning than talking to reduce the chances of giving away valuable information. Theyre snapping up every brochure in sight. Everybody collects something, and believe it or not, some people just love to collect sales literature. Theyll take any piece of paper, no matter what it is. Check to see if theyre researching a particular market for a supervisor if so, they may be an influencer worth pursuing.They dont want to talk to you. Some attendees come to a show for a single purpose, and thats all they want to see, hear, and talk about. These folks simply will not be interested in what your organization is offering. Luckily, theyre not shy about letting you know this. Theyll communicate via body language, by purposely avoiding eye contact with your booth staff, or chatting with a colleague when passing by your exhibit. Waylaying these types will only upset them.They do want to talk to you about who built your booth, where you got those great graphics, and how much you paid for your sweater. These types are extremely curious and engaging, but unless they want to talk about your products and services, youll want to keep them moving. You dont have the time to waste on a discussion of booth construction.Take a little time with Salespeople. Youll find people at the shows who attend with one goal in mind: selling you their products or services. Publication advertising representatives are notorious for this. Chances are they themselves arent likely prospects, but you never know. Additionally, theyve talked to everyone on the floor that day the insights and info they share might lead you to a more likely prospect. If floor traffic is slow, it may be worth asking a few questions, if only to find out who they could refer you to.Nobodies Just because you dont know who the attendees are doesnt mean their employers dont. Often times larger firms send underlings in their organization to show to do specific research. Never, ever underestimate these folks. They may be extremely strong influencers and if they arent now, they may be someday, and theyll remember if you treated them poorly. They may also have some precious knowledge the names and contact info of the decision makers in their firm. Time spent with them could be invaluable.Happy, friendly people These types are usually extremely friendly. They smile and their whole body language says, Please, talk to me! Please! Me, Here! I want to Talk to You! Questioning will determine whether or not they are prospects worth pursuing, and youre guaranteed a cheery bit of conversation.Job Seekers The top companies in any industry, gathered all in one place no wonder job seekers haunt trade shows. Its an excellent way to network and look for organizations who may have present or future job openings. If you have a spare moment, take the time to talk with the job seeker. They may be just the person you need to help your company become even better.But save most of your time for Definite Prospects Research has shown that the majority of trade show attendees are predisposed to purchase new products and services. These are the people who can easily be transformed from casual browsers to definite prospects. Concentrate on them! If youve done a thorough job of pre-show marketing, youll also have definite prospects and customers seeking you out at the show. Dont drop the ball once theyre at the booth give them the attention they deserve. Consider having a separate conference area within your exhibit to speak with definite prospects. They appreciate the VIP treatment and youll be able to have a meaningful conversation with them despite the hustle and bustle of a busy trade show.
Every,Minute,Matters,Discernin