Trade Fair Talks: How to Convince New Customers

Step by Step to a Successful Trade Fair Meeting

A successful trade fair dialogue requires precise preparation and structured execution. This is the only way to really connect with your audience and get them excited about your offer.

Preparation

Define your target group. Who do you want to address at the trade fair? What problems and challenges do your customers face? Don't just think about walk-in customers. Activate existing contacts as well. Get in touch with the people concerned in good time. Draw attention to the trade fair and announce the location of your stand. Make sure you do this at the right time: let them know in advance, but not too early. This way, the date is not lost, but there are also no overlaps.

Now is the time to think about how you can address visitors in the best possible way. The aim here is to create a kind of ‘toolbox’ that you can use to suit the respective conversation situation - not to be a guide that you slavishly adhere to.

Establish Contact During the Trade Fair

Before a conversation gets started, you need to establish contact. Make sure you use appropriate body language. Ideally, you should achieve a good mix of openness and restraint. With an open posture and a friendly smile, you signal your willingness to talk without ‘ mugging’ visitors. A polite greeting shows your presence and makes it easier for your visitor to ask initial questions. Also interpret the attitude of the person you are meeting. While some people want to look around the stand on their own first, others prefer to make eye contact and are happy to be approached directly.

Sooner or later, you will have to approach your visitors. Start with open questions, follow up and give your counterpart space to reveal something about themselves. If someone shows interest in a specific part of your offer, respond to them. Ask about the concrete needs of your counterpart or find out whether they already have experience with your product range.

The Meeting

Now you need to find out whether your offer and the visitor to your stand are a good match. If you have defined your target group in advance, you can determine quickly in conversation whether your counterpart is well served by your offer. Find out what the person coming to your stand is looking for. What industry does the person you are talking to work in? What problem does the customer want to solve with your offer? Work out what the recipient needs before you explain your product or service in detail.

Once this has been clarified, you need to strike a balance between an appropriate level of information and interest in your customers. Explain your offer, but at the same time give the person you are talking to space to talk about challenges and problems. Remain open to criticism. Listen to objections calmly. The more familiar you are with your own products and services, the better you will be able to refute the concerns of interested parties. Maintain a dialogue and take your time. Don't stifle a conversation because you may be under time pressure.

There are a few basic points you should consider in order to conduct good trade fair talks:

Stress resistance: A trade fair is a special environment for dialogue. It is loud, hectic and everyone present has a lot of impressions to process. A certain amount of resilience is required to conduct a successful dialogue despite the external influences.

Flexibility: Many different people come together at trade fairs. You need to be able to adapt to them quickly.

Expertise: Make sure you know what you are talking about. Interested parties will soon realise whether you know your subject and, if in doubt, will end the conversation very quickly. Only with the appropriate expertise can you ensure that you respond adequately to the needs of your prospective customers.

Confident demeanour: This is not about playing up to your counterpart. But with a calm, self-confident demeanour, you can ‘capture’ interested parties much better and convey that you understand their needs.

Giveaways and food: Make visitors to your stand as comfortable as possible. Small, useful giveaways or tasty snacks are good initial starting points for a conversation. In addition, interested parties will remember your name - for example, if they pick up a carrier bag with your logo on it.

Conclusion

When a conversation is coming to an end, you should ensure a successful conclusion. Summarise the results you and your counterpart have reached - regardless of whether this involves another conversation, a product demonstration or a concrete offer. Communicate clearly how the relationship will continue.

Follow-Up

Document all the information and results of your discussions - ideally while you still have them in your mind and not at the end of a long day at the trade fair. This works very well with a structured meeting log.

• What was the name of the person you spoke to?
• How did the contact come about?
• What points did you discuss?
• Which products or services were important in the conversation?
• Are there specific tasks to be completed? Is there a time frame?

Successful Trade Fair Meetings - Realise Hidden Potential

A trade fair meeting is a great opportunity, but presents challenges for everyone involved. Therefore, make sure you are well prepared. Define your target group, structure your discussions in advance and show genuine interest in your dialogue partners. Then you have a good chance of turning a trade fair meeting into a long-term deal.