Jeff Bezos
A new survey by Sydney-based The Exhibit Company shows 91% of trade show exhibitors "struggle with leads." Respondents identified six component challenges:
- Attracting visitors to their booths
- Attracting the right ones
- Engaging them
- Qualifying them
- Tracking them
- Following up
While they grouse mightily, many exhibitors hold onto the very practices that assure failure. Most:
- Pick shows wrong for their products
- Set no objectives, or unmeasurable ones
- Fail to promote their presence
- Mount unwelcoming exhibits
- Muddle their message
- Assign booth duty to novice salespeople
- Forget to turn the salespeople into a team
- Turn off or simply ignore passers-by
- Produce distracting stunts
- Make giveaways a focal point
- Annoy visitors with stupid questions
- Neglect to ask strategic questions
- Refuse to automate lead capture
- Dump leads on salespeople after the event
- Allow leads to go un-nurtured
Exhibitors who bungle their part are like the substance abuser.
Each one of the bad habits is easy to kick, but the abuser's addicted to her self-pity.
Complaining isn't a strategy.
