In my experience working with exhibitors, I’ve encountered some interesting scenarios with salespeople serving as booth staff.  Salespeople are obviously vital to every organization’s growth. They serve a crucial role in building business with prospective clients and strengthening relationships with current clients. So it makes sense for them to staff your exhibit.

But what do trade show attendees want from the exhibition hall? Trade show attendees have many reasons for visiting exhibitors, among them:

• Learning about new product and service innovations
• Hands-on interaction with product offerings
• Shopping for solutions to current problems
• Gathering information on industry trends
• Enhancing/establishing relationships

Notice the list does not include being “sold to”.  So why do some exhibitors staff their booth only with salespeople? 

Team selling can be more effective for both the exhibitor and the attendee. Team selling involves staffing the exhibit with salespeople and technical experts. I’ve observed this approach used effectively by many clients. Here’s why.

Sales people tend to have high social skills for initial conversations and they know how to qualify prospects.

Technical staff possess deep product knowledge beyond the shallow information normally available on a company’s website. Attendees want to converse with technical experts about their specific challenges and needs.  Your technical experts are best equipped to quickly and skillfully answer their questions. 

A team selling approach to booth staffing enables attendees to organically move forward through the sales process.

Have Salespeople:

• Approach and greet prospects with an open-ended question that serves to start-up a conversation.
• Qualify visitors at the point of entry
• Gain an understanding what the attendee is looking for
• Following qualification, introduce and hand-off attendees to technical experts

Have Technical Experts

• Conduct a personalized or small group demo 
• Address inquiries and concerns of the attendees
• Return attendees to salepeople to identify next steps for follow up after the show

By maximizing the combined skill sets of salespeople and technical experts, the attendee client journey will be easier, more streamlined, and therefore, more effective.  Demos increase the number of interactions and memorability which advances the sales cycle and potential for increasing exhibitor ROI.

Happy Team Selling!