803: How to Engage People at Trade Shows, with Robyn Davis

Dave Stachowiak [00:00:00]:
Almost every professional has been to a trade show, and a lot of us have represented our organizations at conferences and shows. And many leaders have trade shows somewhere in their portfolios. In this episode, how to help your team engage the right people at these events to ensure the investment you’ve made is worth it. This is Coaching for Leaders, Episode 803.

Dave Stachowiak [00:00:24]:
Production Credit: Produced by Innovate Learning, Maximizing Human Potential.

Dave Stachowiak [00:00:32]:
Greetings to you from Orange County, California. This is Coaching for Leaders, and I’m your host, Dave Stachowiak. Leaders aren’t born; they’re made. And this weekly show helps leaders thrive at key inflection points. You know, one of the things that is a really important point for many of us, many of our organizations, many of our teams throughout the year is attending events, specifically trade shows. Many organizations, many industries do this as a regular practice, especially it’s often a tradition in many organizations to go to certain events and certain shows. And often, we don’t think about the bigger picture strategy of what our teams, our organizations are getting out of those shows. And how do we actually approach it in a way that’s going to be so beneficial to the people we’re serving, our teams and our organizations.

Dave Stachowiak [00:01:22]:
And that’s why I’m so glad today to welcome an expert who is just so savvy at helping us and helping organizations to think through this and to do it well. I’m pleased to introduce Robyn Davis. Robyn has been advising exhibitors across industries and around the world on strategies that work at trade shows since 2009. As an award-winning speaker, trainer, and consultant, Robyn is known for her fresh perspective and process-driven approach to exhibitor success. She is the author of Exhibit Smarter: A Step-by-Step Guide to Trade Show Success. Hey Robyn, so glad to have you on the show.

Robyn Davis [00:01:56]:
Hey, Dave, thanks for including me.

Dave Stachowiak [00:01:58]:
I am so looking forward to this conversation because this is one of those topics that I think a lot of leaders overlook. And when I think about your work and so many of the wonderful invitations you make to leaders who are thinking about doing this better, one of the distinctions I hear from you is that to really think about prioritizing strategic value over the vanity metrics, the fun things, the giveaways, those kinds of things that a lot of people do at trade shows. You really invite people to think big. That’s so important for this, isn’t it?

Robyn Davis [00:02:35]:
I agree. I think that a lot of professionals and leaders get so caught up in what they’re doing on a day-to-day basis that they forget that a trade show is more than just a few days in a convention city. They get used to showing up on site and thinking that will be enough because that’s the big part that you see that people talk about so much. But really, it’s about the preparation and the planning several months in advance and the follow-up that comes after the show, not to mention your evaluation, which tells you whether or not you can improve year after year. So I think where there is a lot more that should go into a trade show than most people do.

Dave Stachowiak [00:03:07]:
And there’s also this trap that a lot of organizations fall into, and you talk about this a bunch in your work, that of making things really fun and memorable and doing giveaways. And you talk about some of the interesting things people do at booths of bringing in puppies and giving out keychains and like all that stuff. And people really like that. Like, they like the experience of it, and yet they don’t connect it back to the organization very often, do they?

Robyn Davis [00:03:34]:
Oh, that’s so true. I see that often. I actually have a phrase for it. I call it the Robyn Davis test. When you’re trying to decide what you want to do at your booth, if you are giving away an attraction or you’re giving away some sort of swag, you’re hosting some sort of attraction that I, Robyn Davis, would want and I would take my time to stand in line for, then it’s probably not the right fit for you. I am not a good customer for most of the exhibitors I work with at trade shows. And so I’ve stood in line to win prizes for my nephews. I have toy trucks that I bring home to them and stuffed animals.

Robyn Davis [00:04:09]:
I also have a big screen TV that I use in my office because I was working in an exhibitor’s booth. And the booth next to me was giving a TV away.

Dave Stachowiak [00:04:18]:
Oh, wow.

Robyn Davis [00:04:19]:
And I entered the drawing and they drew my name. And because I had been doing such a good job in our booth, everyone knew me. And so they were like, oh, we know Robyn, she’s right there. And so I won this TV and I’m sure the company didn’t want me to win their prize. But the prize they were giving away was something I wanted. And so they asked me to enter.

Dave Stachowiak [00:04:38]:
Yeah, it, I think it really speaks to the— if you don’t approach a trade show with a plan and with a strategy and you don’t think through the how we actually are showing up at this event, we sort of— a lot of us default into the human like, hey, how are you enjoying the show? Let’s make sure people win stuff and have a good time and all that. And again, all that’s good, but it often sidesteps the bigger picture, the more strategic parts of it. And it’s one of the reasons I wanted to look at the actual booth experience today, because I think that’s one of those things that, oftentimes, people show up for an event like this or a leader has a team that’s showing up and they think about, okay, who needs to staff the booth and who’s going to this event and who isn’t? But there’s not a lot of thought sometimes beyond that of what do people actually do when they show up at an event?

Robyn Davis [00:05:29]:
Yes, I see that often where even they’re not always thinking so thoughtfully about who’s coming. It’s people they always bring or it’s whoever lives the closest, whoever’s niece lives nearby that they can pop into the booth, someone who makes it easy on them. And so that can also be a tradition, but I agree that once you get into the booth, your efforts for your team onsite are really what’s going to determine your reputation and results more so than anything else you’ve done in conjunction with your trade show. So it’s crucial that they are properly prepared and that they do their best work onsite. One of the biggest challenges I see with exhibitors is that they start those conversations so casually. They’ll say something like, “Hi”, or “Are you enjoying the show?” Or “I like your shoes” as people walk by, but you only have 3.5 seconds to draw someone’s attention.

Dave Stachowiak [00:06:22]:
Hmm.

Robyn Davis [00:06:22]:
And so, if your team isn’t prepared with something relevant to say to the people who approach your booth, a lot of attendees will just keep walking. You’ll miss them before they have a chance to notice who you are or what you do. It’s the same thing with those attractions we’re talking about. If you’re starting by saying like, “hey, do you want our free giveaway?” Sure. Someone like me who is looking for treats for their nieces and nephews will say, of course I’d love it. But a real decision maker, they don’t have time for that. They’re going to keep walking.

Dave Stachowiak [00:06:52]:
One of the things you said a moment ago is the importance of thinking about the planning, the strategy leading up to an event the weeks and months beforehand. And then, of course, there’s a ton to do to maximize the value that an organization gets in the days and weeks and months after an event too. And we’re sort of going to intentionally set a little bit of that aside for this conversation and zero in on what you just said, which is the actual experience of being there in the booth. If you and your team, or maybe you’re just supporting a team that’s doing this, because that’s one of the most visible places in this. And I think if you can do that well, you can actually open up some opportunities to start to do some of the bigger things better. And you zeroed in on one of the first steps you talk about in the book, which is the welcome and how so many people, when they’re interacting with people who show up at their booths at trade shows, you know, we’ll do the hi, how you doing, how you enjoying the show, those kinds of things. You invite us to have a really solid opening question.

Dave Stachowiak [00:07:52]:
What does that sound like?

Robyn Davis [00:07:55]:
So, I have tested this over lots of different shows and lots of different industries. And I keep coming back to the same few phrases that really work as an opening question is what I like to do. So your opening question will be, are you looking for, are you interested in, or have you considered? And then you insert whatever your product category or type of offering is for them. So are you looking for new ways to grow your business? Which is very, very general. And so that would apply to almost anyone, which means it’s not the right fit for you, but something super specific about your business that you can say, are you looking for this? Are you interested in that? And that’s something something that will draw the right people in and help the wrong people decide to keep walking.

Dave Stachowiak [00:08:37]:
And the people who, and that’s a good outcome, by the way, like either one of those is you want the people who aren’t interested to keep walking. You don’t want to spend 10 or 15 minutes talking to them. It’s not of service to you. It’s not of service to them. And then you miss the opportunity to talk to the person that was probably the right person to talk to. But on the other side, the person who says yes to that question and is a potentially good fit, you sort of warn us that the tendency is for us to jump in and right away start explaining the product or service and kind of launching into whatever the message is. What’s the better way to approach that?

Robyn Davis [00:09:15]:
I think a lot of companies do come to trade shows. This is the part they do prepare. They’ve got their elevator pitch ready. They know what they’re going to say. They know what their demonstration is. They know everything they want to tell someone. But like you noted, it’s really just not very productive because you only have such a short time with your visitors. I would argue 10 or 15 minutes with anyone is too long to spend in conversation, especially in that initial part in your booth.

Robyn Davis [00:09:40]:
We’re looking at 5, maybe 10 minutes after you’re get— as you’re getting through this qualifying process with serious contacts. If it’s someone who’s not relevant, it’s going to be a much, much shorter conversation than that. So, once you get past the, are you looking for this? And they say yes, then instead of jumping in with everything you do, I just want you to give them one confirmation sentence. So they say, are you— you say, are you looking for this? They say yes. And you say, great, that’s what we do. And so your sentence just confirms that they’re in the right place, and that should give them enough to go off of that they feel confident sharing their situation with you so that you can help them. Your goal at the beginning is to understand who they are and what they’re looking for. What their business goals are so that you can decide whether or not you’re able to support them properly.

Dave Stachowiak [00:10:29]:
And you have a pro tip in this part of the process that says finish sentences with a pause. So often we just start talking and we start talking and the pause gives us a chance to actually engage in a dialogue versus it being a lecture or a monologue at the other person.

Robyn Davis [00:10:45]:
Yes, it is common for me, even in this conversation, to be practicing making sure I’m pausing so that you can finish your thoughts of what I’m saying and then respond accordingly. So, when you’re in the booth and you ask a question or you make a statement, you have to give the other person time to absorb that. There’s a lot going on at trade shows. It’s very distracting and very overwhelming, even as an attendee, to soak everything in and then collect their thoughts and have something to say back. So, don’t rush your sentences together. Don’t rush your questions together. Give them a little bit of a time and they will interject, especially if they’re relevant and they have something to contribute that’s helpful.

Dave Stachowiak [00:11:25]:
So, step 1, have that clear opening question, and step 2, you say, is qualifying. And this is something as I was thinking about and just thinking about experiences I’ve had at trade shows, both showing up and also being in booths in the past, I thought, “huh, I haven’t often thought about qualifying as step 2. I’ve often thought about that, or I’ve worked with teams where it’s It’s, it’s later on, it’s after the event, kind of going through the process of deciding who’s a good person to follow up with”. But you put it here near the beginning. First of all, what does qualifying mean for those who don’t know, and why is it here early on?

Robyn Davis [00:12:03]:
I think it’s really interesting that you have that approach and that that’s the approach you’re used to. I’m sure lots of other people do it that way too. But for me, qualifying is how you’re going to categorize your contacts according to multiple factors. So I use what I call a hot to not scale, but you can call them ABC leads, whatever you like. But the idea is that you’re going to assess the people in front of you to determine whether or not they’re relevant. And if they are relevant, how relevant they are, and how much they can help you or have the potential to help you achieve your goals. And so that way, when you’re at a trade show, you’re kind of like you’re in triage.

Robyn Davis [00:12:38]:
You have to spend your time with the most relevant people, and then we can move on to other people after that. And so, just being able to prioritize in your space, that’s where qualifying comes from, and that’s why we do it at the beginning so that you know how to allocate your time in your booth.

Dave Stachowiak [00:12:53]:
And, and this probably invites the obvious next step, which is you have to go in thinking about what actually that hot versus not scale is, or ABC, or however you categorize it in the moment. And this is the kind of thing that I’m, I think, just thinking of my own experience and anecdotally talking to leaders, I don’t think a lot of times people think about or really have a system for this. So actually creating a system of what are we looking for and what are, what’s some of the rubric around that, that sounds really important.

Robyn Davis [00:13:23]:
It is so important. This is one of the things that I see being the biggest point of contention between teams in trade show booths. So if your staff is eager to participate, a lot of times attendees will come up and they will seem really excited about something. And so your staff may mark them as a hotter lead than they actually are, just because their enthusiasm makes them feel like great people that you want to spend more time with. Friends in the industry, people who can refer you, people who want jobs or students, things like that. They are not leads at all. So I put them in that not category, but if they’re friendly enough and they sound like they know someone who could buy something, a lot of times, booth staffers will think, oh, this is a warm or a hot lead, and they’re definitely not.

Robyn Davis [00:14:09]:
So, having that really clear criteria of who is the most relevant to you, looking at your budget or deal size, your timeline, some other factors, that will help you to organize the contacts you have and to be able to follow up with them appropriately as well. So, the key here is to make sure your team is all on board as to what each category represents. And if you have clearly defined criteria for each category, then you’re going to be able to reinforce that with them, and you won’t have as much disagreement in your booth amongst your team members.

Dave Stachowiak [00:14:43]:
This strikes me as something that in a way it seems so obvious, and yet because so often it’s not really thought through or maybe not done at all, we default back to what you describe as someone is really friendly, they’re nice, they’re an industry contact, whatever, and we only index on the emotional reaction we’ve had, and we don’t think about the bigger picture strategy, more of the logical side of this. And it’s, it’s not that it’s an either or, it’s a both and. And we’re, we’re just making the invitation of think through that logical framework, that rubric, because if you do, even if you do that imperfectly, you’re going to do such a better job of identifying and understanding what are the right connections for your organization.

Robyn Davis [00:15:24]:
Yes, I think that you’ll see that a lot throughout this book, throughout trade shows in general. There are a lot of things that feel really comfortable once you get into them. They feel like they should be obvious. They’re easy to relate to, and I do that intentionally, not only because it’s what works best, but also the way we explain it. My degree’s in aerospace engineering, and so having that structure in what I’m doing makes it easier for everyone to learn from it. So, I hope that the leaders who are listening to this will take that internally to their own team. Trade shows aren’t supposed to be so complicated and overwhelming, so if that’s how you’re feeling, it’s totally normal, but it’s not what it’s supposed to be. We can do so much better than this.

Robyn Davis [00:16:07]:
So, I hope that they’ll take these simple steps and reflect and say, “Hey, this feels really complicated. Maybe we’re doing the wrong thing and need to readjust”.

Dave Stachowiak [00:16:15]:
Yeah, indeed. Well, that’s why I’m so glad you’re sharing this because I think, you know, again, once you think through it, it’s okay, yeah, we should have been doing this all along, but oftentimes we just don’t think to do that. And speaking of a next step, so, there’s the welcome, there’s qualifying, and then there is a step that you call in-booth introductions. Tell me about what that means.

Robyn Davis [00:16:34]:
Okay. So, have you ever had the situation where you are trying to solve a problem with your cable company or your credit card company or something like that, and you call them on the phone and you talk to one person, you tell them your whole life story, your mother’s maiden name, all the information they’ve asked for, and then they transfer you?

Dave Stachowiak [00:16:53]:
Yeah.

Robyn Davis [00:16:55]:
And you expect that the next person will know all of those things because you just spent so much time so thoughtfully going through all of these answers, and they don’t.

Dave Stachowiak [00:17:03]:
Nope. Nope. They never do.

Robyn Davis [00:17:05]:
No. And so I feel like in a trade show booth, it’s kind of like that, where someone will walk up, they’ll start this conversation with your team. They’ll tell them everything because they really do want whatever it is you’re selling and they’re interested to learn more about it. But then the person who welcomed them is not the person who can be the best helper to them. And so, that staffer introduces them to someone else on your team, often to someone like you as a leader, who is expecting the person to retell their whole life story so you can be helpful to them. It is so much worse to have that experience in person in a trade show booth than you would even on your phone, even after you’ve been transferred. For an hour talking to all of these customer support people. So, in your booth, I use the in-booth introduction period, which happens right after qualifying, to be able to make those connections more seamless.

Robyn Davis [00:17:58]:
So, whoever met the booth visitor is going to be responsible for them until they are settled into their next conversation. So, whether they’re introducing to a leader on the team or someone new on the team or an engineer or anyone else, who is better suited to address that attendee, it’s the staffer’s responsibility to make the introduction, to summarize what happened in the conversation, what you already know, and to suggest what the next step is that would be most appropriate. That sets up the conversation quickly. You can likely summarize much more quickly for what your team actually needs to know, so you’re cutting out all of that extra information that people say because they don’t know what you need to know. And then be able to set up your colleague to have a more productive interaction.

Dave Stachowiak [00:18:45]:
You do such a beautiful job in the book of like really illustrating this, of like walking the person over, introducing both parties to each other, summarizing the conversation that happened. And again, it’s quick. It’s 15, 20 seconds, maybe 30 at the most. But you’re, one, you’re saving time, you’re making it so much more efficient for everyone involved, the perspective customer, client, the person who’s interested, but also your own team. But the other thing is, to your point, it’s such a better experience when someone does that well. And we all have had the— except the cable example is just perfect. We’ve all had the experience and we’re so used to it not happening that way of having to re-explain our story.

Dave Stachowiak [00:19:26]:
So when someone does it well and just takes 15, 20 seconds to summarize and to make an introduction, it leaves such a great impression on the other party, and boy, you start in such a wonderful place and then it’s efficient too.

Robyn Davis [00:19:41]:
Yes, I think these process pieces shouldn’t be something people notice. They should be so seamless within your team that the attendees don’t realize that you’re doing all of this to support them. It’s just a smooth part of your process. It’s kind of like padded carpet in your booth. It’s something I recommend not for your team because your team should be ready to stand all day or take breaks and swap out so their legs are comfortable. But for your attendees. They walk on concrete all day to get from booth to booth. They get to your booth and it’s got that extra cushioning on it.

Robyn Davis [00:20:14]:
I know it’s expensive, but in my opinion, very worth it. And they have that relaxing, like, “Ooh” sort of feeling coming into your space so they can focus on you more. They don’t necessarily know that it’s the carpet that’s doing it. They don’t necessarily notice that it’s your team that’s making the introduction so smooth for a handoff, but they do remember when they leave that their conversation felt more productive, and they felt more comfortable with you, and they enjoyed their time with you more than they did in a different booth. So even if they don’t know exactly why it’s better, they do have that feeling that comes with them.

Dave Stachowiak [00:20:51]:
Well, and everything you just said comes back to where we started of the strategy behind this, right? The strategy is not for people to like be wowed and win a TV and whatever, right? I mean, those are fun things, but the strategy is actually for to have an engagement and a connection that’s genuine with the right people. And so you may not do a TV giveaway, but you might spend more money on the carpet because that actually leads to the outcome you want, which is connecting people, helping them feel welcome and everything we’ve talked about. And in order to do it seamlessly, part of this— I mean, this is just one of those things I think like an in-booth introduction in the process we just talked through, almost nobody talks that through in advance, right, as their team. Like, how are we going to When we transition conversations, how are we going to actually do that? What’s our expectation? I just think it’s, it’s such a missed thing, but that one thing sets you apart so much from so many other people that are at the event.

Robyn Davis [00:21:44]:
These pieces feel easy because you do them in real life, but you don’t do them the same way you do at trade shows. Trade shows are a whole different environment. It takes me back to when I talk about training and the importance of training for your staff. A lot of leaders will say, “Well, I already paid for sales training”, or “I already paid for product training”. My team should know how to talk to other people. They’re adults. They should feel responsible for themselves. And to some effect, that is true.

Robyn Davis [00:22:11]:
They are responsible for themselves. A lot of those skills are transferable. But when we don’t take a step back and say, how do things work in the trade show environment, when our goals are different, the world is different there, how can we make this the best experience possible? Your team needs that extra advice and support along the way. And so really digging into what they need to know as it relates to your audience instead of just what they need to know is a huge distinction that most companies totally overlook just because they’re so used to doing it the other way.

Dave Stachowiak [00:22:44]:
The next step, step 4, is next steps. And one of the next steps that often will happen at a trade show, especially if it’s with the right person, the right connection, is an onsite appointment. And you remind us that these should be really short. What’s important about it being short?

Robyn Davis [00:23:01]:
Yes, it’s important that they’re short because you have so many people to see and so many things to do. Plus attendees are so overwhelmed, their attention spans are tough to keep up during a trade show with so many tiny conversations all day, that if you don’t make the conversation short, then you get to that point of diminishing return. Where you’re going to be having a conversation, it’s going to be interesting and helpful, but you’ve already achieved the goal in the first 5 or 10 minutes. And so, the next 20, 32 hours, however much longer you’re talking to them, isn’t actually productive at a trade show. And so, having more short conversations, where you can say something impactful, you can have a point of connection, and then you see that person again at another point throughout the show, even if they’re coming back to continue the conversation after they’ve had some reflection or seen a different booth or visited with their coworkers, is going to progress your conversation and your ultimate sales and buying cycle much faster than if you have one long conversation in the booth. Again, this is kind of that difference between long-term efforts and trade show efforts that we all get so used to. In the real world, if you can get someone to spend more time with you in a row, that means they must be enjoying what you’re saying. They must be finding it helpful.

Robyn Davis [00:24:15]:
They must want to be with you. But at a trade show, if they’re spending more time with you, that means that neither of you are getting your other goals accomplished. And so, as I mentioned, eventually you’re just running out of opportunity to be impactful. And so, having those little conversations is much better, whether they’re in your booth or at other places throughout the event.

Dave Stachowiak [00:24:33]:
That’s why I’m so glad we’re talking about this, because sometimes the things we normally just think to do out of habit in a different context actually can be counterproductive. And speaking of counterproductive, one of the things that happens- It’s not with every organization, it really obviously depends on the product or service and the organization that’s doing something. But oftentimes, there’s some opportunity to do some kind of a demo at a booth. And one of the things that you suggest that we do is involve the other party in the demo and ask questions along the way. What’s so significant about involving them in it?

Robyn Davis [00:25:08]:
For one thing, it’s going to be different from what they see at their other booths. This is where, as I mentioned, people feel really prepared. So, companies will come with their pitch, with their demo, they’ve got it ready to go. And so, when you flip the script and you instead say, “Hey, tell me what you’re interested in about this type of solution?”, or “Tell me what your biggest pain points are so we can see if any of those are in this solution”, or even when you say, “Hey, this is where you click on the screen”, and you point at it and you say, “would you like to do the clicking?” Then they get to be a part of it. So, it changes it from you just talking at them like everyone else to them feeling a bit of ownership over the solution already, and imagining what it would be like in the real world if they were already utilizing your solution. So, at a trade show, we have the opportunity to immerse people in our solutions and the other experiences that we’re trying to create. And so, we wanna take advantage of that. I don’t know why we would do it the regular long-term way in a different format. It’d feel like a big missed opportunity to me.

Dave Stachowiak [00:26:10]:
Yeah, and part of what I hear in what you’ve said too is that there’s, I think a lot of times we, especially a trade show where things are very visible, we kind of want everything just to look perfect and to perfectly demo something, and it feels nice to have something look perfect, but actually the experience that a person has, who’s just coming to meet for the first time, even if it’s less perfect, even if it’s clunky, even if you make some mistakes, their involvement, like, really kind of supersedes the perfection piece. Like, it’s better for them to have ownership over something that they’re kind of thinking through with you versus you demoing it perfectly without their involvement.

Robyn Davis [00:26:51]:
Right, and you are totally right on that. I said, I don’t know why anyone would do it this way, but that is why they would do it this way. A lot of people want that control. They want to feel like they’ve done a good job and they’re putting themselves forward in the best way they possibly can. I can relate to that a lot. I don’t do a lot of interviews and I do a lot more presentations where I can have my notes in front of me. I know what I’m talking about and all of that sort of thing. So, I get it, where that tendency comes from, but from the audience’s perspective, as the attendees who walk up to your booth, they don’t know what perfect is.

Robyn Davis [00:27:26]:
They don’t know what it’s supposed to look like or which talking points were important for you to communicate. They just know what their problem is. And they wanna find out whether or not you have a solution. So when you approach these opportunities at trade shows from their perspective and you say, what if instead of trying to push our products and sell so heavily and get our message out, we listened and tried to serve our audience so that we could support them more? And then throughout the rest of the year, throughout the rest of the week, them getting what they need will lead them to wanting more from us. So we’ll have an opportunity. This isn’t going away. You’re gonna get to say everything you need or want to say at some point. But in the trade show environment, it’s much more effective to focus on your audience in those bite-sized pieces so that you can provide what they need and then have that be enough for what it is, even if it’s not everything you wanted to say.

Dave Stachowiak [00:28:18]:
And speaking of enough, then there is the closing and moving on to the next conversation. And you write on this: there are 5 parts to an effective close in the trade show environment: say thank you, trade business cards, confirm the accuracy of your notes, suggest appropriate next steps, and leave gracefully. It isn’t very complicated, but it’s easy to get distracted and forget. And when I think about those 5 things, I’m like, yeah, it all makes sense. And yet almost always doesn’t happen any of those or sometimes all of them. It just, it gets back to thinking through like, okay, what’s the process we’re going to use to end a conversation?

Robyn Davis [00:28:55]:
Yes, I think that this is one of those overlooked pieces where people think that they do it so much in the real world and they forget that there’s a process and a structure to it. I know a lot of what we’ve been talking about is that it feels very fluid in a trade show because it’s so adaptable. And as leaders, hopefully we see that disconnect and experience it as less than a disconnect in our real life because we have to be adaptable, but we know we have our structure beneath it so that everything runs smoothly. That’s just part of our doing business normally. And at a trade show, We put in all these processes so that we don’t miss anything as we’re moving forward. So, for example, it’s really easy when you’re in your booth to find one conversation ending because another conversation is about to begin. Someone walks up, they’re almost interrupting you in your current conversation, and so you quickly turn to them and say, yeah, thanks, have a good day, and then you’re on to your next conversation, but you haven’t checked your notes, you haven’t done a lot of these things that are important to that one conversation. So, each person you’re with should be the most important person you’re with until you’ve completely closed out, and then you can move on to the next one.

Robyn Davis [00:30:05]:
But if you don’t do these closing steps, then it’s likely that you’re going to miss some of that feeling for the person who’s leaving, but also some of your good note-taking and some of your setting yourself up for success moving forward with that particular contact.

Dave Stachowiak [00:30:20]:
I am a checklist geek, and so I oftentimes will have like checklists pulled up for conversations and meetings, and I found over the years that like when I even tell people I’m using a checklist, like, okay, let me see what I missed on my list. People are fine with that. And in fact, often really appreciate it. Like, “Oh wow, he has a process. He’s using something and going through”. And I’ve even done that in person. And I think you could have a little card with, okay, here’s the 5 things I want to make sure to close out with you. It shows respect for the relationship and the connection you just had.

Dave Stachowiak [00:30:47]:
And even if you do have a card or a little checklist, great. So much better than just, you know, like you said, the interruption happens all of a sudden, the conversation, someone walks away and you don’t really have that closing part. And if you’ve got something just as a, as a little reminder for you to do that. What a great place to start!

Robyn Davis [00:31:03]:
Yeah. A lot of the trade shows that you work with, they’ll have an option to build that into your lead retrieval system. That’s the thing where you can scan someone’s badge and take notes about them. You don’t have to do it that way. There are a few other ways you could do it instead, but it is typically what I recommend. And so, when you pull out your phone to scan someone’s badge, you’ll see kind of the normal way to do that is people will walk into a booth and you’ll just have a phone come at you to be scanning your badge, and it’s awkward and uncomfortable, but everyone kind of accepts that that’s just how it’s done. Instead, as a part of this process, I typically recommend scanning a badge early so that you can take notes throughout the conversation, but you’ll introduce that. “I don’t want to forget anything we’re talking about today.

Robyn Davis [00:31:44]:
I want to make sure that I follow up with you properly. I want to make sure I get you the help you’re asking for. Do you mind if I take notes on our conversation? Do you mind if I scan your badge so that I can be more engaged in what we’re doing here?” And then at the end, that’s when we trade business cards and we look back through the notes that you’ve taken throughout the conversation to say, it was nice to meet you, and I want to make sure I got this down properly. I agree that idea of respecting the person in front of you really should come through strongly at the end here, because that’s one of the biggest opportunities, I think, for them to feel a sense of risk. They have been through the conversation, even if you did a great job and everything. Now they have to trust that you’re going to choose to follow up as they’ve asked with whatever else they needed. I’ve been in situations before on the attendee side, where I’ve gone to a booth, I’ve been really excited about a solution I could use for my business, and then later not heard back from them and not been able to find them.

Dave Stachowiak [00:32:42]:
Hmm.

Robyn Davis [00:32:42]:
So, even going out of my way to try and get the solution I knew I wanted, based on our conversation, I couldn’t find them. And so they lost the business, I ended up working with a different provider, and I’d hate for that to happen to anyone who’s listening today.

Dave Stachowiak [00:32:57]:
Well, speaking of people listening, I know there are folks listening who have a trade show coming up. This is part of their team’s portfolio and are hearing this conversation and thinking, “Wow, there’s a bunch like we haven’t thought to do and starting points for this and putting together the framework for this”. And when you’re working with a team who’s going to show up at an event like this and think through this, what helps just as a starting point, just to get people doing some of this a little bit better as far as either training or coaching on this that, that you find is really helpful?

Robyn Davis [00:33:27]:
So one of the easiest places to start is just by opening up your calendar, especially leaders who are super busy, whether you’re delegating this to someone else or you’re doing it yourself, but set a coffee date every week, every other week, something like that to get started where all you do is focus on your particular trade show. This is going to set you ahead of a lot of other people, who just kind of try and keep up with emails as they come in and then scramble to get set on site. But starting early, making sure you’ve got your calendar entry where you have dedicated time to focus on your trade show means that you’re not going to lose anything along the way. You’re going to have space to brainstorm and imagine, you’re going to have opportunities to really dig into your goals and figure out how you get closer to them. Some of that, I call it a coffee date time because I like to do it outside of the office where it’s a special time that you’re focusing on your trade show. Since this is, it can be otherwise so hectic, and trade shows are different from everything else you’re doing in your business. So it’s nice to have that little change of scenery, but you can have your coffee date with yourself wherever you like, and just sit down and think about it. Go through the emails you received, go through your goals, go through your upcoming action steps. In the book, you’ll find my strategic exhibiting timeline, so you’ll know exactly what you’re supposed to be working on at any given time.

Robyn Davis [00:34:40]:
And you’re right, there’s so much that goes into a successful trade show. It can feel super overwhelming, but just taking those little tiny approach should make it feel a little bit smoother. And then by the time you get on site, you won’t be scrambling and overwhelmed. You’ll be confident that you did the right things. And so, you know what’s going to happen because you put in the work.

Dave Stachowiak [00:35:01]:
Brilliant. And I’m going to add, getting your book, we are hitting on just a few pages out of the book because we’re just zeroing in on that. You know, that 5 or 10-minute action in the booth. And there’s a ton to do the weeks, the months before and afterwards. I mean, you lay out the entire process. And if you or your team have any sort of involvement in a trade show or you have another leader who’s involved in managing this, absolutely follow this process because it’s going to be- to really lay it all out for you. And boy, I mean, to your point you’ve made in this conversation and both of us have seen, even if you just did one or two things differently through this process, you set yourself apart from so many other organizations and you have better conversations, and you ultimately do what’s going to be beneficial to the business. Robyn Davis is the author of Exhibit Smarter: A Step-by-Step Guide to Trade Show Success.

Dave Stachowiak [00:35:48]:
Robyn, thank you so much for sharing your expertise with us. I so appreciate it.

Robyn Davis [00:35:51]:
Absolutely wonderful to chat with you. Thank you for having me.

Dave Stachowiak [00:36:00]:
In this conversation with Robyn, we hit on elements of sales and marketing and, of course, networking, too. 3 other episodes I think will be helpful to you on all of those topics to continue to move you forward. One of them is episode 381: No conversation about marketing is ever complete without Seth Godin’s wisdom. He’s been on the show a number of times over the years. The first time he was on was that episode where we talked about serving others through marketing. And Seth made the point that the world is fragmented into so many small groups these day, there’s no more mass market.

Dave Stachowiak [00:36:33]:
And thinking about marketing that way is not helpful anymore. In episode 381, we talked about what the new reality of marketing looks like, and how you can do a better job of serving in that reality. Also recommended episode 664: The Reason People Make Buying Decisions. Marcus Collins was my guest on that episode. And he made the point that a lot of us, certainly many leaders, assume that people love their brands and organizations, but actually that’s not really true. It’s not so much about the brand, it’s about how people view themselves. That’s a subtle but significant distinction Marcus makes in his work and how we show up in the world to market what we’re doing. Whether you’re a for-profit, a nonprofit, a government agency, it applies everywhere.

Dave Stachowiak [00:37:17]:
Episode 664 for that. And then finally, I’d recommend the work of Matt Dixon on episode 736: How High Performers Land New Business. Matt and his team looked at what is working for salespeople these days and how they are landing business and also, what doesn’t work. He’s the author, him and his team, of The Challenger Sale, also more recently, The Activator Advantage. We talked about some of the key concepts and skills these days. A number of you reached out who, either are doing sales, or have sales as part of your portfolio and mentioned how useful that conversation was and so much of the research and the material in his book, episode 736 for that. All those episodes you can find on the coachingforleaders.com website. And I’m inviting you today, if you haven’t already, to set up your free membership at coachingforleaders.com, because it’s going to give you access to the entire library, searchable by topic.

Dave Stachowiak [00:38:10]:
But I’d also invite you to take the next step and join us inside Coaching for Leaders Plus because, in addition to all the benefits inside the free membership, there’s several other benefits that Coaching for Leaders Plus opens up to you. One of them is access to my weekly journal entries. I am writing an entry every single week on a specific topic and sending it directly to your inbox to zero in on something I think will be immediately helpful to you. And most recently, I sent out a message, just a quick read on the reality of change and how do you handle it when you have a team in front of you that you’ve announced a change to, you or your organization, and you’ve got a few people who are really excited about it, and you’ve got a few people who are really not excited about it, and a whole bunch of other people that are somewhere in between and could go either way. Where do you start? We talk through that step by step in one of the recent entries. You can find that and more and so many other resources inside Coaching for Leaders Plus. Details at coachingforleaders.com. Coaching for Leaders is edited today, as always, by the wonderful Andrew Kroeger.

Dave Stachowiak [00:39:14]:
Thank you, Andrew, as always, for your work. Next Monday, I’m glad to welcome Caroline Webb to the show. We are going to be talking about a topic that is critical for every leader: how to repair a stakeholder relationship. Join me for that conversation with Caroline. Have a great week, and see you back on Monday.