This document provides tips for exhibitors at a trade show to improve their boothmanship and sales performance. It recommends acknowledging all visitors promptly, standing up to greet people, never eating or drinking in the booth, being available to answer questions at all times, limiting personal phone calls and conversations, and following up with all leads within 10 days of the show. Following these tips can help exhibitors qualify more leads and close more sales from the trade show.

1. Boothmanship Put the power of face-to-face marketing to work for you. A presentation for CIPH Trade Show Exhibitors by the Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating

2. Thank you for exhibiting in Western Canada’s largest plumbing, hydronics, HVACR and water treatment trade show.

3. Plumbing Heating Air Conditioning Refrigeration Ventilation Kitchen & Bath CIPHEX visitors come from all industry sectors. Hydronics Pipe, Valve & Fittings Water Treatment Education Solar Geothermal

4. Each sector sends their decision-makers to the show. These are the people whose buying decisions affect your bottom line. Planning and preparation can help your sales staff qualify more leads and close more sales.

5. 3,000 visitors are expected – here’s the percentage breakdown from 2010

6. CIPHEX visitors are qualified buyers. 53% of visitor’s companies purchase more than $5 million in industry products each year.

9. Here’s a few simple ways that you and your sales staff can be more effective at CIPHEX West.

10. Acknowledge people when they enter your booth The average visitor will wait less than 1 minute to speak with a booth staffer. Make every guest in your booth feel important. If you are speaking with someone else, acknowledge a prospect waiting in your booth immediately… even just to say “I’ll be with you in just a moment.” Plan to have enough staff in your booth to ensure prompt welcoming and qualifying of every visitor.

11. Stand up! Prospects are far less likely to approach you if you are seated. If seating is essential, especially later in the show when feet and backs get tired, consider using a stool, so that you can remain at eye level with prospects.

12. Never eat or drink in your booth It looks unprofessional and can make your booth look untidy if dishes are visible. Make sure you have enough staff working at the show so that everyone has sufficient time for meal breaks.

13. Be ready for prospects at all times Visitors will not interrupt booth staff who are in conversation with a co-worker… or worse yet, checking email! They’ll just move on to the next booth, which might be your competitor’s! A few minutes in idle conversation with a co-worker, or online, can mean lost sales.

14. Do not talk on your cell phone in the booth Unless you want the person standing in your booth to think that you are not interested in doing business with them!

15. Limit time with current customers and colleagues You have a limited number of selling hours at the show so make the most of the time available. Make appointments to get together with current customers, co-workers and industry friends outside of show hours so that you can focus on new customers and leads during the day.

16. And finally… after the show… FOLLOW UP WITH EACH AND EVERY LEAD

17. Follow up with leads within 10 days of the show and you will be ahead of 90% of your competition.

18. Thank you for exhibiting in CIPHEX West 2012. We appreciate your business – and are committed to helping you have a successful and profitable show experience.