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STARTING OUT RESOURCES ARTICLE BANK JUST FOR FUN Events Classfieds Links | Expo TipsBy Amy Coulter from Party Plan Australia!Here are some Dos and Don'ts to help your expo success! Dos 1. Stand at your booth and greet people as they walk by. 2. Make your display inviting and nice to look at. Don't make it cluttered and make sure the colours match. 3. Turn up on time. More often these days it is first in best dressed so get in early to choose the stand, which you feel would best suit you. Pay attention to what type of stalls are around you to see if they compliment your product or compete against it. 4. Have a few people willing to help you out. Times can be busy and may require an extra person to handle enquiries but also when it is slow one person can go to the restrooms or have lunch while the stand is still looked after. 5. Have a newsletter sign up list on your table. Most people have email these days and like to hear about the new releases and specials your business may have to offer. It is also an opportunity to get customers from those who are just browsing through quickly and just want to pick up information and leave. 6. Dress nicely and have any badges or company awards out on display. This gives trust in your consultant abilities. Make sure that you are wearing or using as much as the companies product as you can. A make up consultant with a competitor's product on can get you in a bit of a mess. 7. LABEL EVERYTHING! Make sure every brochure or handout has your contact details on it. The more different methods of contact the better. A phone number and email address are good. Don'ts 1. Do not have more then 2 people at your stand when business is slow. The more people that are at your stand, the more intimidating it is for a person to come up to the stand. Also take turns greeting people so that they do not get overwhelmed. 2. Do not thrust your brochures at people. Have them at the table so that people can take them if interested or offer then a catalogue if hey take interest in your product and start talking to you. 3. Do not leave your stand unattended. Make sure that there s someone to look after your stand while during restroom visits and lunch breaks. You may loose great customer leads if you are away and also it can be a security issue if you leave expensive products on your table. 4. Do not get into any "this product is better then theirs" discussions. These make you look unethical and unprofessional and if the competitor is at the same expo it may come around and bite you in the bum. 5. Do not leave before the event finishes. If you cannot stay at your stalls because of other commitments have someone else there to help out. Leaving early makes you appear uninterested in the customers and also really limits your expo success. 6. Do not harass those people who leave your contact number or email address with you at the expo. Contact them a couple of days after the expo to initiate bookings or sales. If they are not interest tell them you will call back in a couple of weeks when there are some new specials. If they say they are NOT INTERESTED then they are not interested. Remove the contact details from your list. They have your details. If they change their minds they will contact you. It is mighty important to remember that you have the potential to reach a large customer base, MUCH large then just those who visit your stands. Remember that your image is everything and people's impressions of you and the company you represent will stick and will be passed along. Make sure you are yourself and try to relax and have fun. You won't please everyone, and sometimes your product won't interest anyone either. And just remember that the true success with an expo cannot be judged until about 2 months after the appearance as leads may contact you way after the actual expo. --------- Amy is the founder of Party Plan Australia, a online support organisation for party plan consultants and direct sellers. PPA has many great resources such as party tips, messageboard, e-paries and consultant listings. There is an extensive starting out section for those wanting to take their first step into the party plan world. Life's a party... and now so is work! |
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