Did you know that it is wise to treat your prospects, visitors and customers at an expo, the same way as you treat a puppy dog in training?
It’s true. Here’s why and how:
In an B2B exhibition we seldom sell. Instead we help our sales people getting one step closer to sales. We do that by creating interest. Then the sales reps take the lead and make it into an offer and finally a business. But many opportunities never go that far. Why? We mess up!
The second most common mistake, (after not really listening to your visitors), is to tell them too much for too long.
If they are interested and you just keep talking, there is nothing left to be curious about. There is nothing left to discuss when they come home. The interest is satisfied – and thereby gone.
Treat your visitors like puppies instead
When you train a puppy, you make sure you have lots of candy. Lets say you want to make it sit on your command. Once it sits you praise the dog and give it candy. Now, the attention span of a puppy is somewhat limited, so what you do is to keep training as long as their interest and energy are going up. Once you reach the top, you take away the candy and stop the exercise. This way, the puppy will be longing for more and more.
Connect the dots
- Stop the discussion with the visitor when they are at their peak of interest.
- Make sure you get a follow-up of some sort.
- The visitor will long for the next step. The sales rep gets a downhill race and wins the business. Everyone is happy.
Good hunting!
//Antoni
Psst: If you want to know the five communication truths in a customer meeting, invest 31 minutes and find out from my lecture.
