So you’ve thought about what to wear, but have you thought about who should be wearing it? When sending a team to an exhibition, who is on your stand bears some consideration.
Too quiet, and you’ll never make a sale. Too aggressive, and you’ll scare customers away. Have a read of our handy hints, and you’re sure to choose a crack squad for your trade team A.
Think about personality types
The obvious place to start when choosing a team is to think about the personality types you have within your organisation. Got someone that would rather pull their own teeth out than make sparkling conversation with a total stranger? Do yourself (and your organisation) a favour and don’t push them so far out of their comfort zone that they spend the whole show hiding in a corner and trying to avoid eye contact.
It is not going to make you any sales. Equally, you may have people working for you that would like nothing more than hearing the sound of their own voice booming across the exhibition hall all day. But would everyone else? Your perfect sales person is probably somewhere in between: confident enough to strike up conversation, but not so overbearing that people start making obvious detours to avoid walking past your stand.
Pick you best team, not the best people
Ever heard of Belbin? His theory of teams was formed from an experiment that found the highest individual achievers did not always achieve the best results when put into one team. The lesson to be learnt is simple: a group of alpha males (or females) does not always make the most productive team (just ask Alan Sugar). A great team needs the right mix of people, from the creative types to the practical people who get the job done; from the extrovert to the more reflective. Choose a mix of people that can work together, and you’re more likely to end up with a team that produces the goods.
Personality clashes
Which leads us nicely to the next point. You know those two people that never seem to see eye to eye in the office? If at all possible, don’t leave them on your exhibition stand together for two days. Disagreeing in the privacy of your own office is one thing, but no one wants to witness a power play in public; it isn’t professional and you won’t win any favour from potential customers. Avoid taking the risk and make sure personality clashes don’t ruin your day.
Experience is key
The sharp end of sales is a good place to hone your skills, but throwing employees too far in at the deep end is a risky manoeuvre. Look for balance in your team if you are planning to give newbies an outing, and always ensure there is someone more experienced on hand to answer any difficult questions and avoid embarrassment.
