During the Expo, SELFLESS; Making Conversation | Exhibitor training 20 of 36

Making meaningful conversations Talking about the weather or the journey to the venue can be an easy, neutral conversation-starter but if we're going to be able to identify whether visitors are potential prospects, we need to have a meaningful dialogue with them. So how do we encourage a flowing (and useful) conversation?

'There are three key things to remember when developing conversations with visitors: ask open questions, talk about the visitor's needs, and keep things concise.' We'll look at each of those recommendations below.

Open Questions

Asking questions with a yes/no answer can lead to very short conversations. Asking open questions - What, How, Why and so on - will encourage visitors to talk. Asking the right questions will help you get a deeper understanding of the challenges and issues they face. This can yield valuable data which you can then use as part of your lead qualification process.

Talk About Their Company

As well as getting to know the individual visitors, you should really try to understand their organisation. Gathering information about their industry, their target markets and the company's work and challenges will help you understand whether the visitor has the potential to be a prospect, and whether you can help them. If not, they might still make a good potential supplier or associate.

Keep It Concise

How long a conversation lasts will depend on how valuable the visitor can potentially be for your organisation and how popular your stand is. Your aim will be to speak to as many prospects as possible, so if things are busy don't waste time on too much small-talk. If a conversation isn't going anywhere, find a polite way to end it amicably and move on. Even if a visitor looks very promising, don't spend more time than you have to; once you've gathered all the necessary information, confirm how you will get back in touch to continue the discussion, then get back to engaging with new prospects.

Summary

Keeping focused on the task in hand is important when making conversations with visitors. Go to the people and don’t wait for people to approach you. Using open questions and learning about the organisation will help you assess if there are opportunities to work together. Keeping discussion short and focused will give you time to meet more prospects.

Next: Incentivising Engagement

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In our next blog, we will still be focused on engagement with visitors. We will explain how games, competitions, prize draws, food and merchandise can all play important roles in encouraging meaningful contact. 1EventsMedia

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