Questions are a formidable business tool, especially when it comes to trade shows. Engaging questions are the keys to unlocking many doors in a typical trade show sales situation; asking open-ended questions that both engage a prospect and reveal their needs is a powerful way to gather buying information. Here are five types of questions that can be particularly helpful to ask trade show attendees who are visiting your booth.
Ask a question that reveals what you do.
This is a pretty standard approach, but the reason that it is so common is that it is effective. You want to engage people passing by – but instead of shouting explanations or offers, you want to draw people in with a question. Of course, some questions are going to be more effective than others. You want to ask a question that sets up your company, your product, or your service. Your most basic opener would be along the lines of:
- “What do you know about our company/product/service?”
This certainly won’t be a question that attendees haven’t heard elsewhere that day, but it gives you a solid opening to start a conversation. If an attendee has no idea what your company does or has a completely wrong impression, you can impart better information. If someone does have a pretty good idea of what your company brings to the table, you can ask them how they know so much, and what else they need to find out.
Show them what you do.
One of the biggest draws of a trade show is that you can let people interact with the product and make their own judgment firsthand. Pulling people in with these questions or offers is easy:
- “Would you like to see a demo?”
- “Would you like to see something exciting from our product line?”
Flesh out these questions with ways to describe how your product or brand is unique and what superior features it offers. The more descriptive you are, the better; while keeping them engaged and interested, of course!
Make a personal, engaged connection.
Many people find it more difficult to walk away from a question specifically directed at them. Suspending the sales pitch for a moment and striking up a real conversation to make a genuine connection with someone can be very effective, especially if you are more concerned with making quality connections than with achieving mass contact. This approach is also pretty easy since you can read a person’s name and company off the nametag and work them into your questions. Try a few general questions to start with, such as:
- “So, what do you do at [company]?”
- “How well have you been finding what you need today?”
- “How helpful has this trade show been so far?”
Draw them in with an offer, or challenge them.
If you have items to give away or promotions running at your booth, by all means, use them to break the ice.
- “Did you get your free…?”
- “Have you entered to win…?”
Getting people to stop at your booth for just a moment can be the hardest part. Besides, many people feel at least some obligation to listen to what you have to offer after taking your product or entering a contest.
Show that you care about meeting client needs.
If someone has been lingering and examining your booth, or if you’ve already been through a basic conversation with them, questions about specific needs are a natural progression. These questions also serve a few purposes: they help you make a more personal connection, and they demonstrate that your company wants to improve its offerings and work with clients to satisfy them.
- “Which part of our service would be most helpful to your company?”
- “Are there any features you don’t see here that you would be interested in?”
Getting prospective clients to say in their own words how they could use and benefit from what your company offers can go a long way toward building a relationship. Asking about the features that the attendee is looking for gives you some idea of what your company could do to improve its offerings and marketability.