At first glance, a trade show would seem to be an introvert’s worst nightmare: thousands of people, crowded into small aisles, all trying to sell something to someone. But attending a trade show can be a great way to gather information, find new prospects and even find a job. But if you are an introvert going to a trade show try following these 5 tips to make the most of the show.
1. Never Eat by Yourself. The food may be awful, but food courts at trade shows are great places to meet other attendees in a less stressful situation. In most cases the seating arrangements consists of large tables seating 10 or 12 people. They are all wearing nametags, usually with a company name and a location. Just sit down with a group of other people, start looking for information and when you find someone you want to talk to simply introduce yourself. Or if you aren’t comfortable introducing yourself just comment on the lousy food. It always works.
2. Don’t go during peak hours on the first 2 days. The opening hours of a trade show are a unique occasion. All the top executives from the exhibiting companies make their appearance while the sales management people jockey to show off their selling skills in front of the bosses. It’s more of a “look who I know” time rather than a serious attempt to sell and communicate. If you aren’t a “live one” that can buy large amounts of product, you won’t get the time of day. Wait till the later afternoon hours of the first two days when the executives have gone leaving the booth to the sales and technical folk that can answer your questions.
3. Let other people start the conversation. One of the good parts of a trade show is that people are anxious to talk to you and will strike up a conversation. When you go into a booth simply look for the products or displays that interest you. If the booth personnel are alert they will come over and ask if you have any questions. If they are good they will start telling you about all the features and benefits of the item in front of you. In either case, you now have an opening to ask questions, make comments or discuss the show, even if it is usually hard for you to strike up conversations.
4. Have a question in mind. It’s best to be ready with a question when the exhibitor folks come over to you. That way you have quick entry into a conversation. Let’s face it, if you don’t have a buyer’s badge the booth people will quickly lose interest. However, if you have a legitimate question and seem to know what you are talking about you will be much more likely to hold their attention until you can gather what information you need for your purposes.
5. Seek out your peers. While it may seem that only salespeople man exhibitors’ booths, there are always a number of tech, customer service and others that get hauled off to the shows. Some may even be introverts. So before you go into a booth, stand back and look for people you might be interested in talking to; that might be able to give you information or a demonstration that the salespeople in the booth might find a waste of time. Especially on the last day or two of the show, you will find the booth personnel more than eager to talk to anyone who will help them pass the hours till the show closes.
Attending a trade show doesn’t have to be a terrible task for an introvert if you plan ahead and keep the above tips in mind. You might even come to appreciate the great opportunities trade shows present.
