What do you do when you're ready to conclude a conversation with a visitor in your trade show booth?
When 3D Exhibits delivers exhibit staff training, we prepare the staff, both to engage—and to disengage. Sure, engaging is important—without engagement, your company will connect with no one. But without mastering the art of disengagement you may find your exhibit staff:
- Invests too much time speaking with people who don't fit your target audience profile.
- Misses opportunities to connect with attendees who may be qualified.
- Wastes time interacting with suppliers or other exhibitors when they could be meeting new prospects.
But many booth staffers are tentative about disengaging. And for good reason: your company is at the show to make a good brand impression. You don't want to make a bad impression or hurt anyone's feelings by cutting them off.
It's a hard line to walk. But it has to be done.
We advise our clients to attempt to disengage as soon as they recognize that the visitor is not a good use of their time or after moving a prospective customer as far along in the sales funnel as can be done in the booth.
Always disengage in a polite way that leaves the visitor with a positive feeling about your company. Shake their hand, let them know what the next steps will be and thank them for their time.
Avoid asking open-ended questions such as "Are there any other questions I can answer today?" They may get the conversation rolling again.
Here are some mix-and-match examples of disengagement dialog you can modify for your own use:
The Polite Conclusion
- "It's been great meeting you, Mrs. Thomas. The information you requested is on its way by email and someone in your region will follow up with you in a couple of weeks. Thank you for your time and enjoy the rest of the show."
- "Thank you for visiting us today. I'm glad we got to talk. I'm sure you're anxious to visit other booths. Here is my business card. Please call me if you need any other information."
- "Thank you for stopping by. I don't want to take up any more of your time, but someone from our sales department will be in touch soon."
The I'd Rather Talk To You But…
- "Thanks for stopping by. It's always great to chat with you. Unfortunately I have to get back to working the exhibit."
- "I'd love to talk more, but if I don't get back to work in the booth, my boss is going to kill me!"
The Can We Reconvene Later?
- "I'm sorry I don't have time to talk now, but if you email me, we can resume our conversation after the show."
- "Can we meet for coffee after the show floor closes this afternoon?"
- "This is a really busy time for our booth, can you come back after 3pm when things quiet down?"
- "I'm sorry, but I've got an appointment. I'll be free later if you want to come back this afternoon and talk more."
If you'd like a more thorough dive into the art of disengagement, we suggest CEIR's Guru report, Once the Conversation is Over—It's Over! authored by Barry Siskind. This document can be purchased on the CEIR website. Or email me at ngenarella (at) 3DExhibits (dot) com and I'll email you a pdf.
What are some of the successful disengagement lines your team has used?
