Don't Just Sit There!

I was helping out at a local event yesterday. It was a Christmas event with a mix of arts and crafts, beauty products and several small businesses and a couple of charity groups. There weren’t that many people coming through the doors but I probably managed to speak to most of them and came away with a large number of contacts to follow-up. A successful event as far as I was concerned.

However, many of the other exhibitors were just sitting behind their stalls, waiting for someone to come and buy whatever it was they were selling. Mostly looking miserable and complaining about the poor response. Now, not everyone is looking for what they’ve got but it might have helped if people had at least stood up and attempted to engage with the people passing by. It’s the same in business – if you’ve got something to offer, then don’t just sit there waiting for the phone to ring – get out there and start connecting, whether in person or virtually. Even if you have the most fantastic product – unless you tell people about it, how will they know what you’re offering and how to find you?

So many people yesterday were missing an opportunity to get contact details from the people that were there. They wasting even more of the time and energy they’d invested in getting there by not making the most of the opportunity, even if the turnout was low. While people may not want to buy straight away, get their contact details so you can stay in touch. A regular newsletter is a great way of doing this, especially if you’ve got a special offer or prize draw.

What tips and ideas have worked for you at an event or exhibition?