Trade show booths are a huge part of getting your business out there to the masses. You may be a trade show rookie, or a grizzled, time-tested, battle-proven trade show veteran. Either way, you probably understand just how important it is that your show go off without a hitch.

Unfortunately, there is a very common mistake that many in the biz – even the pros – make. This mistake involves the core reason why you even have a trade show booth in the first place, and as long as you continue to make this mistake, you’ll be throwing good money after bad and not really realizing the potential your booth could have.

The scary thing is this: You might already be making this mistake without even realizing it!

How do I know? Well, for starters, after being in the business for years I’ve discovered that most of my clients, before they work with me, are committing this error and several other trade show mistakes routinely during their exhibitions – which, as mentioned, kind of defeats the purpose of going.

I’ve also observed how other exhibitors at trade shows I attend do a slew of relatively-minor things that add up to lost potential and wasted money.

What is this one, crucial mistake that a massive amount of trade show exhibitors make on a routine basis, without even knowing what is going on?

I’ll give you a hint with one, simple – yet critical – word: Leads.

Leads: The Be-All, End-All of Every Trade Show Booth Ever Made. Ever.

That’s right – leads. I know, I know; you’ve probably heard that word so many times that you’re sick of it. And yet, it still remains the key reason why you even have a booth in the first place.

Your booth isn’t there to actually close the deal and sell anything. If you do, great; but customers, by and large, make buying decisions off of the trade show floor after they have visited you. Your booth also isn’t there just to passively advertise and let people know you’re there. If that were true, you could save money and time (and manpower) by just building a gargantuan billboard by the highway with lots of flashing lights.

The main reason – by far – that you have a booth is to generate qualified leads, which are nothing more than connections to potential sales via customers who are actually interested in what you have to offer.

But unfortunately, exhibitors fail to really understand a few core concepts, such as:

  1. How to generate leads
  2. How to qualify leads
  3. How to follow up on leads

Those three concepts, in a nutshell, sum up the critical mistake exhibitors make with their trade show efforts. If you miss any one of those steps, you effectively kill the chain and lose customers – which costs you money out of your pocket.

Are You Vulnerable to This Mistake?

You could be. One of the most common reasons for not getting great results out of leads is that people simply do not follow up on them. Most of the time, it’s not your fault; not everyone has access to the techniques and manpower and procedures that are not only effective, but also required for good, high-quality, professional-grade follow-up.

It’s like paying for tons of little white-and-blue nametags that say “Hello! My name is___” for visitors to wear at a conference you’re holding – and then not knowing what to call them because you don’t look at the nametag.

(That may be a sad analogy, but it is a lot closer to the truth than you think…)

But this mistake can’t even be made if you don’t get your hands on good, quality leads in the first place. That’s an entirely different story altogether. Most exhibitors today do not know how to effectively qualify leads, primarily because they head into a trade show outmanned and outgunned. Without proven processes – like trained and professional staff – you can’t figure out who is a quality lead and who isn’t.

You may be committing these errors and not even realize it. Talk to a trade show consultant. Ask them what they think – and then, for the sake of your business, do whatever they say. Get those leads! You’re paying for them, after all; you might as well profit off of them!