So, you have a trade show booth. Your booth might be an eye-catching, head-turning masterpiece of design. You might have a table full of zany yet desirable branding items. You might also have a terrific promotion going on that get people to your booth. And sure enough, when the door opens, here they come.

What then?

If you don’t know what to do with someone when they arrive at your booth, your trade show experience might be a lot less than what you imagined – especially if all you do is talk to your prospect about what you do.

Here, I’ll share with you three essential components to lead qualification that you must use if you want to have a successful trade show. I’ve incorporated these elements into every single Vonazon client experience and they work – and can work for you.

Component #1: Ask, Don’t Talk

No one goes to a trade show to be talked to.

It’s true – people would either learn about your company on their own, by observing and reading your materials, or answer questions you have. That second part – questions – is huge because people love to answer questions about themselves. It’s something in our nature (as long as the questions aren’t in the form of a police interrogation).

Put the spotlight on your visitors/prospects by asking them questions while they’re there. You’ll learn more and they’ll feel more engaged.

Component #2: Ask Specific Questions

Something Vonazon professional booth staffers do (and do very well, I might add) is ask specific questions.

You only have a few seconds with each prospect. Make the most of them by getting to the point and asking questions that reveal something real and tangible about your customer. “How’s it going?”, “What brings you to the show?”, etc., are not very good questions if that’s all you have.

Questions like, “What’s your company’s main business goal right now that you’d like to accomplish by coming to this show?”, “What’s the one initiative you have  going that you’d improve if you could?” and other relevant, direct, and specific questions are the way to go.

Component #3: Ask Them to Do Something

Finally, ask your qualified prospects to take action.

If the person isn’t a potential customer, don’t waste your time; politely and gracefully allow them to go elsewhere (“It was a pleasure talking to you! Let us know if there is anything we can do for you and enjoy the show” is a good way).

If they are a qualified prospect, though, ask them to take action. Ask them to fill out a contact card. Ask them to try a product demo. Ask them to post something on their social media network, or like or follow you on your social media network. Ask them to do something; prospects who are asked for action are far more likely to do it – and far more likely to become customers.

Follow these essential components and you’ll be on your way to trade show lead qualification success! Just remember: Question everything – and everyone.