Are You "Cell"ing Yourself Short?
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by Susan Friedmann,CSP, The Tradeshow Coach
- Your team’s focus is NOT on the tradeshow.
- Your attendee is not the most important person in the room -- that honor belongs to whoever has your cell phone number.
- The attendee’s business is not valuable to your company.
- Confidential business details, including customer names, order size and more. What great info for your competitors to have.
- Intimate, personal conversations. Nothing’s more off putting than TMI (too much information)!
- Humor or observations that may be considered offensive. What a PR nightmare!
- We’re too busy for you.
- We’re too important for you.
- We don’t care about you.
- You’re not worth our time.
- You don’t deserve our attention.
- Cell phones must be shut off when you’re on the floor.
- Give staffers regular breaks so they can check messages and make calls, away from the exhibit.
- Staffers who have personal reasons to be in constant contact (i.e. small children, ailing parents, etc.) should be encouraged to program their phones to signal 'high priority’ calls with a distinctive ring or vibration pattern. That way, staffers can only answer emergency calls and let voice mail pick up the rest. This offers your team the security of being constantly connected while still keeping the focus on the tradeshow attendees.
Cell phones have changed our world. With few exceptions, we can now talk to anyone we like whenever we’d like. The staccato symphony of ring tones accompanies us through our days: from the morning commute to the crowded restaurant at lunchtime, during meetings and even during the quick stop at the grocery store when the day is done. We’re always connected, always reachable. It’s a marvel. It’s a marvel that can destroy your tradeshow performance. Consider the following: You’re at a tradeshow. An attractive exhibit catches your eye. The product on display is exactly what you’ve been searching for. When you approach the booth, a staffer looks up and with a gesture indicates that you should wait, just one minute, while he finishes his call. When he’s done talking to the important people, the message seems to be, he’ll be happy to talk to you.
How long are you going to wait? After all, you’ve only a limited amount of time at the show, and there are dozens of other booths on your 'must-see’ list. When you discover that the display just a little further down the aisle also appears to feature a product that could fill your needs, chances are that’s all the impetus you’ll need to move along. There’s no sense waiting for the staffer to finish his call, not when there are other people who are more than ready to talk to you right now. Let’s flip the scenario around. You’re on the other side of the aisle when your cell phone rings. Do you take the call? I can hear you now. "But that’s different! My call is important!" Guess what? The salesman in the first example thought his call was important too. And it was -- to him. It was more important than you were, at least. Talking on your cell phone tells tradeshow attendees three things:
