With a finite amount of time to greet and qualify prospects at trade shows and fairs, it’s key to make the most of each interaction. Ideally, you need to determine in 30 seconds which “suspects” might turn into “prospects” and are prepared to examine the value of your product. If they aren’t—that’s when you need to cut bait and move on to the next prospect that swims your way.

Face it, while there might be 1,000 or more people attending the event, you don’t want to talk with all of them. It’s not a good use of your time. You only want to invest your time with the people who have a need for the product or solution you can provide. Here are some tips on how you can do this:

Step One: Make sure your booth is doing its part of the heaving lifting by pre-qualifying visitors. How does it do this? By asking a question or making a statement related to a need that you can solve. (Remember, don’t make it about what you do well—rather what you do well FOR the customer.)

Step Two: Develop two or three quick questions you can ask to determine if they have a need that you fill. Your questions should be targeted to discerning the following:

· Has the suspect expressed a need for your product or admitted to a problem that your product resolves?

· Do they have a specific time frame to address the need?

· Does budget and funding exist?

· Is the suspect willing to act?

Step Three: When your “suspect” graduates to “prospect,” document who they are before they head back downstream and past your competitor’s booth. Many companies use prospect cards to record vital information, but if you don’t have that make sure to notate the name of their company, their name and contact information and a description of their needs or problem.

Step Four: Tell the prospect how and when you will follow up.

For more great tips on turning prospects into suspects we recommend Profitable Trade Show Exhibiting, which highlights effective strategies for achieving measurable results from trade show and event marketing initiatives, and Smart Selling, a step-by-step road map to becoming a top sales performer.

“These books provide advice that is valuable, practical, and most importantly, usable,” explains Laura Palker, Managing Director of The Solution Center, a fab! Marketing Communications partner. “Small and mid-sized businesses can leverage these proven methodologies to increase lead generation and conversion.”

The Solution Center is an authorized distributor of both publications mentioned above, along with several of the industry’s foremost reference materials. These valuable business tools can be purchased directly through The Solution Center online shopping cart at www.tssolutioncenter.com.

Happy prospecting!