Greeting customers is one of the fundamental basics of exhibiting at B2B exhibition events, and the first step toward increased customer satisfaction. Think about it: every business relationship starts with that all-important first impression.
And yet, despite its prominence, many still aren’t that invested in this crucial process. A simple “hi” or “hello” is usually seen as enough, until you realize you’re standing on a busy trade show floor surrounded by your fiercest competitors. Sure, your “hi” or “hello” can get you by, but will it help you stand out?
If this scenario sounds familiar to you, then you’re in luck! We’re about to embark on an adventure, discovering some fun ways you and your trade show staff can greet customers and other attendees at exhibitions.
Greeting Customers: 10 Fun (And Successful!) Ways To Do It
We’ve discovered 10 different ways to keep your customers on their toes by greeting them differently, ensuring you make a positive first impression and stand out. Over time, you’re sure to see your customer loyalty and exhibition sales improve.
1. Talk About Your Booth
Put yourself in the shoes of one of your target trade show customers. The show floor is busy and filled with dozens of businesses and many hundreds of visitors. It’s extremely overwhelming, but they’re they’re there to do business. Which exhibition stand do they visit?
Assuming you’ve done your homework and picked a standout exhibition stand builder, your booth should do the heavy lifting, bringing customers to you! So, it’s only natural that they would’ve seen your display from afar before coming closer for a chat. Now’s the chance to kickstart a two-way conversation using your booth as the topic.
Regardless of whether you’ve gone for a custom showpiece or a modular package, exhibition stand designs incorporate different features you can use to start a conversation. From wide-inch screens to clever lighting, here’s how you can use a design element to greet a customer:
“Welcome to the coolest booth on the floor! What drew you in?”
“What do you think of our lighting feature? I think it’s quite mesmerizing!”
“Did you see our coffee stand over there? Grab some quickly if you like!”
2. Personalize it
What better way than to make a potential customer feel special than by personalizing your greetings? Simply taking the time to remember someone’s name, their business title, and who they work for is a fantastic way to start a business relationship. For example:
“Hi! You’re Steve, the marketing manager who spoke at the conference, right? You raised some good points!”
Still, you can take this even further, depending on whether you’ve met the person before. This involves remembering extra details about a person through your prior conversations. What you bring up could be anything from their cat to their favorite new product demo:
“Hey Peter, good to see you again! Remember last year when you were looking for a supplier? How did that go?
With greetings like these, you’ll move away from boring chit-chat and into the realm of serious interpersonal connection. After all, attendees who feel valued quickly become you’re biggest supporters. Even if you don’t end up selling to them, their reviews will help you advertise.
3. Add A Touch Of Light Humor
Trade shows are home to a lot of serious business, but this only goes so far. After hours or days spent on the exhibition floor, sometimes a little humor goes a long way. You’ll certainly generate a little surprise with a phrase like:
“You’ve just made the best decision of your day – chatting with us!”
That being said, try not to go overboard. Recycling humor in all your greetings gets old, fast. Save it for those special guests and occasions!
4. Build On Shared Experience
No matter the degree of difference between you and your booth visitors, you’ll always have one thing in common: the trade show you’re both attending. Using only your five senses to experience the venue surrounding you, it’s possible to build rapport through your shared experiences of the day:
“Hey, are your feet as sore as mine? Let’s talk while we both rest them.”
“I hear your company works in the offshore market. What did you think of that conference talk on that?”
“Those new signs outside are a controversial addition this year. What do you think of them?”
Both new customers and old industry acquaintances will appreciate this style of initial greeting. Remember to use phrases like these toward the end of the show, such as on the last day, so you have plenty of experiences to talk about.
5. Be Upfront With Their Time
There’s plenty to do at trade show events, so recognizing a guest’s time constraints upfront is a valuable strategy to make them feel valued. Meanwhile, this strategy ensures whoever is selling sets themselves up to deliver a short and precise pitch to your guests. For example:
“Hi! Can I give you the 30-second reason why people love working with us?”
“Give me 20 seconds and I’ll show you why this product changes the industry.”
Note how these could backfire if you end up speaking over the time limit you set, which will erase your guest’s trust in you.
6. Highlight Interactive Elements
Some custom-built exhibition stands are designed with interactivity or gamification in mind. From rotating colorful prize wheels to mini golf setups and driving simulators, what better way is there to stand out?
Besides accelerating your brand impact through unique design, gamified booth elements are also highly enticing for the average consumer. A lot of the time, word will spread naturally about the specific element in your design. Just in case you find someone who isn’t aware, you can try fun greetings like these:
“Pick a card, any card! We’ve gamified our product intro, want in?
“Yes, we’re the ones with the digital lotto machine. Care for a free spin?
“This stand uses our new ball joint mechanism. Would you like to try adjusting it?”
These kinds of greetings are easy to follow, as they allow you to let your stand design do all the talking.
7. Cut Straight To The Pain Point
As a B2B professional, you should be aware of pain points: the recurring problems and challenges consumers and businesses face. When selling or marketing a product or service at a trade show, pain points will arise naturally in your discussions with guests. So, why not cut straight to the point by including them in your customer greetings?
Here are some ways to say that:
“If you could change one thing about your current supplier, what would it be?”
“If you could wave a magic wand, what’s one thing you’d fix about your current tech stack?”
8. Add A Compliment
Customer greetings that incorporate sincere compliments are highly useful in certain instances. Imagine complimenting new customers on their clothes the moment they arrive at your fashion retail booth; not only will you break the ice, but you’ll make them feel valued too.
Some other complimentary greetings include:
“Your brand slogan is inspiring, tell me more?”
“Nice smartphone! I have one too, what’s your favorite feature?”
Just be careful not to compliment guests on their physical appearance. Trade shows are not dating events!
9. Use Open-Ended Questions
Some people prefer to get right to the point: business. Time is valuable; for these guests, you’ll need to start by asking an open-ended question to get the ball moving.
An open-ended question is one that can’t be answered by a simple “yes” or ” no” answer. The more of these you can ask, the more engaging your conversation will become:
“So, what do you do at your company?”
“How well have you been finding solutions to that issue?”
“What are some helpful tips for making that work?”
Question words like “how”, “why”, and “what” are most useful for constructing these.
10. Small Talk
If you can’t think of anything else, good old reliable small talk is something you can fall back on. It won’t be the most exciting of openers for you, but small talk greetings can serve you well in a pinch. It’s a great way to break the ice and establish a friendly, human connection with trade buyers.
Some examples include:
“Did you have a productive day?”
“How did you hear about us?”
“Is this your first time here?”
These kinds of customer greetings work very well if your brand is particularly laid back or easygoing.
Succeed With Fun Greetings And More At Your Next Event
Whether you’re a retail business looking to sell a new product or a seasoned service provider offering a revolutionary business solution, how you greet when a customer walks into your trade show booth matters. Changing up your greeting style with the help of these fun ways to greet customers is guaranteed to improve your overall customer experience, resulting in improved sales and brand awareness.
A professional greeting while maintaining firm eye contact is a good way to impress customers, but there’s also so much more you can do. Imagine all the repeat business you’ll earn when customers lay eyes on your bespoke trade show booth from Booth Exhibits™. Give us a call today!
What is the best way to greet customers?
A warm, personalized welcome is the best way to welcome your customers.
What is an attractive short welcome message for customers?
Try this: “Hello & welcome! Your journey with us starts now.”
What are 5 ways to greet?
At trade shows, five different ways to greet include personalized greetings, humorous greetings, complimentary greetings, commonality greetings, and small talk greetings.
What is the best greeting for sales?
If you’re after increased sales, you can try getting straight to the pain point by asking your guests about the recurring problems and challenges they face.
