“Tell them what you do before you tell them who you are” is the lead recommendation in our four steps to success as a legal nurse consultant at an attorney conference. I briefly covered this step in the Trade Show Leads Guaranteed webinar. At the end of this post I share how you can learn secrets of success in our three part How to Profit from Trade Shows: Secrets of Success course.
Grab the attorney’s attention with a unique LNC marketing message
In the first session of the course I prepared with Pat Iyer, we will teach you how to create your unique marketing message. You will learn a variety of ways of “telling them what you do” – ranging from statements of what you do or are to asking questions relative to what YOU do or are. Pat used an example of this when she mounted a 3 ring binder on an exhibit with a sign that said, “How much medical malpractice is in this record?”
Compare this question to one that seems to have dubious relevance – “Do you need a legal nurse consultant?” The attorney may not know what a legal nurse consultant is or the benefits of using you. Remember that many attorneys will cruise by your booth, reading signs and looking at pictures, before deciding to approach you.
Once you “hook” show attendees with your headline, you next want to tell them who you are and how they can contact you. Doing this correctly is another important item of conversation – an approach which appears, at first, to be counterintuitive.
How much space do you have on your exhibit?
You may be able to list 3 or 4 benefits of using your services, depending on back wall space and design. Your display unit might consist of a folding rigid set of panels or two or three banner stands in a typically sized 10 foot x10 foot booth. Your goal is to entice the attorney into coming to speak to you.
What body language will you see?
You will observe the attorney stand a little back from your booth, read your copy, look contemplative, and then take the plunge to come speak to you. Your job is to watch the nonverbal body language of the attorney and approach the person with a friendly smile and an open ended question.
Where photography or examples of demonstrative evidence or graphics are available, these can be worked into the “upper visuals”, the section of your display at eye level. There can also be “filler art” on the bottom 30% of the back wall or panels on which you want to avoid putting ANY copy.
Once you’ve got your display unit set, you next want to create a service-specific one page, 8½ X 11 information sheet, either one, two or four color promotional piece. This sits on your table for people to take in lieu of an expensive sales piece (which you have under wraps for key prospects only).
Pat Iyer and I presented much more detail about the integral elements of creating a unique marketing message. Join us for a three session course. “How to Profit from Trade Shows: Secrets of Success” draws on our combined 60+ years of exhibiting. Learn how to avoid expensive mistakes and make the most of your exhibiting dollars. Invest in this course at this link. You can’t afford to exhibit without this information.
Hiett Ives is an expert in trade show marketing. He assists businesses to profit from trade shows.