How Should Consultants Rotate at a Booth to Engage Effectively with Visitors?

[noelskitchen]

We are doing a booth together and I wanted input on how we should rotate talking with people who stop by our booth. It's from 5-5:30pm to 8:30pm and there will be tons of people coming through the doors. There could be 2-5 people at one booth at one time.

One of the consultants said we should flip a coin, that's to decide on who gets to talk to people first. Basically the booth is for three hours so the first consultant talks to people for a full hour than moves on to the next consultant. I'm not sure I agree with this method. I paid $295.00 for this booth plus a silent auction and giveaways. This ideas bothers me. What if during the second or third hour no one wants to purchase, book a show or recruit? Basically your screwed. And she wants to have all the same paperwork, which I don't mind but than each consultant has to take the time to remove their paperwork with their information and the next consultant replaces it with theirs.

The two other consultants basically just stand around looking dumb I guess or if that first consultant gets an order they help that consultant take the order while that consultant moves to someone else within that first hour.

I thought about the idea that if we take turn talking to people which is what I had planned on anyway, the fair thing would be to take turns with each person or the first consultant is first for 20 min than so on. That way each consult gets 20 min each hour.

Ughhhhhh!!!!

 

[chefann]

When I've worked booths with other consultants, we just approach people as they come up to the booth. Hand them your info when you talk to them. But then it averages out, and you don't have to worry about someone getting the short stick from slow times.

 

[noelskitchen]

Do you think I'm crazy for feeling this way. I agree that's how a booth should operate. I think one of her concerns was when people come up if we all have our info out someone will pick up her business card and fill out another consultants drawing slip. I just think as a consultant you should be organized.

 

[Chefstover2]

I've never worked a booth with 3 but I have with 2 and have found that alternating works really well. So, I'd talk to the first person (get them to enter my drawing, provide customer service, etc.), then when the next person came to the booth (probably when I'm talking to my person) the next consultant takes that one, and so on.

I think it's important to be clear with everyone working that it is NOT OK to reach over and hand a customer your information while they're being helped by another consultant. (I hate to even bring that up, but I did have one of my downline work a booth with another consultant who did just that).

As far as keeping track of who's leads are whose, if you use your own, copy them on a different color for each consultant. If you use PC's DPDS, make sure your info is stamped on it. Then, your leads are your leads.

HTH

 

[wadesgirl]

We always just work it as you get it. Hand out the information to them (usually recipe card), if they stop and want to talk, then talk with them. There's not point of rotating for 1 hour each! What happens if one consultant gets more traffic than others, not fair. I would also never work a booth with more than 2 consultants total, gets a little confusing along with crowded at the booth.When we do doorprizes we each either have a stack of different colored drawing slips or put our initial on the back. These we physically hand out to people as we talk to them.

 

[chefann]

Do you think I'm crazy for feeling this way. I agree that's how a booth should operate. I think one of her concerns was when people come up if we all have our info out someone will pick up her business card and fill out another consultants drawing slip. I just think as a consultant you should be organized.

I don't think you're crazy. If you don't leave cards or other materials on the table, then it's a non-issue. People will only receive info from the consultant to whom they speak.

 

[gingertannery]

I have done it with another person at the booth.. She got the ones coming from the right and I got the ones coming from the left.. It was all about even... .. We had 2-3 clip boards each with our info/drawing slips on our clip boards.. then if several walked up at the same time.. you could hand them a form to fill out. We were respectful of each other.. and oversaw that we were about even. Sometimes we traded if the lead was closer to the other person. 3 maybe more difficult to make even. It did happen a few times that they would pick up the other's info. I kept cards/mini cats in my pocket and handed it to them.. then I offered to get them a cat if they wanted one(with my info) or I would ask them to indicate it on the drawing slip for me to mail them a cat so they don't have to carry it around. Just talk ahead of time with the others... make it ok to share info.. such as you feel like you aren't getting enough leads.. or too many lol. You can also kinda count to keep it somewhat even. Good luck. It'll be great!!!

 

[PamperChefCarol]

There's another thread on here about booths...

I do a lot of booths with another consultant (who hangs out on CS.. HI LIZ!!). I think the key to a successful " booth sharing" experience is choosing your booth buddy wisely. At this point, you have already made that choice, so we have to go from there. Liz and I worked the Novi Women's Expo last spring and we both had the same recipe card and paperwork. We each had a stack of recipe cards and we had intermingled each of ours and just passed those out. There was a ton of people, and we split the leads. We are doing a similar thing in November and really are just tag teaming people. Will split the leads and the sales, unless one of us makes a clear connection with someone.

I would suggest that all three of you work the booth, and share the leads and sales. Try to keep it fair to all so that there are no hard feeling.

Good luck.

 

[pampchefsarah]

You might have 4 or 5 people at the booth at one time, and this consultant thinks she's going to be able to talk to them all by herself? Here's the scenario I imagine:

3rd person walks up to the booth, and has questions. Consultant is busy trying to help two other people at once. Two other consultants are standing there smiling at the 3rd person, but not approaching to answer questions. 3rd person walks away in frustration, and decides on NOT booking that PC show after all.

On the other hand, the scenario could (should) be: 3rd person walks up. 2 other consultants are giving individual attention to the 2 other visitors. 3rd consultant walks up to 3rd visitor and starts conversation. Asks visitor to feel out a drawing slip, which she then takes and initials (so, at the end of the fair, she knows which contacts are hers), and gives the visitor one of her catalogs, or mini-cattys. While all three consultants are busy, a 4th visitor walks up. One of the consultants says "We'll be right with you. In the meantime, please feel free to examine the products, or look at the catalog (there should be at least two with NO consultant info on them, just for booth use), and fill out this slip for a chance in our drawing to win (blank)" When the first available consultant is able to spend time with the 4th visitor, she takes the drawing slip, initials it, and puts it in the box, and answers any questions.

When the fair is over, everyone takes any catalogs they have left over, the slips with their initials, goes home, and makes calls.

You paid $300 for a 3 hour fair??? I hope this is successful for you!

 

[noelskitchen]

Thanks, I'm glad that I don't feel as though it's absurd in the way that I feel would be fair to each of us a consultants.

 

[Koolotus]

Nope, you are right, you should take turns. I am always amazed when grown ups can't play nice. If you shelled out that much for the booth it should rotate.
An hour a piece...sheesh, then she would be whiing that her hour was slowest!

 

[lauradahl]

I have worked one booth with 3 people...my director and another consultant. We "intermingled" (as someone else said here) our mini cats with our info and handed them out to everyone that came thru. If we made a personal connection/booking/lead with someone then we made sure that they had our info and it worked out pretty good. At the end we split all the drawing slip leads 3 ways. So all of the "yes bookings" went 3 ways, the business leads went 3 ways and so on. We also sorta rotated positions around the booth during the event. It was a busy booth that night but it did work out well for all of us!

 

[noelskitchen]

Thanks everyone.

 

[Robynchefcanada]

I take my mom and or sisters if I need help. Then I know that they are working to help me and not themselves. They get paid in PC product which they love. I've tried the other way... too much competition and the girl I was with stole money from me as well as leads. (we were selling product on the table and she "forgot" to pay me for a few things that were mine and sold)

Not everyone is like her so hopefully you will have a great time!

 

[noelskitchen]

Well I knew it would bug me all night so I politely sent her an e-mail stating my thoughts on the issue (keep in mind she is my director and I signed up for the booth not her, just asked if she was interested in doing it with me) I gave my points and went on with the other things I wanted to discuss in our phone conference. She e-mails back with points on what will be discussed and doesn't even mention how the booth will run as one of them or address my points and concerns. I paid for the booth myself, she only contributed to the deposit. If this phone conversation doesn't go right tonight I feel I have no other choice than to give her the $50.00 she contributed out of a $300 fee and tell her it won't work with her doing the booth with me.

It's hard to feel this way but she can't comprehend how she acted at the last booth we did with her. We were suppose to rotate taking turns to talk to people and she completely took over. She said she was going to talk to people until they filled out a drawing slip and she would butt in on our conversations with people as they were talking to us. This caused a problem because I guess one person who she gave one of her drawing slips to had already took the business card of another consultant doing a booth. It didn't go smoothly that day, there were some hard feelings. When she was approached on the issue she took it offensively. I just don't wan't the same experience. She has good intensions but as a director I don't feel your consultant should get run over because you need the sales.