As a follow up to my list of things to avoid in your sales proposals, here’s a list of somethings you may want to avoid in your conference booth.

1. Avoid numbing me with marketese. I’m surround by hunderds of other companies just like yours, filled with the same toothy Herb Tarleks, spouting the same pitch, with booths decorated with indistinguishably meaningless catch phrases and tag lines. “High Performance. Delivered.” None of this means anything. If this is what you’re putting out there, then you are wasting your money. If I asked everyone else on the floor if they deliver high performace, 100% of all answers would be “yes! of course we do! *grin*”.
2. Avoid empty words displayed large on slick posters for everyone to ignore. Don’t talk to me of “collaboration” or “interoperability” or other table stakes. I’m assuming you already have such things nailed, otherwise you wouldn’t be wasting millions to exhibit at this conference. Share an insight like “Its faster to edit than to type,” (not that I agree what that, but it tell me where you’re coming from) or tell me something exciting like “pays for itself in 2 month.” 2 months? I don’t care what that is, I’m interested. Of course please be sure its true as well as exciting.
3. Avoid sending too many androids to manage your booth. Nothing is less inviting to a conference goer than seeing a half dozen identically logo-dressed sales people standing about talking to each other. Its intimidaing. It looks like I’ll get pounced on. It looks like a staff meeting. I’m not going to ask my stupid question infront of a half dozen strangers who are friends with each other. Have a couple of your people dressed like regular folks. That way, when no customers are there, its still looks like there are always customers talking to your people. Thats more inviting. Oh, and when i get to speak with the VP who’s all casual in his rolled up sleeves and free from any logo tatooing, it makes me feel even more important, because he looks real, he looks like me and not like an android.
4. Avoid getting too clever with your booth stuff. I saw one both that featured an elevated level. This made the main floor level look dark and cramped, not exactly inviting. I saw another booth that was so clever with its animatronic rotating tagline display that is complete obscured the company’s name and logo for all but the birds who now live in the convention centre. I had to look hard to figure out whose booth it was.

Forget about the iPod giveaways, the automobile raffles, your claims of world-class performance, and the silicone booth decorations. Just be authentic. If you have a solution to my pain, I want to hear about it, really. Unlike most other times, I want to give you my attention–that is what I’m there for. So just be plain about your understanding of my pain, and how you can alleviate it, and you stand a pretty good chance of setting yourself up for a deal later on.