If you’ve ever participated in a trade show as a visitor,  it can be quite irritating to have salespeople descend on you the moment you make eye contact or stop for a moment at their booth. It can be enough to warn off visitors, which can be a real pain when you are the one attempting to drum up interest in your product or service.

By learning to read body language and facial expressions, you can interpret whether trade show booth visitors are truly interested in learning more about your company, instead of wasting time on “window shoppers.” Here are a few indicators.

Posture

A person who wants to find out more about your product or service will appear relaxed and open to your pitch. If the visitor appears uptight, looks away, or clenches their fists then they likely would prefer to be somewhere else, so perhaps give them a short intro and a card so they can be on their way.

Facial Clues

If someone is interested in what you are saying they will look directly at you, and their face will appear relaxed, with the mouth almost smiling. Stiff mouths, rapid blinking or eye movement, and raised eyebrows are not a good sign.

Feet and Arms

When a visitor wants to hear more, their feet will point towards you. If they don’t want to listen to your pitch, their feet will aim elsewhere  (because that is where they would like to be). Meanwhile, a relaxed, arms-free position indicates openness to hearing your ideas, but crossed arms or fidgety movements means they would rather be somewhere else.

The next trade show you attend, spend some time watching the attendees and how they react to a salesperson’s approach – soon you’ll be a master of spotting the visitors who really want to learn more, instead of wasting time on those who don’t.