Recently, at two separate seminars, I heard the same information presented -- the results of a research study into how people are perceived. Applying it to trade show exhibiting was simple because of other data I already possessed.

Fact: You have four seconds to attract someone to your booth. In the past, this information was applied to the booth set-up, its graphics, its design and layout. But is there more to it than that? Most definitely, yes.

We all make snap judgments. Our minds are computers which take in information, process it thoroughly based on experience, and spew it out before we even realize it. The most common way in which you become aware of this phenomenon is when you walk into a new situation involving new people and immediately decide that you like a person (without saying a word). Or, conversely, you decide that you dislike someone (and don't know why).

Our judgments are made up of perceptions. And lots of different things contribute to those perceptions. In a trade show booth, you have four seconds to grab someone's attention. And if, in those micro-moments, you are perceived in a negative fashion, then both you and your company will lose. In those four seconds, your booth message is transmitted. Your staff's attitude, demonstrated by how they look, stand and act, is evaluated. How do you appear? Are you making the most positive statement possible?

The latest research into how people are viewed breaks down as follows: 55 percent is based on how you look; 38 percent on the tone of your voice; and only 7 percent by what you actually say. In other words, just by your appearance alone, you can turn someone off so completely that changing that attitude is an uphill battle. If your tone of voice is pedantic, holier-than-thou or superior, your words will never get through. Since the smallest part of the perception is your choice of words, if the rest of your message is inconsistent with what you say, you will not be believed.

Another question to ask is, "What subliminal message am I sending?" Behavior today is dictated by current values. If the picture you present reflects outdated values, your company is perceived as also being outdated. Actions and behaviors that 20 years ago were acceptable are now looked down on and simply not tolerated. The most obvious example is smoking. You can't anymore. Not on planes, not in smoke- free buildings, not with clients, not any place where you are being judged. And especially not when you are prospecting for new business.

This all goes back to consistency of presentation -- from your letterhead to your logo, from your advertising to the people you choose to represent your company. Ask yourself if each segment of the whole contributes to a cohesive picture of how you want to be perceived.

There are solutions to making a good impression, or at least not making a bad one. These solutions lie in the visual area, the one that accounts for 55 percent of an opinion. Start by taking a good look at how you appear. Next time you have a show, get someone people don't know to take candid photographs at different times of the day. What do you see? Are people slouching? Sitting? Smoking? Eating? Talking with each other? Do they have their backs to the aisle? Are they standing with their arms across their chests (I'm barring the door), or maybe reading the newspaper or doing paperwork?

One easy way to deal with different clothing styles (and they do vary according to what part of the country you're in) is to put the staff in a uniform. Dealing with some of the other behaviors is not so easy. The greatest fear of the majority of the population is change. We really are more comfortable with the status quo. Anthony Robbins says that a person changes only when the pain of staying the same is so great that the person must change. In real life, for instance, if you see your company going bankrupt unless you change -- you change.

Another way to look at it is client turnover. One of the adages of sales is that you lose 10 percent of your clients each year due to moves, changed responsibilities, death or attrition. They must be replaced and (hopefully) added to so that your business grows. Often, those new clients and prospects are younger with different values, perspectives, skills and attitudes. You, as a salesperson, have to adapt. And adapting means changing.

Here's one solution -- There has to be a person in charge in the booth. Someone who can walk up to the exhibit staff and say, "Stop talking to each other. You can do that at dinner," or "Do your paperwork some other time," or "What you are doing is not acceptable for the image we want to present to our customers and prospects."

Here's another solution -- Schedule a pre-show meeting with all the exhibit staff. Have a list ready for each person that describes what can and cannot be done in the booth. Read it aloud. Have each person sign their copy saying they agree to abide by these rules and return it to you. This way, when their actions are inappropriate, you have something to fall back on.

The last solution is very difficult -- Do not let people who refuse to conform to required behavior be on the staff for the next show. When you have a limited staff, or the show is for customers and prospects of specific salespeople, it is hard to exclude them. And, in addition, they have to be made aware that this is, in effect, a punishment.

No matter what solution you use, you, as the exhibit manager or coordinator, must have the authority and responsibility to demand a certain type of behavior and take action if your requests are disregarded. Otherwise, you might as well not bother because then your problem is not the staff but the management's perception of trade shows. With the current fiscal problems, each aspect of sales and marketing must pull its own weight in generating income. And trade shows are still the cheapest way to reach a large, targeted segment of your buying population.

Margit Weisgal margit.sextantdc@worldnet.att.net and her company, Sextant Communications, specialize in helping companies achieve profitable results from trade shows. Sextant provides trade show exhibitor consulting and staff training to cover every step from show concept through execution and follow-up sales. You can reach Sextant at 301-871-7103 or visit their Web site at http://www.sextantgroup.com/.