Published on
Oct 2016

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◗◗8 Ways to Generate Solid Leads at Your Next Event

3 min read

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The Missed Connections page on Craigslist is proof that as a race, humans mess up. We have the best intentions, we may even prepare, but when it’s a split second opportunity to put ourselves out there and potentially get turned down, we hesitate.

And yes, this even goes for you, the suave marketing and sales professional that can shake hands and kiss babies with the best of them. You are confident, and you are informed, and you have done your research. Good. But you know as well as us that you have also walked away from a trade show or networking event and realized it wasn’t your best performance.

How can you improve your event game? We have some suggestions to generate solid leads at your next event.

1. Do your homework.

Well before you head to the venue, start your plan of attack. Who is coming? Who do you want to connect with? What is going on with their business that would make your product a good match?

2. Introduce yourself.

You’ve seen them at every trade show – the shy reps hovering just at the entry of their booth, waiting for people to come to them. Instead, greet people walking by, welcome them to your booth, explain in a strong one-liner why what you are sharing is of value.

3. Don’t make it all about you.

When you begin chatting with a prospective client, ask questions and find out about their needs, wants, and issues that need solving. Commiserate with them and get to know them – then show them how you can help. No one wants to be talked at – respect the give and take.

4. Customize your pitch to that individual.

So you’ve met Bob and he’s in pharma sales and he would love to be able to reach more business managers in chiropractor offices. Have a pitch just for him! With technology, you can come prepared with a variety of mini demos or tutorials that are targeted to niche demographics and showcase the solution you can provide on an individual level. Be sure to have approaches and materials for all your top prospect markets.

5. Start the lead process immediately.

As soon as you have a name and a company, you have a lead. Take the business card, sure, but using event-marketing software that allows you to instantly turn it or the individual’s conference ID into a lead in your CRM kicks off the process easily and ensures their details won’t get lost between the seat cushions on the way back to the office.

6. Ask the hard questions.

If you are working your magic but your potential client is obviously becoming disinterested, ask why. It might be a hard pill to swallow, but ask right out what isn’t working for them. It may help you redirect your sales pitch, or it may enlighten you to an issue with your approach or even the product that you hadn’t noticed before. Learn from it.

7. Ask for the close.

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, right?

8. Foster the relationship.

The stats on how many event leads are never followed up on are mind-blowing. Your job does not end when the event does – reconnect! If you utilized an event-marketing app, you already have the email address entered and ready to go – so go. Send more details on the product, or a video to a demo, or a whitepaper – and then check your analytics to ensure they not only opened it, but to see how long they engaged and what they seem most drawn to. If you had discussed an issue they were having in their office, send an article explaining how others have fixed it. If they love a sports team, send a short email congratulating them on a recent win. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, so grab some water and your tablet and keep going.

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◗◗empower your sales and marketing efforts

momencio - AI Lead Enrichment

Overview

The AI Lead Enrichment is a proprietary service of momencio designed to simplify and enhance the
process of capturing and enriching lead information at any type of event.

By using momencio’s mobile or tablet app, you can use the device’s camera to take a clear picture of any form of identification, including, but not limited to, name tags/event badges/business cards. Our AI-driven service leverages OCR technology to identify any information captured and map any relevant data to a contact record. The contact record is then fed to our Lead Enrichment service, which creates a more complete contact record. The process provides exhibitors with the most accurate and up-to-date contact details available.

The Reality of Event Data Collection

In the dynamic environment of event floors, achieving perfect data accuracy can sometimes be challenging. Both traditional lead capture methods using event APIs and AI Lead Enrichment strive for
high accuracy, but various factors can impact the data collected:

  • Personal Email Usage: Some attendees register with personal email addresses.
  • Name Misspellings: Minor errors can occur during registration.
  • Generic Email Addresses: Use of addresses like marketing@domain.com.
  • Broad Registration Categories: Attendees might register under general titles (e.g., Biomedical
    Student).
  • Complex Company Structures: Companies with multiple sub-companies can complicate data
    accuracy.

     

AI Lead Enrichment is specifically designed to manage these scenarios, continually learning and
adapting to improve its accuracy.

Advanced Services for Lead Enrichment

AI Lead Enrichment leverages a suite of advanced tools and services to ensure the highest quality data retrieval:

  • Machine Learning: Continuously improves the accuracy of lead data.
  • AI (Artificial Intelligence): Enhances basic information with additional details.
  • Data Enrichment: Adds valuable contact details to enhance lead profiles.
  • LinkedIn Services: Provides up-to-date professional profiles.

Our Commitment to Excellence

AI Lead Enrichment excels in providing accurate data, yet certain edge cases may present challenges. These include:

  • Private LinkedIn Profiles: Some professional details might be inaccessible.
  • Personal Email Addresses: When registrants use personal rather than business emails.
  • Small-Scale Businesses: Limited online presence can affect data richness.
  • Self-Employed Individuals: Lack of company affiliation might limit available data.
  • Event Staff Contacts: Scanned badges may occasionally belong to event staff.
  • Extensive Sub-Company Networks: Complexity in identifying the correct entity.
  • Security-Sensitive Industries: Industries like military or government may have restricted
    information.


Despite these potential challenges,
AI Lead Enrichment strives to provide the best possible data,
ensuring valuable insights for effective follow-ups.

How AI Lead Enrichment Enhances Your Event Strategy

  1. Data Capture: Seamlessly capture attendee information such as first name, last name, and
    company name.
  2. Data Enrichment: Utilize AI to enhance this basic information with additional details like
    business email and LinkedIn profile.
  3. Immediate Engagement: Send personalized follow-up emails and provide links to personalized
    microsites to maintain engagement.

     

momencio’s AI Lead Enrichment innovative technology ensures high data accuracy and enrichment, significantly improving your follow-up strategies and boosting overall event ROI.

By operating independently of event-specific APIs, ULC offers versatility across various events while enhancing your lead capture and engagement efforts.

Additional Information on Event APIs

Traditional event APIs play a crucial role in modern event management, facilitating tasks like attendee data collection and session tracking. However, there are common challenges associated with these APIs:

  • Data Delays: Delays in data delivery can affect timely decision-making.
  • Inconsistent Data Quality: Variability in data quality can undermine event analytics.
  • Misleading Event Data: Issues like duplicates can lead to inaccurate attendee estimates.
  • Limited Data Scope: Traditional APIs might miss crucial information that enhances attendee
    engagement and event ROI.

     

momencio’s AI Lead Enrichment overcomes these challenges by offering enriched data with high
accuracy, making it a versatile and cost-effective alternative to traditional event APIs.

How AI Lead Enrichment Works

  1. Data Capture: Captures attendee information, including first name, last name, and company
    name.
  2. Data Enrichment: Enhances basic information with additional details like business email and
    LinkedIn profile.
  3. Immediate Engagement: Sends personalized follow-up emails and links to personalized
    microsites for continued engagement.

By leveraging momencio’s AI Lead Enrichment, you can transform event interactions into meaningful business opportunities, ensuring every lead is accurately captured and effectively engaged