4 Outdated Habits That May Be Ruining Your Conference ROI
In-person sales events, from trade shows to association conferences, are a truly valuable part of any organization’s sales and marketing strategy. On top of brand recognition, showcasing your product, and getting a real handle on the concerns, pain points, and wants of your audience, these events provide the one-on-one connection that is so important in building a qualified lead and, eventually, closing a sale. According to a study by The Center for Exhibition Industry Research, 79% of the attendees say that attending shows helps them decide on what products to buy. But what sounds like a surefire win can backfire for many companies who are not approaching each event with a clear, and modern strategy. While some things in sales never change, technology is greatly improving the way sales teams can move trade show leads into the sales funnel and improve their chance of conversion. By approaching things the “same old way”, you not only run the risk of fewer sales but that the time and money spent on the event itself will not prove a great investment. Are you guilty of using one of these antiquated approaches to conference exhibiting? You collect lead information manually. The business card has not quite died, but it’s certainly not the most efficient manner through which to connect with attendees. In the worst case scenario, the cards you collect could be misplaced or left behind. Even in the best situation, you have the bare minimum in terms of information, and you need to have someone manually enter that data into a CRM or other system. The result is a waste of time and lackluster lead data that does not provide any of the actually helpful information a sales rep could use to nurture the new contact. You hand out brochures. Have you ever […]
The Future of Events: Instantly Connecting Events With Your Sales Effort
A cursory glance at the sales and marketing budget of nearly any B2B organization will show that while some things have changed – line item for a Virtual Reality experience, anyone? – some things never will. Conferences, expos, and trade shows are still a vibrant part of the sales cycle, and for good reason. Despite all our love and even dependence on emerging technologies, at the end of the day, we are humans, and people like to buy from people. We know in our bones that working events works. But is it working as well as it can? These days, simply popping up a few banners and handing out pens will not cut it; not only are your reps on call to engage, they are on the hook to convert. Are you getting the ROI you want, need, and deserve? How do you know? The same old event approach is old! Historically, exhibitors had no way to really obtain quantitative insights into their show performance. Short of counting the number of business cards reps were able to collect during their time on the floor, you often could not tell if any of the connections made were qualified, actionable leads until well after you were home and unpacked. Since then we have seen the advent of lead retrieval technology and the ability for conferences to provide exhibitors with the ability to scan a badge and digitally capture a visitor to their booth as a new lead. Depending on your platform not only can you instantly have your leads added to your CRM, but you can add notes about your conversations, have your new contacts qualified quickly and consistently, or automatically enroll them in a nurture campaign. Advancements? Most certainly. But have they solved the age-old challenge of improving your conference ROI? […]
Email Blasts Might Be Ruining Your Sales Strategy
Let me start by saying, I’m not here to answer the question, “What is marketing automation?”. Marketing automation is overrated. Sure, it has its place – but that place isn’t in the hands of your sales people. It’s not enough to send templated email blasts to five thousand people, cross your fingers and hope for the best. Click-through rates are low enough as it is. On the off-chance someone actually engages with your brand, they should feel that you understand their pain. That you have a solution that will make them a hero. That you can help.
