Trade shows still rank high on an organization’s marketing tactics to meet their sales strategies. In-person events are used by 68 percent of B2B marketers according to research from the Content Marketing Institute. Trade shows and events take a lot of work and effort.
So how can you make yours the most profitable for your business?
Here are six steps that can help you make trade shows a success:
Before you start planning the logistics of the event, put together a plan on how you’ll manage both collecting leads and what your post event nurturing program will look like. Most of us don’t like to have to repeat our information over and over, so define what type of information you need to gather from prospects that will be key to a successful follow-up.
You’ll also want to think about how you’ll handle the lead after the show. This is where Chameleon Group can really give you an edge. We can brainstorm with you and define your goals for leads, follow up, and closed business.
You probably know the companies that you’d like to target and turn into prospective customers. But do you know who’s the right person at that company that can turn a conversation into a sale? Prospect profiling can take can your lead list and return a qualified prospect list with all client information necessary to make a sale.
Contact prospects and share with them the benefit of attending the event. Let them know how the material is relevant to their business, and how your business can help their business. Set up appointments for you and your sales team to meet with the prospect at the show.
It’s the card in the proverbial fishbowl at your booth – how do you know if its a qualified lead or if they were just looking to win that cool prize you were giving away?
You’ll need to spend time determining the value of that lead – is it one that can be passed on to the sales team? It might need further qualifying before it moves to that level. Chameleon Group can manage those leads for you before your sales team moves in for the close, saving you time and increasing your close ratios.
Once you’ve gathered the lead data, using a CRM platform that stores the information lead and integrates into other sales and marketing platforms in your company will make follow ups and future prospecting easier. Chameleon offers our clients access to a customized CRM for their contacts, called ChameleonLeads. You can see in real time how your leads are developing and notes from the sales process showing progress.
Selling requires persistence. Time and again, industry research shows that 80% of non-routine sales occur only after at least five follow-ups. And yet, 44% of salespeople give up after one “no”! Creating a follow up schedule that details how and when to follow up with a lead will help sales representatives be more successful.
Trade shows work. They do take more commitment than meeting prospects at the local hot spot and hoping a great dinner and fine beverages turn into a sale.
Ready to make trade shows work for you? Call us!
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