Trade show lead management is much more than just showing up at these events in order to shake a few hands.
It refers to a company function that describes those methodologies, practices, and systems that have been designed and developed to generate qualified sales leads by operating through an assortment of different marketing techniques. It helps to create a connection between your company’s an advertising and marketing efforts and the inquiries or responses that are generated by these efforts.
It is important to know that lead management software applications and systems have not only been developed to implement direct-to-consumer strategies but they have also been designed and developed for B2B or business-to-business strategies as well. In today’s economy, event exhibitors and managers are encountering increasing demands for identifying qualified trade prospects. This oftentimes requires constantly keeping timely messages and reminders in front of them.
Your sales staff is better equipped when trade show lead management software applications and systems are available to them so they can immediately identify qualified sales prospects and then cater your company message to address that prospect’s specific needs. Your sales force will be able to follow-up on their leads and then engage the different sales prospects as soon as the trade show has ended.
10 Tips for More Effective Trade Show Lead Management
Here’s a scenario to consider. You and your sales force have just completed what you feel was a successful trade show exhibition based on the flood of visitors to your booth and that pile of leads that resulted. After the show had ended, you were shocked to find out that all those leads that were gathered fizzled because they were left to just sit and collect dust on top of some other salespeople’s desks. Does that sound familiar? To ensure that it never happens again, consider implementing a trade show lead management system.
Trade show lead management is one of the least visible components of a company that participates in these events and yet it is, by all means, the most important final stage of the trade show marketing process. The following is 10 tips that will enable you and your sales force to manage your trade show leads more effectively:
Tip #1 – always try to get “qualified” leads so your sales force values them and follows up with them
Tip #2 – train your sales force to qualify their leads at the show, not after it is over
Tip #3 – have a follow-up plan developed before the trade show starts.
Tip #4 – don’t rely on another business person’s sales card to be your lead; have a lead sheet generated so you can better capture more viable information.
Tip #5 – do more follow-up.
Tip #6 – get your marketing and sales managers to stress the importance of following up and then do it with every lead acquired at the trade show.
Tip #7 – appoint one person to be the head of trade show lead fulfillment and who will be responsible for entering leads into your company’s CRM database and transferring those leads to the sales department.
Tip #8 – be prepared before the trade show to send lead fulfillment, even during the show
Tip #9 – do more follow-up.
Tip #10 – watch for that critical link that is oftentimes broken – this refers to what the visitors to your booth reveal to the booth staffer and then your booth staffer’s response is not transferred to the sales force.
For more information regarding our trade show lead management systems, please contact Aim CRM today by calling the toll-free phone number listed above at the top of the page.
