Marketing your business through an event is a wonderful way for you to showcase your company in a unique way. Whether it’s promoting your company directly or celebrating a business achievement an event is the perfect place for networking and obtaining future customers. Putting on the right type of event can offer potential customers a relaxed and comfortable buying environment rather than a high pressured sales meeting. Like we always say at Executive Events, an event can take the place of a first sales call. With event marketing you are able to meet new people, build real-life relationships and create a lasting impact, therefore, creating the perfect place to generate new leads that will eventually become paying customers.
Here are 5 great ways you can generate leads at your next marketing event:
1. Stop Being a Salesperson
The purpose of the event is to ultimately obtain new customers, so you will eventually need to make the sales pitch – but don’t be too eager to do so. Take the time to have a genuine conversation with each person you meet. Ask them questions and get to know them. This will make them feel more comfortable, and will make it easier for you to pitch the sale once you know what’s most important to them and how you can help.
2. Plan Ahead
Depending on the size of the event, it may be challenging to have a conversation with every potential customer. So, before the event, make a list of all the people to whom you want to talk. Whether they’re complete strangers, or you have met them previously, know who your top prospects are and what they look like. Especially if you have only reached out to them through email, telephone or another virtual platform. An event is the perfect place to formally introduce yourself and establish that relationship. If you have a team, make sure each team member knows your divide and conquer plan.
3. Manage Your Time and Set a Goal
Managing your time at the event is crucial. Talking to one person for a lengthy amount of time, or taking too much time to approach someone you want to talk to, can be detrimental to your game plan. Set a goal of the number of people you want to talk to in order to keep yourself in check. If you plan on talking to twenty people, but you’re in the middle of a conversation with only an hour left, don’t be afraid to excuse yourself. Be aware if a conversation is going nowhere, or if the person has no interest in talking to you, so you can use your time more wisely.
4. Talk to Strangers
While it’s smart to know who you want to talk to beforehand, you should also approach people you don’t already know. Walk up to a stranger, or ask a mutual friend to introduce you. That person will appreciate the friendly gesture, and the interaction may benefit you in the long run. Especially if you have already talked to your top prospects, reaching out to new people will only generate more leads.
5. Follow Up
After networking and taking the time to make so many new connections, you want to be sure your efforts were not in vain. It is imperative to get every single person’s contact information so you can get in touch with them in the future. Even if you only chat briefly, ask for their card or contact information so you can continue the conversation if you feel they are a good prospect. If there are people you especially want to pursue, send them a handwritten note or invite them to coffee to get to know them better.
Overall, make sure you are inviting the right people to your event so your chances of turning attendees into customers is as high as possible. Know beforehand who your perfect customer is so you know them when you see them. Have a conversation and listen to their needs to discover exactly how your product or service can help them. And always have a follow-up plan. Create your strategy for lead generation as you are planning your event for the best results possible. Happy lead generating! Learn more about Lead Generation.
If you’re ready to start planning an event to generate qualified leads for your company, contact us today.