Trade Show Leads and the Failure to Follow Up

The failure to follow up on a trade show sales lead has always mystified me. Exhibitors and attendees alike invest in a trade show. Attendees invest time and money in order to learn about products that will help them become more effective and efficient. Exhibitors invest time and money to…what? To “show the flag”? Some claim that is their only goal, but the vast majority of exhibitors participate in order to generate leads. Most accomplish this objective. But a lead that isn’t followed up is like the proverbial tree falling in the forest. If no one is present to hear it, does the falling tree make a sound? If no one follows up a lead, is it really a lead? Instant Download: “Why Companies Use Lead Retrieval” [PDF]

Here’s What Tradeshow Booth Staff Can Learn From Italian Street Vendors

Contrast the behavior of the sales people who do not follow up leads with that of the vendors in the marketplace in Florence, Italy. To them, a lead occurs when a browser visits their stall, handles the merchandise, asks a few questions…and attempts to move on.

“You don’t like that pocketbook, madam? Let me show you another that is even nicer. Today, for you, I will make a special price. Where are you from? America? I love America. What city? New York! Really? My cousin Rosa lives in New York. I gave her this very pocketbook. She luuuvvs it. You will, too. Here, put it on your shoulder. Take a look in the mirror. Beautiful!”

If you move on, as my wife was wont to do, the vendor is likely to hustle after you. “Madam, you look magnificent with this bag. You must have it! I will make a sacrifice and give it to you for 10 Euros less.” The usual outcome was that everyone walked away happy, my wife because she got a bargain, the vendor, because he got a sale and me, because the haggling was finally over. I was forever under the illusion that with this particular purchase, our shopping foray would come to and end.  How naive of me.

What is The Value of Tradeshows?

When you are young, nothing seems impossible. (And I like to think that even when you are chronologically not-so-young, if you are young at heart, most things seem possible – but perhaps I’m a bit delusional.)

Back in the seventies, and for many years thereafter, my primary business was manufacturing and selling the once ubiquitous manually operated credit card machines used at point of sale.  If you are at least 30, you’ve seen them.

When I got in to the business, Bartizan wasn’t even a speck on the radar as far as the other four competing manufacturers were concerned. Two were Fortune 500 companies. A third was a medium-sized public company. The fourth was a private company run by an experienced industry executive. By any measure, Bartizan was a pipsqueak.

There were a number of adventures – and misadventures – that turned Bartizan into a formidable competitor over the span of 20 years. A very important factor was our decision to participate in the credit card industry’s annual trade show organized by the American Bankers Association.

When we first participated in the mid-70s, our competitors didn’t take us seriously, which wasn’t a problem. The fact that few of our prospects took us seriously, well that was another matter.

The recent news that Encyclopedia Britannica will cease publishing brought me back to the time when my good friend from Britannica, Charlie Brocker, helped me make inroads with the banks that constituted the market for our equipment. Charlie truly was one of the most unforgettable characters you would ever meet.

I first met Charlie at one of the annual credit card industry trade shows. These were big events at which MasterCard and Visa entertained royally. Money was no object – to them. It sure was for me.

Charlie Brocker had been a WWII POW. A fireplug of a man with an ever- present grin, Charlie knew everyone, or perhaps more accurately, everyone knew Charlie. He was Britannica’s star salesman and a five-star bon vivant.

It was my good fortune to meet Charlie in Bartizan’s formative years. Charlie was perhaps 25 years or 30 years older than I.

Charlie became my mentor. Britannica maintained a lavish suite at each ABA credit card show. Charlie was always the host. Food was abundant, drinks even more so. The Britannica suite was a magnet. Everyone wanted to be invited. Lucky me, I always was. ‘Who do ya want to meet, Lew?”, Charlie would ask. In no time, I would be face to face with mister or miss big hitter. “I want ya to meet Lew, Sally. He has a wonderful product.” Chances were very good that Sally would drop by our booth the following day.

Through Charlie I met Bill Shaw, a credit card banker, at a trade show. Bill and I hit it off. Same age, both Air Force vets. At one of the annual ABA shows Bill showed up with his new bride. And I do mean new. They had just gotten married in New Orleans, the site of the show. Married? Without a reception?  Before the day was out there was a reception – in the Bartizan suite. Bill had become a loyal Bartizan customer and a good friend – and it all started with Charlie Brocker.

Would any of this have been possible at a “virtual show”? Are you kidding?  Nothing beats face-to-face. The best business, as with the best friendships, takes place face-to-face.

Why Do Companies Use Lead Retrieval? [PDF]

There are a wide variety of reasons why companies use our lead management products. We’ve listed some common reasons here. Take a look at the following statements and see if any apply to your company:

1. You are short on manpower or budget.
2. You may have lost revenue because of mishandling or losing potential sales opportunities.
3. You’d like to be sure which of your tradeshow leads will become the most profitable.
4. You or your staff have lost or can’t easily find valuable customer information.
5. Your company is outgrowing lead sheets and applications such as Excel.
6. Companies exhibit at shows to gather leads – manage those leads in a quick, digital way.
7. It’s difficult to profile and target prospects after the show for marketing campaigns.
8. You have very little real-time accurate information and data about booth activity.
9. You find it time consuming to manually enter information – delaying follow-up.
10. It’s tough to analyze good leads from bad ones at your show.
11. In the past, you have misplaced the business cards of prospects.
12. Sometimes you wish you could track leads more efficiently.

Why do companies use lead retrieval? Because lead retrieval is all about overcoming these problems. The more you understand your leads with targeting, the better you manage your relationships with them. The faster you follow up, the more profitable your tradeshow participation will be.

Like ROI? The faster you follow up, the more profitable your tradeshow participation will be.

Instant [PDF] Download:  “Why Companies Use Lead Retrieval” 

Smart Meetings Magazine Highlights iLeads in Event App Article

The positive press continues for the iLeads app for lead retrieval. iLeads is highlighted in Diego Vallejo article, What’s ‘Appening in this month’s issue of Smart Meetings magazine. We love the article’s title, very clever, but we also love that Smart Meetings says using iLeads gives users “a treasure trove of contacts with whom to follow up.” and uses “cutting edge of technology” for networking.

Using apps at meetings is very smart. It saves money and it’s great for the environment. Especially for lead management and database building, using a mobile app instead of other methods [lead sheets, business cards, for example] saves money on printing, paper and the cost of paying someone to manually enter data from a paper form or card into a database. The manual lead processing costs and correction costs are always higher than the rental fee. Then there is opportunity cost, the cost of losing a business card, late follow-up. Yikes.

Read more about the most cutting edge meeting apps here.

Hooray! Badge Scanning Capability on iLeads for Android

We are quick to respond to changing technology and customer feedback. This feedback goes straight to our designers and drives all of our future product releases. Exhibitors asked for scanning, it is what they are most familiar with – so we responded.

Exhibitors using iLeads can scan or type the tradeshow badge ID to retrieve real time sales lead data using both Apple devices and Android devices.

With this latest release on Android™, the majority of smart phone users globally will now be able to experience the benefits of iLeads, including, by popular demand -  badge scanning.

What’s New in Android Version 1.1?

1. Badge scanning capability.
2. On-device, full lead information in real-time when an internet connection is available.
3. Ability to call directly from the lead record by tapping on the telephone number.
4. Ability to send a follow up email right away from your mobile device within the lead record.
5. Customized display of lead contact information.
6. Faster search.

Exhibitors can follow up instantly with tradeshow leads gathered with an email or phone call and send updates right from the tradeshow floor to headquarters, customers and prospects.

To test scanning, click here for the sample badges.

To see how easy it is to use:

1. Launch the app on your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad or Android phone.
2. Click the “Featured” icon at the bottom of the screen.
3. Tap New Event. Enter your Sample event access code: 1006, Tap Done and Confirm.
4. Click on the event. Tap New Lead. Enter sample badge number: 6036 or Scan the QR code. Tap Done.
5. Test drive adding a qualifier, note, survey. Tap Done

The Android™ application is available for free download. Download iLeads for Android™ here: http://tinyurl.com/iLeadsAppAndroid

What Really Goes on at a Vegas Convention

Bad conference behavior including boozing it up is described in Joel Stein’s article, “What Really Goes On at Conventions in Vegas?” in Bloomberg Businessweek last week – it cracked us up here.

Since we are in the tradeshow business we are familiar with many of his observations.

Here’s an excerpt: “People act differently at a convention than they do at home. Way different. “I’ve seen so many bad things happen,” says Chel Pelletier, the event marketing manager for Cassidian, a mobile radio company that has a big booth at the International Wireless Communications Expo, which is actually a convention for public safety technology, an industry that 10 years ago was basically walkie-talkies until Sept. 11. “I think it’s a stupid idea to hook up with someone you’re at a convention with. New Orleans is so bad. I’ve seen a woman leave her purse in a guy’s hotel room, and he returned it at her booth. In front of her boss.”

Trade shows are both fun and exhausting. Enjoy the full article here.

Ways to Inspire a New Generation of Creative Minds

“Can you do it, champ?’

All marketing [even tradeshow marketing] is founded on the principal of great advertising creative and copy. Here’s a great video clip that asks: What if you take four of the most iconic ads and re-imagine them for today?

In 2011, Google partnered with four global brands in an advertising experiment. The goal was simple – how can the ideas that defined the advertising industry in its infancy, inspire a whole new generation of creatives and marketers?

They remade their most iconic ad campaigns from the 1960′s and 1970′s with today’s technology, led by the creative legends who made these campaigns.

To be continued…

Free Event App Promotion from Bartizan

If you organize tradeshows, you’ll be interested in our latest offer.

We love mobile technology, so we are offering a free event app for your event with any registration agreement signed by September 28th.

Similar event apps can run organizers $15,000- $30,000.

Your limited time offer includes our mobile platform for zero additional cost.

Hurry—this special offer ends soon! Get started now: Request a proposal

Please let us know if you’d like to speak with an event expert, or if you would like a one-on-one demo setup just for you and your team.

Copyblogger’s 15 Grammar Goofs That Make You Look Silly

We loved this infographic Copyblogger posted today about grammar goofs. Enjoy it.  I still have a tough time with there, their and they’re!

For those not reading Copyblogger yet, check it out. It’s an excellent resource for copy-writing and marketing tips.

Like this infographic? Get more copywriting tips from Copyblogger.

The 3 Essentials For Attracting Young Crowds to a Tradeshow

I just graduated college in June, and officially I’m new to the tradeshow industry. However, my dad, Lew Hoff, has decades of experience in the business. I’ve been around the industry my whole life. I am grateful for the lessons my dad has taught me about business, relationships and the value of just showing up.

Recently I’ve attended a few trade shows and would like to offer up this advice to attract and retain a younger audience of attendees:

Entertainment: Our generation is constantly engaging in multiple activities at once. Media and technology, especially, have a huge impact on young people. It has been embedded in everyday life. To most of us, it is even seen as a necessity. Many watch television, use our computers to browse Twitter, reply to emails on our phones, read articles on our iPads and listen to music. We are juggling all of these activities at once! Young people are pros at multi-tasking. We have been brought up and subconsciously trained to be good at it. This means we expect to be entertained when we attend a tradeshow. Entertainment doesn’t consist of a screen, playing a video on repeat, or candies in a bowl on your exhibit table.

We expect to be wowed.

As an exhibitor, you really need to think outside the box and be creative with your company’s presentation. To captivate us, engage in all of our senses. Don’t be afraid to overpower us with entertainment. Unlike the older generation, we want to interact with you in many ways, all at once. Myself being part of the young generation, I can tell you first hand that we don’t want to simply be sitting and watching. We want to be up, interacting with you and be entirely engrossed in the activities around us. The older crowd may choose to watch a product demonstration; where as the younger crowd would much rather have the product in their hands, to play around with. It is important we share an experience with your brand. It is far more likely we will remember an experience with your company, rather than statistics and facts you throw at us.

Treat Each Attendee Like Your Only: No one wants to be a number in a crowd. Although you are meeting and speaking with a large number of people, make it a point to show genuine interest in every single attendee you meet. This will provide them with a sense of value. Demonstrate eye contact, listen closely, smile and refer to them by name. Everyone loves hearing their name. As an exhibitor, calling them by name shows you are truly happy to meet with them.

Experiential Exhibits: A young crowd will be attracted to hands- on experience with a product. If you are selling a service, provide demos that allow us to try it for ourselves. This will make us more attached to your product, making it a need, rather than a want. Obviously if your company sells a product such as a construction crane, you will need to examine a different route. Because we have grown up in the world of new advances, and constant evolving technologies, another option is to use new and fun tech tools. Young people were taught with and are accustomed to using virtual tools. If it is unrealistic to bring your product to us, at least bring the experience.

Do you know what I love about tradeshows most? Meeting “older” people (like my dad) who get a kick out of helping young people out.

Orly Hoff, 2011 University of Massachusetts Amherst Alum