‘Lead generation & follow up’ Articles
Written by Ken Newman on 16 March 2010
Hey Newman, at the last trade show I attended, it seemed like every presentation had been written by the same committee. Is it just me, or do I need to look for a TradeShowSpeak/English dictionary? —Steve in NYC
We all know that digitized scalable monitoring can offer a compatible WYSIWYG Intranet or a horizontal, even-keeled knowledge base. But for an extended fault tolerant matrix or for ameliorated scalable process improvement, you really need extended systematic software. In fact, a vision-oriented actuating migration or a right-sized, bottom-line help desk can provide the kind of eco-centric customer loyalty for which we all clamor.
Something tells me that opening paragraph didn’t do much for you. In fact, if you were a trade show attendee listening to THAT presentation, I suspect you’d fake an “important phone call” just so you could get up and leave. Yet, many trade show presentations sound just like this. Many of them (most?) are little more than a staged reading of a marketing whitepaper — without any emotional connection at all.
Specs and high-tech talking points don’t sell products and services; enthusiasm and passion do.
Connecting with your audience is key. They need to hear the passion and energy in your voice, and they need to hear how that product will change their lives (or the world at large). How is this going to help people? Why should they care? What are the benefits for them? And why are you so excited about it? For some reason, answering those essential questions is most often lost in the development of the presentation script.
Whether it’s an enterprise-class server or a new baby formula, you MUST find a way to be passionate when you’re talking about it.
I recently represented a solar power company at a large home and garden show. The company had given me the basic data points about solar panels, which I incorporated into my presentation. After just a few shows, it became very clear to me that attendees weren’t paying much attention to those details. What they responded to was the way I talked about solar power. They could tell that I really believed in this technology — that it was good for the homeowner and good for the planet — and they flocked to me after the presentations with their technical questions.
They just figured if I was that passionate about the product, I must know all the nitty-gritty details. So, clearly what stayed with them wasn’t the technical info. It was the way they connected with me and my presentation OF that information.
I was getting qualified leads and signing people up for free in-home consultations based on the feeling the people had about the product and how it could help them … and the feeling they had about the “energy” of the presentation.
That energy — that passion — needs to be there all the time. If you’re the presenter, you have to find something about that product or service that you can really get behind. As a presenter, you owe it to yourself and to your audience to be genuinely passionate about your subject. The audience will pick up on that … or they’ll just be lulled into a coma by a barrage of corporate jargon.
If you’re not hiring a professional trade show presenter, then find someone in the company who is genuinely passionate and has the facility to deliver that passion on stage. Eight minutes is long enough, so long as that enthusiasm comes through. More than the size of the booth, more than the thickness of your carpet pad, this passion level really matters. The alternative isn’t pretty:
“We offer you a 24-7, mission critical, best-of-class, paradigm-shifting solution that will proactively enable cross-platform deliverables in a synergistic, distributed LAN/WAN environment.”
Tags: connection, crowd gathering, passion
Posted in Booth staff, Lead generation & follow up, Trade show presentations | 1 Comment »
Written by Ken Newman on 17 November 2009
Hey Newman, I don’t want to tweet and there’s nothing you can do to make me. That’s not really a question, but I wanted to say it anyway. –Scared in Seattle
Okay, SIS, I hear you. People are still very resistant to jump into the whole Twitter thing … especially when I move from talking about 140 characters to “advanced” tweeting techniques such as leaving Twitter video messages.
I know you’re busy and are afraid that Twitter will be a big time-wasting machine. But it’s not like you need to have a Twitter Department and hire a CTO (Chief Tweeting Officer). Just throw yourself into the mix. There’s absolutely no downside to creating a very simple Twitter profile—even if it’s just a profile directly related to your presence at an upcoming trade show. It costs nothing to do.
In fact, most companies have already taken that first step and do have a profile set up. It’s just not being used in any meaningful way. So, here’s a start: Tweet from the trade show floor with your latest news and a special offer only for the first 50 people to drop by the booth. Get comfortable with that, and then read the next paragraph when you’re ready to start really enhancing your trade show presence through Twitter Power.
Twitter & Video: Marriage Made in Trade Show Heaven
Okay, 140 characters of text is a good start. But it’s hard to distinguish yourself from all those other text micro-posts flooding a Twitter user’s feed. “Stop by my booth!” might not hack it all of the time. That’s why you utilize video. Have your actual trade show presenter record 30- or 60-second spots for your Twitter feed and Web site. Do a “Live from the Trade Show Floor” spot and a daily wrap-up. Announce special offers, news and promotions with all the fanfare a live recording can offer.
Video is a differentiator. It stands out from the typical 140-character crowd and taps into something people already love to watch: film previews. They’re short, they’re interesting and they get people excited in anticipation of something.
Creating these videos and getting them published online has never been easier. My favorite methods are two tools: BubbleTweet lets you record a cool, little bubble-shaped video that pops up on your Twitter page. Bubble Comment creates a similar effect, but it’s right on your very own homepage. And, of course, your Web site and Twitter profile can cross promote one another. And if that’s a touch too much new technology for your taste, just post to YouTube and copy the embedded video code.
Before you say, “I don’t have the production equipment,” just let me say, “If you have a PHONE, you have the production equipment!” If you’ve worried about being on camera, we’ve got talent who do this kind of thing for a living. For an example, I want you to check out a Twitter video by professional presenter, Andy Saks. Here’s a BubbleTweet video he did to encourage attendees to stop by the AT&T Booth at Educause. Seriously, take a look because this is a great example of harnessing the marketing power of a simple 30 second video. Believe me, EVERYONE should be doing this stuff.
I’m not saying you need to use Magnet Productions to get any of this done. You don’t. I’m just saying all the tools and resources are in place to quickly take advantage of some great marketing tools and get more people into your booth! So, at your next trade show, don’t be Scared in Seattle. Use these suggestions and be the King of the Trade Show Twitterverse.
Do you have an industry-related question you’d like answered on “Hey Newman”? Send him an e-mail and get your inquiry answered on the blog.
Tags: booth buzz, social media, trade show trends, Twitter, using video
Posted in Lead generation & follow up, Trade show giveaways, Trade show news & trends, Trade shows & social media | No Comments »
Written by Ken Newman on 10 November 2009
Hey Newman, I know that Twitter is great for letting people know insignificant details about my life, but what about trade shows? Is it really worth tweeting about THAT? –Richard in Chicago
Let’s talk about utilizing Twitter within the throes of a trade show. Preferably, you’ve spent months really connecting with key people through your Twitter stream, building brand awareness and building your follower count. But that time has passed. The trade show is now. So, what can you do to harness this new cool tool?
→ First off, start promoting the trade show before it happens. A series of 140 character tweets at regular intervals starting a month before the event will build excitement and interest.
→ Don’t interpret 140 characters as a limitation. In the trade show space, it’s something that can easily be used to your advantage by keeping your message short and sweet.
→ Leverage your trade show giveaways by tweeting about new free offerings every hour: “Come by the [company] booth within the next 30 minutes for a free T-shirt and other goodies.”
→ Give regular updates: “Author of important new book on Internet security will be speaking at the [company] booth in 15 minutes and signing copies.”
→ Direct Message followers you know to be at the trade show that you’d love some face time with. Leave them a breadcrumb trail of sorts to finding you.
→ Also use Twitter messages to follow up with people who did stop by the booth to gain some extra traction and clue them in to more information: “Thanks so much for stopping by the booth. Check out http://bit.ly/14jYU0 for more info on our trade show staff training services!”
→ Use hashtags to show up in the trade show stream. That way, those who search directly for feeds relating to the trade show will see your messages: “#INTEROP presentation about to begin! Run to the guy spinning plates and grab a seat.”
→ Lastly, help one another and foster goodwill: I was at the National Association of Broadcasters Show and someone realized he didn’t have the necessary connector to use his wireless headset mic. He tweeted his troubles, and 10 minutes later two people showed up with the connector he needed.
This works! So, go tweet your little trade show heart out.
Do you have an industry-related question you’d like answered on “Hey Newman”? Send him an e-mail and get your inquiry answered on the blog.
Tags: booth buzz, targeted giveaways, trade show opportunities, trade show trends, Twitter
Posted in Lead generation & follow up, Trade show news & trends, Trade shows & social media | 3 Comments »
Written by Ken Newman on 25 August 2009
Hey Newman, enjoying the posts. What’s your take on Twitter? -Mark in San Francisco
Twitter streams are overflowing with loud, unsolicited advertisements for all sorts of random stuff. And while I won’t begrudge someone for attempting to raise awareness about their e-book, that approach really misses the point.
What business people and trade show exhibitors don’t typically realize with Twitter is the potential for connection. Sure, it’s not the same as engaging someone face-to-face, but when are you going to be face-to-face with Demi Moore (@mrskutcher) or the CEO of Zappos (@Zappos) or the Chief Technology Officer at Cisco (@Padmasree). Even with a “connection” to Cisco, Padmasree Warrior wouldn’t take my call or respond to my e-mail. But Demi and Tony and Padmasree are actively involved in the Twitter community and responding to tweets—especially if they’re clever or funny or helpful.
This is the equivalent of getting invited to “that party” and having a chance to start a dialogue and charm influential people with your personality. More to that point, you wouldn’t walk into that VIP party and immediately say, “Here’s what I’m selling!” They’d shun you instantly (if you didn’t get kicked out altogether). But through a genuine conversation, talk might turn to what you do, and that person or the company that person represents might very well recognize a need for your services.
Twitter “conversations” are just as relaxed. It’s fun and often silly, but you can get work done within this budding medium. It’s just important to remember that Twitter is inherently a social model, not a business one. The business comes later … just like in real life.
This holds true for the flipside of the equation, too. Recently, Zappos posted the following tweet:
http://twitpic.com/f4pqp – Coolest. Toilet Seat Cover. Ever. (Never thought I’d use those words together)”
The other day there was a message about cool outfits Zappos employees made out of duct tape. (http://bit.ly/4P3h) And while Tony Hsieh just seems like a genuinely cool guy to hang out with, what’s subtly happening is he’s building brand loyalty. After months of connecting with Tony, how much more likely will you be to log on for that next pair of shoes or stop by if you were to see a Zappos booth at a trade show?
That’s because if you were at a trade show and you knew that a close friend of yours had a booth, you would stop by. You wouldn’t just go to the trade show and blow off a friend. A regular common experience with another Twitter feed will foster that sense of fellowship—even if it’s a big corporation. That’s powerful stuff. Certainly much more powerful than 140 characters overtly trying to sell me something.
Do you have an industry-related question you’d like answered on “Hey Newman”? Send him an e-mail and get your inquiry answered on the blog.
Tags: brand loyalty, connection, human behavior, Twitter
Posted in Lead generation & follow up, Trade show news & trends, Trade shows & social media | 3 Comments »
Written by Ken Newman on 04 August 2009
Hey Newman, how long is too long before following up on trade show leads? Something tells me I’m not going to like the answer. -Robert in Palo Alto
Robert, three-quarters of the leads generated at trade shows are never followed up on … and when they are followed up, it tends to be way too late. So, what does that mean for you? It means don’t bother to spend the money on lead generation if you’re just trying to impress the people in the next booth with a big statistic. Those 2,000 leads you got don’t mean anything if you don’t do something with them.
It’s essential you have a mechanism in place for when you’re receiving the leads, whether that’s using barcode scanners or a little Q&A afterward to ascertain if this lead is something worth pursuing over the next week, two weeks, month or year. You need some way of categorizing your leads as “HOT,” “warm,” “cold” and “dead fish.” (Well, maybe not the last one.)
Take those leads and, for example, send each one a postcard with a funny photograph from your presentation. People aren’t very accustomed to getting real mail anymore, and sometimes that can be far more attention-grabbing than just seeing another e-mail in the inbox. But at least promptly send an e-mail with a memorable photograph in it. Thank that potential customer for coming by the booth. Tell them you really appreciate it—and have that note waiting for them Monday when they get back from the trade show.
First contact should come within days of the trade show’s end. When two or three weeks or God forbid a month goes by without contact, you just end up lumped together with all the other SPAM.
I use a postcard as an example of something that makes people stop and take notice. When I get a postcard I say, “Wow, that’s amazing. I haven’t gotten a postcard in a long time.” It will make me not want to throw it out, particularly if it’s a funny image that makes me laugh. And when it’s flipped over, there’s just a quick note:
“Thank you for stopping by the booth. We’ll get in touch within a week or so to follow up.”
It’s just a warm way to reach out to people. Warm is good. Prompt is even better.
People go to such lengths to get traffic in their booth—renting the leading scanning devices and hiring crowd gatherers … and then it either all sits untouched in a database or collects dust as a stack of business cards or filled-out lead cards. Somehow, nobody does anything with them after putting in all that initial effort. Worse, they’ll group them by territory and send the info out to their sales staff, who expect these to be qualified leads. But after a few phone calls those salespeople realize these were just a bunch of people who stopped by to get a T-shirt. They’ll quickly feel like they’re wasting their time and stop making attempts, which ultimately throws out the good with the bad.
That’s why they need to be categorized as real leads, as opposed to just inflating the body count. Sometimes you’ll know immediately when you have a hot lead. In those cases, there’s no such thing as getting hold of somebody too soon. (Well, let them de-board the plane and get home first.) But there’s nothing better than arriving and finding a note waiting for you.
Do you have an industry-related question you’d like answered on “Hey Newman”? Send him an e-mail and get your inquiry answered on the blog.
Tags: lead follow up, lead generation, qualified leads, trade show opportunities, trade shows
Posted in Booth staff, Lead generation & follow up, Trade show news & trends, Trade show presentations | 7 Comments »
