Digital technologies enable sales reps to reach the global audiences almost instantly, but they eliminated that much-needed human factor from the sales process. This is why live events still play a major role in today’s business. According to industry reports:
- 98 percent of users feel more inclined to purchase after attending the activation.
- 95 percent of marketers agree that live events provide attendees with a valuable opportunity to form in-person connections in an increasingly digital world.
In other words, the issue is not whether to use events as part of your sales strategy, but rather how to do it most efficiently. Although face-to-face communication gives you the privilege of meeting prospects in person and establishing a closer relationship, the fact remains that most of the valuable information gets lost somewhere in the process.
This is not only our opinion but a proven fact. Namely, studies reveal that 80 percent of the tradeshow exhibitors don’t follow up with their event leads. This happens mostly because they fail to collect the right data, so even the best live sales pitches end up earning them nothing but a business card.
Needless to say, you can hardly remember a single face, story, or personal information about your prospects once the event is over and you go back to the office. What does it mean? To put it simply, it means that your exhibition turned into a failure.
Rest assured it happens to everyone. We’ve all been through that at some point in our careers, so there’s nothing to be ashamed of. The only thing you need to do is to make sure not to repeat the same mistake another time. If you are wondering how to set things right, here is the answer for you: create an Event Lead Form.
What Is Event Lead Form?
Just like its name suggests, the Event Lead Form is a document that saves prospect-related information. It should become an official company document that you can use across all levels of the sales hierarchy, but the most important thing is to use a template with the same input fields for all leads.
However, there is one major detail to mention about Event Lead Form – it’s a simple paper document. How come? Aren’t we supposed to use digital tools in the 21st century?
The shortest answer is, No.
Barbara Whitsett, a sales strategist at UK Careers Booster, explains why paper forms perform better at live events: “Experience taught us that sales reps take notes much faster using the good old ‘pen and paper’ technique. It’s the most productive way to write down important details about the possible client in real-time, while you can add this information to the CRM afterward.”
Therefore, the goal is to speed up the process and prevent data-waste. Besides that, live events foster direct communication between participants and paper forms are yet another way to contribute to this analog interaction model.
Some people consider this to be a trivial issue, but event exhibitors know very well how difficult it is to keep shifting from one prospect to another during the tradeshow frenzy. The minute you start talking to the next attendee, you forget everything about the previous one. For this reason, taking notes is critical to the success of your sales efforts.
How to Design Event Lead Form
There is no magic formula that functions perfectly for all businesses. Each organization needs to consider the peculiarities of its own niche in order to design the most appropriate event lead form. However, there are still some details that you need to take into account regardless of the event type or industry.
Here are some of them:
- Contact details: You will probably get a prospect’s business card, but make sure to write down their contact details nevertheless.
- Team size: Ask a prospect about the size of his/her team and the number of employees.
- CRM platform: Try to learn whether they use a specific CRM platform and which one is it.
- User interest: You should be able to figure out the odds of sealing the deal upon meeting.
- Interviewer: Sometimes it’s crucial to know who conducted the interview with your lead.
- Follow-up: What did you agree to do once the event is over?
- Additional details: This is where you add all other comments, personal insights, or observations that can help to seal the deal eventually.
Another benefit of writing things down in your Event Lead Form is that it takes no more than a couple of minutes to record the basics of the meeting. It’s just a small piece of paper, but it has the potential to make all the difference when it comes to the final outcome of your sales efforts.
Live events give sales agents a great opportunity to meet prospects in person and build a stronger relationship with their leads. However, a lot of sales reps lose valuable information because they fail to write down prospect-related details.
Event Lead Form is a game-changer here as it offers you a simple and convenient way to keep track of all attendees who talked to you during live events. Using this document, you can quickly write down everything and set the foundation for post-event follow-up. As a result, event sales efforts will generate credible leads and drive more conversions.
Eugene Eaton is an Australian-based blogger for UK Careers Booster, who is into stand-up comedy. His favorite comedians are Louis CK and George Carlin. A good morning laugh is what keeps Eugene upbeat and motivated through the harsh day.
