Much hard work and effort went into your conference planning and attendance.

Your team worked hard and generated leads; now comes the tough part. Turning those leads into sales. What we do after the conference is just as important, if not more important, than what we do to prepare or kick off the conference. Marketing Funnel

Be Strategic with your CRM

Managing relationships might be the most important part of running a business. A lot can happen between the time someone first hears about your company and when they eventually become a customer. Customer relationship management (CRM) software helps make this crucial process possible. Each CRM has its pluses and minuses and they cater towards different needs for sales and marketing. There is Pardot owned by Salesforce, Hubspot, SharpSpring, Pipedrive, Freshsale, Zoho and so many more.

Use your CRM to segment your new conference leads. Be sure to, while at the conference or immediately after, add your new prospects to your CRM. Give them a unique lead source for the conference they attended. Flag the hottest leads for fast follow-up by your sales team.

Send A Thank You

Your prospects took time out of their busy schedules to visit with you at the conference. It stands to reason that you formally thank them for their time. Send a simple email thank you note the day after the event and then follow up with a handwritten thank you. You will be surprised at how much these small gestures will open doors to new opportunities.

Contact No Shows Too!

Just because they did not make it to the conference or stop by your booth doesn’t mean they are not interested in your products or services. Send a “Sorry We Missed You” email the day after, and if you want to get fancy, a handwritten note a day or two later asking to schedule an appointment to show them what they missed at the show.

Create A Post Conference Web Page

It doesn’t need to be elaborate; it might have a recap video or PowerPoint presentation or even a slide show of photos from the conference. You could include a gallery of tweets from the conference hashtag or even some fun stats about the conference.

Marketing Team Follow-up

Get together with your marketing team and devise email campaigns to keep your new prospects interested in your business. Be sure the team knows and understands the individual prospect’s needs and interests. This way, campaigns can be targeted for specific product lines or services. It will also ensure that there is no duplication of effort and over-contact of your new prospects.

Sales Team Follow-up

Once your initial “Thank You” and “Missed You” emails have gone out, provide your sales team with their new leads. Help them understand each prospect’s specific needs and be sure all the information you provide them has been documented in your CRM. They can then begin follow-up calls and appointment scheduling, armed with all of the information they need to impress the prospect and obtain that appointment.

Invite Them to Your Next Event

Be sure your new prospects know where you will be next so that they can speak with you in person. If there is an upcoming event, include your new conference leads in planning the event.

Lastly, be sure all contacts with your new prospects are recorded in your CRM, from thank-you notes to event invitations. Your sales and marketing teams should do their best to update the CRM whenever they touch the lead. That will reduce duplication of effort and ensure all pertinent information about the lead is stored in your CRM.

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About IGM Creative Group

IGM Creative Group provides advertising solutions, marketing strategy, and web development for Fortune 500, mid-market, and small businesses.

166 Main Street, Suite 202, Lincoln Park, NJ, 07035.
Contact by phone at 973-709-1126Send an email to creativeteam@igmcreativegroup.com