Technology is moving so fast nowadays it's interesting to see how it impacts on the way you deal with your trade show leads. You do deal with your trades how leads don't you? A few companies I've known simply put them in a drawer or leave them as a single excel spreadsheet with NO actions.  OK, so leads may not be your primary objective for attending but surely you recognise that they could still be a gold mine.  Add these to your CRM system and you begin to build a better a picture of your clients from interest to purchase, and you are able to contact them with suitable offers in the future.

Bar Code Scanners

So do you invest in a bar code scanner at the trade show?  On the positive side, they allow you to do a quick scan to get key data which can be beneficial when you're overloaded with visitors or when you simply want to log everyone in and out of a theatre or demo session.  On the downside they're not cheap, and you’re reliant on the visitor entering correct data. How many times have you opened up the database to find a batch of half filled information and a tick in the box saying - do not contact.? 

Most standard exhibition lead scanning systems aren’t tailored to your needs.  Some will allow a simple adjustment to log answers to a few questions but they're not ideal.  How many times have you been to a tradeshow where you have to wait whilst the staff repeatedly try to scan and edit your data?  It’s not the best way to build a rapport with your visitors.

So could you develop your own system?  I've worked with companies who have had proprietary systems developed - these allowed immediate synchronization with their own CRM system and of course, personalised and specific questions.  A great solution but it’s not a cheap option for everyone.  With so many CRM systems in the Cloud  nowadays I’m sure there are solutions out there to allow you to use your iPad or iPhone to import directly.  Any system has to be quick and allow good sales staff to hone in on the key data they need and record this seamlessly.  I’m not sure we’re there yet.  Pen and Paper/Business Cards still have their role.

Quality vs Quantity

You do also have to think about how much time you want your sales staff entering leads.  Are you after quality leads or just a quantity of new contacts to deal with later?  Tradeshows are a big investment so it’s up to you to plan your objectives and analyse whether or not your team can divide and conquer - having a couple of people filtering visitors and passing on promising ones to other sales people. 

An alternative is to get bar code scanner data sent back to base each night for review and adding on to the CRM system.  Good office staff can refer back and make sure that immediate follow up is sent out.

Inbound Marketing

A more promising solution for new leads/contacts is to get them to log onto your website and enter their own data.  You may have to develop your Social Media systems around this but with a dedicated landing page on your website with an unrepeatable offer you could have a QR code on your stand literature or even the stand itself.  This way you’re starting a relationship and not just gathering data.

There are many solutions but as long as you have a plan which you follow through, exhibitions are a goldmine of contacts.

As a small business in tough times I’m looking at every opportunity to grow my business and find new avenues.  In the process I’ve spent some time getting trained up on government procurement processes, entering my details on their websites and looking at tenders.  It all looks very interesting and quite promising but is it worth the effort?

I have to confess that I hit a brick wall as I downloaded and started to complete a tender offer.  The level of information required and the time commitment I’d have to put in did seem excessive for the possibility of being included in a short list. It also goes against my core beliefs and ignores my strengths. Simply put, how can I get the quality of my service across in paper?  I can dot every ‘i’ and cross every ‘t’.  I can make sure there are no errors and that my text is compelling but I truly don’t believe that I can sell my service without being in front of someone and explaining my way of doing business and show my passion and commitment.

The strange thing is - I’m a systems person - I love creating and managing systems and so I should love the objective simplicity of a form or two.  But there is something about the lack of personality, the dryness of it all that just made me give up and not take it any further.  

Personally I think you need to be committed to that way of working - it’s not something you can dabble at or do alongside another way of working.  Or of course, you could have extra staff and so allocate one person to tenders - getting them trained up on the processes and minutiae of the forms, so they know how to make you stand out.  As a one-woman company I simply don’t have the time to dedicate to it.  Having said that, if you complete these forms regularly then I’m sure they will become much easier and so the time taken up to complete them reduces.

Maybe it’s the mountain that is in front of me that puts me off - I certainly recognise the need to give equal objective opportunities to every supplier and maybe these forms do that. However, I’m not convinced when I see small businesses ruled out on the basis that their turnover is not high enough, even if they are planning to join together with associates to fulfil the project and have proven in the past that they are more than capable of managing the size of project.

No, all in all I think I’ll look for business elsewhere - after all, I want to do business with people, not with paperwork so I’m going to look for people who want to talk to me.

I like to think that I’m fairly environmentally friendly both in business and in my personal life. It’s a tricky goal as you constantly have to weigh up the options and make decisions on what is important to you and what you can live without.  What frustrates me immensely is when environmentally friendly options cause more stress and more cost but with a practical open approach I’m sure you can save money, help the planet and still make the most of your events.

Events and exhibitions are wasteful - there is no getting around that fact.  However, in today’s society I think that they’re still a useful part of the marketing mix - when done properly and with sensible ideals.  I’ve looked into the virtual exhibition spaces and these just don’t resonate with me.  Events and exhibitions are about using all your senses and a virtual space relegates you to one or two senses again.  There is no camaraderie, no real face time, and I believe no personality.  

So if you accept that events can be wasteful you then need to outline your objectives clearly and make sure that you minimise your footprint.  Take time to evaluate what you can do to make sure that you don’t waste time, money and resources. You could bring in a ‘green’ consultant but that’s more money on your budget and possibly some hard truths that will just make you realise how difficult your task is.  Alternatively, how about taking an hour to be objective, think around the issues and talk to your suppliers about what they can do to support your environmental credentials. How about bringing your events and marketing team together to brainstorm what you can do to reduce your impact on the environment.  In this way you are looking inside and out to find good solutions.

Meanwhile here’s a few thoughts:
- Do you really need to print heavy expensive brochures?  People love to collect information at events but how much of it is stored or even read and how much is thrown away as soon as they leave the event?  Think very seriously about this and if you have to print something make sure it’s using  recycled paper and used effectively rather than with a scattergun approach.  Why not put your press pack or company brochures on a CD or a branded USB key?
- Plan your event schedule at least year in advance and work with your suppliers to find modular materials that can be re-configured for each event with minimal wastage.  This is true for exhibition stand walling and flooring as well as for branding materials.
- How are you getting your staff to the event?  This isn’t only about environmental impact but also your own budget.  Do you really need flexible tickets?  Can your staff share cars/take trains or other public transport to get to the event? Can you put a no taxi rule onto exhibitions? Particularly in a city like Amsterdam the public transport is excellent and a much better solution to sitting in a traffic jam.
- Remember every little action, multiplied by the number of people doing it makes a huge impact.  Take small steps and aim for big leaps.