So, you’re attending a trade event and you want it to be a success? Here’s how to do it – part 1

In the telco industry, the marketer’s calendar is packed with key events.

Mobile World Congress, DTW Ignite, TMForum shows…the list is extensive. Attending and exhibiting at those events is among your biggest investments of the year. They need to pay off.

But the payoff isn’t easy to achieve given how much you’re spending on a stand, travel, food, entertainment and hotels. Still, once the show is over everyone will be  back in the office with (hopefully) a suitcase full of business cards to hand over to you. Prospects…leads…that’s the payoff.

What you do with those business cards (aka leads) is where the rubber hits the road. Quite likely, your ROI on an event will depend on what how you decide to act next. How do you handle the contacts that the show generated, and convert them into sales?

Should you turn to telemarketing?

Well, the obvious answer for many to that question is to conduct a telemarketing campaign, but even that begs a question for some marketers and executives: why? Is telemarketing really worth it? If it is, what steps do I need to take to make my campaign successful? Because the answer is “yes” (it is worth it), but not an unqualified yes. If you’re weighing up the telemarketing option, here are some things to think about:

When telemarketing is worth it

1. You have a high value product
2. Your sales cycle is typically long and/or complex
3. Sales require explanation and qualification
4. You’ve collected leads that have actually engaged at your booth (not just counted heads)
5. You’ve segmented those leads (i.e. which have requested a demo or asked for follow-up)
6. You’ve promised to follow-up

The good news is that if you’re selling systems or services in the telco industry, the answer to all those questions will almost certainly be “yes”. Telemarketing is likely to be a very effective option.

When telemarketing isn’t worth it

1. You’ve scanned lots of badges, but had no more interaction beyond that
2. You’ve collected business cards from freebie collectors or prize draw competitors and not segmented them out
3. You don’t know the position or responsibilities of the names you’ve collected

If you fit the first category, as we said telemarketing will almost certainly pay off BUT (…there’s always a “but”, isn’t there?) remember, your competitors probably know telemarketing works too. So, to make hay, you must act fast, reaching prospects before your competitors do. The sweet spot for a calling campaign is to start within 5-14 days of the event, which means setting up and booking your campaign schedules before you even leave for the show you’re attending.

Here’s how to do it successfully

If you’ve paid attention to the above information and decided that a telemarketing campaign is the best way for you to proceed after you’ve attended an event, how do you increase your chances of your campaign being successful? Well, there are no guarantees but taking the following steps will dramatically increase the odds of getting the outcome you want. Make sure you:

1. Segment all the business cards (or other leads) you’ve collected before handing them over to your telemarketing team, using groupings like:
   1. Leads who directly requested follow up
   2. Leads who engaged but were non-committal
   3. Passive scans (don’t bother calling these).
2. Develop a telemarketing script with the right opening line, which should be something clear like:
   1. “You stopped by our booth at (event name) on (day one) and met (name the person in your organisation who provided the business card or lead) and asked about (what conversation was had)”. All this info should be collected. Not just basic contact details.
3. Use telemarketing to qualify the lead, not to pitch your product or services. That means your initial goal is not to close a sale but to:
   1. Confirm the prospects pain points
   2. Try to identify decision-makers
   3. Book a demo or meeting for your sales team
4. Have a clear, effective, call follow-up plan in place for after the call, likely something roughly like:
   1. Personalized e-mail ready to send immediately
   2. Second phone call agreed
   3. LinkedIn connection request sent swiftly
   4. Further nurture e-mails already scheduled
   5. All these steps should happen in the first few days after the call

Summary

With the above plan, we’ve established that if you fit the right criteria and run a campaign effectively, telemarketing can and should play a key role in ensuring your investment in an event pays off.

In the second blog in this series, we’ll look at steps you can take – once you’ve decided to go ahead with a telemarketing campaign – to further increase your chances of it being successful. And we’ll also answer another key question: who should be doing your calling? Is the answer your sales team? Your marketing team? A conference organiser? Or a telemarketing agency? The right choice is another critical factor influencing your campaign’s success.

At eCS we have over thirty years’ experience running telemarketing campaigns in the telecoms industry. If you’d like to talk to us about setting up your own post-MWC campaign, please contact us by clicking the link below.