Using Inside Sales to Improve the Impact of Your Next Event

Webinars, seminars and conferences can be efficient and effective marketing tactics.  Events like these give you the ability to communicate a specific message to a large group of prospects at one time.  It’s not unusual for an event to “jump start” the buying journey of a participant or even accelerate the buying process.  Consequently, events have become an integral element to many organizations’ marketing strategy and sales process.

Given the importance and potential impact of these marketing tactics, it’s understandable that organizations are investing heavily to ensure they have compelling content; top-notch venues; polished presentations; strategically aligned partners; and highly regarded industry thought leaders as presenters.

Many event organizers, however, seem to subscribe to the “if you build it, they will come” philosophy of event management. They rely on their content and speakers to carry the day.  They may use some email and social media to promote the event, but they’re missing out on a critical element to maximizing their audience – the personal invitation.

With a personal invitation you can be sure that your prospect not only knows about the event, but you can reinforce why it’s important for them to participate.  It can be very effective for sales people to personally extend invitations to their prospects.  However, most sales people simple don’t have the time or discipline to call all of their target prospects and extend an invitation to an event. Your sales team may not have the time or discipline, but your inside sales team might.

Inside sales teams are designed to systematically reach out to prospects for a variety of reasons.  They are already having conversations all day long with your target decision-makers.  Why not arm them with the tools they need so they can extend invitations to all of the appropriate contacts they engage on a daily basis?  Those tools may be just and an addendum to their call guide and an additional email template with the event details.

The personal invitation is just one way the Inside Sales team can impact a marketing event.  Below are additional ways Inside Sales can be leveraged to maximize the return on your marketing event investment.

Pre-Event

Data Cleansing

You may know which companies you want to attend your event, but do you which contacts at these companies should be invited?  You may be aware of one or two contacts, but are there more?  Do you know their names, their titles, email address, etc.?   Do you have their names spelled correctly?  Are you missing any information that would help complete their prospect profile?

Registration Confirmation/Event Reminder

A lot of people register for events, but they never actually show up.  Everyone gets busy and sometimes life just gets in the way.  However, a well-timed reminder call/voice mail message can significantly increase attendance.  Don’t use the reminder call just to re-inform them about event logistics (time, place, log-in codes, etc.).  Use the opportunity to remind them about the value of the event and the potential impact it can have on their business.

Post Event

Lead Qualification

Once they’ve heard your message and digested your content don’t just sit back and cross your fingers.  Proactively reach back out to the attendees to qualify them as a prospect.  Ask probing questions to uncover their specific business needs and help them view your event content as a potential business solution.

Event Feedback

Did the event hit its intended target and meet its intended objectives?  Did the attendees view it as a valuable use of their time?  What could you have done different or better?  You may never know the answers to these questions if don’t proactively ask.

Thank You for Attending

A lost virtue in business is the simple “thank you”.  Taking time and making an effort to thank attendees for their time and interest can help you rise above the “noise level” in the marketplace.  Be different; stand out; and cement your relationship with your prospect by simply saying, “Thank you for attending our event”.

Next steps

Prospects often need guidance in exploring potential solutions.  Help your prospect take the next best step in their buying journey.  Are they ready to schedule an appointment with a sales person?  Is there another event they might find interesting?  Do they need a proposal?