Technology is continually advancing – becoming more capable, more portable and more effective at streamlining lead management. Thanks to Moore’s Law, improvements in CPU power are allowing portable devices to accomplish what only full desktop PCs could a few short years ago. This means that it’s easier than ever for companies to incorporate lead collection strategies it into their trade show booths. If you’ve never thought about how utilizing camera phones, tablets, event management software, or video monitors can benefit your follow up strategy, read on.

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To capitalize on all your trade show efforts and reap the rewards of your stunning exhibit display, you need to be able to collect and leverage the contacts you make at these events. We recommend investing in a lead management solution that can be used across the majority of your trade show events. This will ensure three important objectives are met:

Having a consistent solution will define a process to follow up on qualified leads promptly. Missed leads will be a thing of the past.
Having a qualification survey will allow you to sort out “quality” leads from those who are just kicking the tires. The result will be higher quality leads which result in more revenue in a shorter period of time.
It will allow you to conduct event-to-event metrics to compare the effectiveness of the trade shows you are participating in. When selecting a lead management solution, ensure the system provides the following key components:

Mobile Device No one wants a lead retrieval solution taking up
valuable booth real-estate. Use a mobile device
with a built in thumb pad.
Mag stripe scanner This is necessary for reading the contact information off the event badge.
Qualification Survey The ability to create a qualification survey. I encourage you to use a common survey as much as possible.
Lead Prioritization The ability to prioritize the leads captured
CRM Integration Leads captured should be easily imported into your
CRM at the end of the event for prompt follow-up.
Text & Voice comments The ability to add both text and voice comments (you will be surprised how important voice comments are).
Cross Event Metrics A reporting website where one can review cross event metrics post event.
Use Event Management Planning Software to Organize Your Trade Show Booths

Sales integrated event management software should be used to keep everything organized. Look for one that will automatically send an email to your sales staff back in the office when a new sales lead is captured. Imagine how impressed your potential customers will be if you can follow up with relevant information before they’ve even returned from the show. Additionally, some event management software will automatically send out an email blast to attendees immediately following the trade show, which can help your company increase its return on investment.

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What are the most important criteria for an organizer when selecting the right lead management tool to provide to your exhibitors?

Simple interfaces to visitor registration, CRM and exhibitor databases (if not fully integrated anyway)
Monetize: To what extent can you turn this service into a business model?
Data protection: Is the process of lead capture and management bullet-proof from a data protection point-of-view?
Usability: Sleek, easy-to-use front-end both for visitors and exhibitors.
What do exhibitors look for when qualifying sales leads?

Can the software be fully integrated into CRM tools like Salesforce, SAP or others.
Is the lead form customizable in terms of fields, contact details, priority, sales potential etc.
Does the tool offer automatic follow-up procedures, like setting reminders, sending follow-up emails?
Can you use it to present sales material and other digital assets like product videos? Some integrated solutions offer this A-Z approach.
There are many lead management applications, both free and paid that support a range of useful features. One solution is utilizing an on-site mobile device App like QuickTapLead, a lead retrieval and lead capture app for trade shows and events that will work offline, too, and comes with an interesting lead credit pricing (pay-as-you-go)

Use Tablets or Smart Phones to Gather Leads at Your Booth

Years ago, trade show booths included very simple ways to capture leads — a pen and a piece of paper, a stack of business cards and a hand shake or maybe you just tried to keep it all in mind like an all star waitress. However, there are many subjective drawbacks to these low-tech solutions. When you’re relying on a customer’s handwriting, sometimes deciphering can be very difficult. Without legible information you don’t have a lead! Tablets and smart phones with cameras have changed all of this. Capturing a customer’s contact information is as easy as snapping a picture of their business card.

Smart phones and tablets aren’t the only ways to capture leads electronically at your trade show booths. You can purchase a business card scanner, which will enable your staff to scan a business card quickly. While this process can still be tedious, these scanners will automatically add contact information to your email’s contact list, cutting down on many, many man-hours of inputting data.

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Use Video Monitors to Personalize Your Message at Your Booth

Lastly, make sure that your company is taking advantage of video monitors or TVs, especially interactive displays that increase booth visitor engagement. If your exhibit is well-attended (and you hope it is!), your attendees may have to wait a few minutes to talk to you. If you have video monitors strategically placed around your custom display, your attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about your business as they wait.

For best results, make sure that your video messages are professionally produced — this could be the first impression someone gets of your company, so you don’t want it to look like it was done as a quick fix. If you want to cleverly combine both an interactive screen and lead management technology, you can invest in a booth accessory like an iPad kiosk workstation. This gives visitors a way to learn more and engage with your brand while they browse your booth. The plus side is that you can have one of the above apps or your own website set up with a form to gather visitor information. This can be an invaluable follow up tool that does half the work for you.

Trade show lead management technology is a great asset to any booth, but make sure you understand how to use it before you implement it. Your booth may be able to initially attract more visitors by adding “bell and whistle” type accessories that stimulate interest; but if you aren’t leveraging these tools to your advantage then you might as well be exhibiting with just a pen and paper!

Have questions about choosing the right lead management tools for your trade show display? Our exhibit experts are always happy to discuss options and recommend the best display for your company’s needs.

The Monster Displays team can be reached at [email protected] or call (888) 484-3344, we’d love to put our experience to work for you.