Every interaction between exhibitors and attendees will be a hit or miss. In this article we will share the science behind proven methods that will help exhibitors convert leads into customers.
10 Tips to Help Event Planners Convert Leads Into Customers
1. A to Z method. You want your potential customers to take away what they aimed for from their experience at your booth. So, it’s up to you to deliver by starting with your marketing message. The goal is to talk to your leads at point A and hold their hand to point Z. The closer you get them to their end goal, the higher your chances of landing a new customer/client will be. Understand that point A for them is always the free giveaway, so to you that’s point Z. Start at your point A, which is a 30-second pitch. Talk them through a mental visual on why your product or service will work for them or their business, and then move to Z (the giveaway) after they’ve either signed up or given up.
2. Forget the blue. Just something new. It has been proven that humans find anything new rewarding and exciting. That pleasure potential in anything you demonstrate is something that is naturally lingering in the human mind. So it’s up to you to trigger it and then maintain it while they’re at your booth. Show your audience your new service, new product, or how you can now integrate your service or product with the latest technology.
3. Explanations. You want to explain why you are willing to give up your time to teach them how your service or product will increase their revenue. As a rational reflex, we are initially skeptical of anything anyone is trying to sell to us. So you should start with explaining why this is also beneficial to you because then you come across as honest. Honesty leads to trust. Trust leads to sales.
4. Relate through a story. Story telling has been a form of human interaction for thousands of years. It’s one of the best ways to deliver messages and lessons because it triggers emotions. As creatures who are built on emotion, chances are that when someone activates that component in a lead, they are going to feel like they can relate to you. You want to light up the emotional part of their brain so that they can listen with an open mind.
5. Simple solutions. Whenever a person is seeking a solution to just about anything, the simple route is usually the favorite course. As humans, we seem to migrate to the easiest option to achieve a desired result. Don’t pitch a multi-layered solution to someone who has been listening to lectures, partaking in workshops, or walking all day. Make it quick and simple. Remember that after 30 seconds, all bets are off.
6. The common enemy trigger. Establishing common ground in any relationship will always have positive results. If you know who you’ve invited to visit your booth, you can keep a mental note of who their competitors may be. Spark a quick conversation on how you don’t agree with that particular company’s products, service, or message. This will create a feeling of common ground which automatically makes you their ally. People prefer to do business with an ally than an enemy.
7. Sparking curiosity. It has been discovered that there is a breach between the known and the unknown. It is natural for people to want to mend that breach and will usually take action to do so. It can be compared to having an itch that needs to be scratched. When you trigger curiosity, you are ensuring that your leads will want to inquire further and possibly become a customer because you were able to resolve a missing piece to the very same puzzle you created.
8. Anticipation Build-up. If you think about it, some of the most successful companies have learned how to utilize the art of anticipation to benefit their revenue. For example, Apple’s customers are constantly awaiting new product and researching online to make sure they haven’t missed out on the latest release of their favorite devices. In other words, Apple has mastered the ability to trigger this emotion in their consumers. Some companies, just like Apple, set up websites to build up the anticipation of their upcoming products. A buzz page so to speak. Using this concept to your advantage would be dedicating time prior to a trade show to build up anticipation on all you will offer at your booth. Use your online community and contacts to announce or hint what may be coming their way. From entertainment to raffles, to the launch of a new product or service. Build! Build! Build!
9. Live testimonials. One of the most significant forms of connecting to a lead on a psychological level is by getting existing customers to help you persuade your prospects. The proof really is in the pudding. Who better than another customer who has a similar business as your lead to tell them how useful your service or product has been to them? Absolutely no one. The influence of persuasion is an easier emotional trigger than you hammering your pitch into your prospect’s brain. Try to schedule a few existing customers who are already planning to attend the upcoming expo to hang out at your booth for at least 30 minutes during high traffic times. It would not be great practice to schedule them all at the same time because you want to spread this method throughout the day so it would be wise to schedule a few for different time slots.
10. Make your lead feel like they are the most important part of your business. This tactic is just obvious; everyone wants to feel needed. In fact, it’s considered to be one of the most fundamental human needs. Because we are social creatures, especially in the events industry, we not only want to feel important, we want you to tell us we are. Make your prospect feel like your business needs them in order to survive. However, don’t come across desperate because that triggers a whole other emotion that won’t work to your advantage. Find the balance between making them feel important, showing them how you value them and demonstrating why they also need you.
To learn more about how to grow your event planning business, be sure to visit our blog, and read more articles on ways to develop your brand as an event planner effectively.