How InnovateX Closed 6.5x More Sales 🚀 at Conferences

February’s update is different from the usual digital marketing strategies; we’re talking about in-person conference & trade show marketing. 

Tip #1: Conference Marketing Starts Before the Conference

Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.

Your sales reps are going to a conference to spread the word about your products and try to set up meetings and close deals.

All at once. At the same time as your competitors.

InnovativeX (not their real name) brought us in to help plan their 2023 conference marketing. Their sales reps hated going to conferences.  Sure there were great opportunities to meet people, but they’d end up exhausted, with a clutch of business cards and half-remembered conversations…

After the conference, they're gonna sit down and hit up loads of potential buyers. Thing is, the reps are swamped with a ton of follow-ups and are way behind on their own stuff after being at the conference.

There’s a better way…

Tip #2: Reach Out Well In Advance to 3 Key Segments 

So, you know how some conferences give you a sneak peek of who's coming (or you snag that list from their app)? Scope out who might be looking to buy. Reach out to them before the conference even kicks off. This way, when they show up, they already know who to look for—a friendly face! Plus, you can lock in a coffee or breakfast meet-up before everyone else is scrambling.   

While your competitors are trying to meet potential buyers, introduce themselves, warm them up, and try to get the sales process in motion, your sales crew just strolls in. You’ve already broken the ice, so it’s all about picking up where you left off.

But wait, there’s more.

I said three segments right? So, who are the other two?

Conferences make an AMAZING “excuse” to contact all of your sales leads: ones you’re actively talking to and ones you’re not.

Asking “Are you going to InnovateCon this year?” is a perfectly good opener. Works every time as an email, LinkedIn message, text, or phone call.

You can warm up old leads AND generate new ones this way.

Tip #3: Turn It Into a Show

Alright, we've already talked about setting up those pre-conference meetings. That’s a good start and for some companies, that’s all you can do.  You’re still ahead of 90% of the competition, but why stop there?

Think about hosting your own event. It doesn't matter if it's directly related to your product or not. Here are some ideas to get you started:

* Live Demos: Show off your product. If you know who’s coming, you can even personalize the experience just for them.
* Prize Giveaways: Who doesn’t love free stuff
* Hosted Events: Make it memorable.
* Be Creative!:  We once brought a magician to InnovateX’s booth at a conference. It had nothing to do with medical software, but it sure gave potential buyers and partners another reason to come to InnovateX’s booth.

The Results?

Despite 2023 being a tougher market, InnovateX closed 650% more business from conferences and trade shows in 2023 vs. 2022.

They didn’t go to any more conferences than the year before. They didn’t change which conferences they went to. They just did their usual circuit, but way better.

Did it cost more?

Yeah, kind of. InnovateX’s sales team estimated that they spent about 25% more time on conference-related activities than the previous year and per-conference expenses increased about 30%.

But here's the kicker: revenue skyrocketed by 6.5 times, while costs only went up by 1.5 times.

And that’s just from Year 1.

Let February's update be a reminder that sometimes, stepping out of the digital realm and into the physical space of conferences and trade shows can yield unexpected and rewarding results. Embrace these opportunities with enthusiasm and a strategic mindset, and you may find your company celebrating similar success stories in the future.

We're excited to see how you'll implement these strategies and transform your conference marketing efforts. Until next month, keep innovating, connecting, and achieving your business goals.