{"id":1350,"date":"2022-06-10T11:55:32","date_gmt":"2022-06-10T15:55:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.comblog\/how-to-get-more-sales-leads-from-conferences-2\/"},"modified":"2023-04-10T19:37:50","modified_gmt":"2023-04-10T19:37:50","slug":"how-to-get-more-sales-leads-from-conferences-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/blog\/how-to-get-more-sales-leads-from-conferences-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Get More Sales Leads From Conferences"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"et-l et-l--post\">\n<div class=\"et_builder_inner_content et_pb_gutters3\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_section et_pb_section_2 et_section_regular\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_row et_pb_row_0\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_column et_pb_column_4_4 et_pb_column_0 et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough et-last-child\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_module et_pb_text et_pb_text_0 et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/sales-recruiter\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recruiting top-tier sales talent<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with Peak Sales Recruiting is a powerful way to grow your sales force. Once you have excellent sales talent on your team, <\/span><b>it\u2019s important to coach and support them to hit their goals. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One meaningful way to support salespeople is to find high-quality sales leads. Conferences are one of the best ways to help new sales hires find incredible leads.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Why Conferences and Events Are Great For Lead Generation\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Attending events as a salesperson is worthwhile for a few reasons. <\/span><b>First, conference attendances are actively open to meeting new people and learning new ideas. That\u2019s a great mindset for a salesperson looking to make connections. Second, conferences<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> offer informal opportunities like dining, drinks, and more that make it easy to connect. Together, these two factors mean it is far easier to<\/span><b> make high-value connections in just a few days.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fortunately, business conferences are coming back in a big way. Deloitte expects that 2022 business travel spending will be about 55% of 2019 levels by the end of the year. With that trend in mind, there are specific strategies you can use to take advantage of the rebound in conferences as a salesperson.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Know Your Conference Options<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are three primary strategies for using conferences to get leads. Each strategy has a different effort and reward ratio.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Your Company\u2019s Conference<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Various businesses organize conferences for their customers like Oracle, IBM, and Salesforce regularly. When you use the specific steps outlined below, these events offer outstanding lead generation potential. <\/span><b>Participating in your company\u2019s events offers the best return on your effort. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you can only use one strategy from this guide, focus on this one.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Industry Conferences<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The strategies below will help you maximize this opportunity. Overall, industry conferences offer a moderate return on effort.<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Conferences As Industry Research<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>As a sales professional, it is valuable to understand your prospects\u2019 needs, fears, and jargon.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Without this knowledge, your cold calls and other outreach efforts are less likely to be relevant. <\/span><b>Reviewing conferences as a source of industry trends can be helpful.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It is best to see this conference strategy as secondary \u2013 it does not generate leads, but it does help you to understand your leads more effectively.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Make The Most of Your Company\u2019s Conference\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many companies like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.apple.com\/services\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Apple<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.adobe.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adobe<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-ca\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Microsoft<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/?ir=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Salesforce<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> organize their conferences. These are great opportunities to deepen existing customer relationships. <\/span><b>To get the most out of this event, use the following tips:<\/b><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Get the conference attendee list.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Reach out to your marketing department or the event organizers to get the list one or two weeks before the event.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> As you review the list, highlight any current customers and people you have interacted with in the past year.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Set up in-person meetings in advance.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using the list from the previous step, reach out to people you already know and set up meetings with as many people as possible.<\/span><b> Make it your goal to request referrals and introductions from as many people as possible in your meetings.<\/b><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Look for \u201cland and expand\u201d opportunities.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This tip applies mainly to <\/span><b>B2B sales situations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> where you may start your relationship with one department of a large company. For example, let\u2019s say that you are working with one brand of Proctor &amp; Gamble. <\/span><b>At the conference, aim to deepen the relationship with your current customer and meet with other people at the same company.<\/b><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Seek out centers of influence.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conferences usually feature keynote speakers, panels, and other experts sharing their perspectives with attendees. As a salesperson, these experts may not be able or interested in buying from you. <\/span><b>Despite that fact, don\u2019t ignore these expert participants. Instead, aim to build a relationship with them by asking questions, buying their books, and following them online.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> In the medium to long term, experts have the potential to help you meet many leads.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Schedule post-conference actions<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Attending a multi-day conference, especially if travel is involved, tends to be a tiring experience. It\u2019s best to plan and <\/span><b>block 2-3 hours on your calendar for post-conference follow-up activities the day after the conference. That means sending emails, making calls, and connecting on social media.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The biggest mistake in attending conferences is looking at the event in isolation. Making the most of a conference is a <\/span><b>three-part process: pre-conference preparation, working the conference, and post-conference activities<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Simply showing up at the conference and hoping for leads to fall on your lap is a mistake.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Getting Leads From Industry Conferences\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gaining leads from industry events, trade shows, and conventions is more challenging than using your organization\u2019s events for a reason. To some degree, people attending your company\u2019s event already know and trust your brand. In comparison, attendees at a general audience industry event may not have heard of your company.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The good news is that you can put the odds of success in your favor by applying a disciplined process. Use the steps outlined in the previous section, especially <\/span><b>pre-event and post-event activities, to find people to meet and schedule interactions during and after the event.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s say that you have the capacity and funding to attend up to two events in the next twelve months. With that constraint in mind, use these tips to filter for high potential events for lead generation.<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Ask current customers what events they are attending.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The people who are currently buying from you can give you the best insight about which events to attend. <\/span><b>Contact 5-10 customers and ask which business events they\u2019ve attended and why they found them valuable<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Pay close attention to any event that gets mentioned multiple times.<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>What other purchases do your buyers usually make?<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Put yourself in your buyer\u2019s shoes \u2013 what do they purchase after buying from you? For example, a new home buyer is highly likely to buy more furniture. A startup company that works with a lawyer to set up its corporate structure will also need to buy accounting services. <\/span><b>Use these insights to find more business events<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Use Google to find more local options<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some salespeople struggle to attend events because they cannot get approval for plane tickets and other expenses for far-away conferences. There are two workarounds for this constraint. Start by using Google to find events within driving distance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, let\u2019s say that you are looking to meet chief financial officers and you live in Chicago. Use these searches to locate additional conference possibilities:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Accounting conference Chicago<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Accounting event Chicago<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>CFO conference Chicago<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use these search ideas as a starting point to identify potential local events. In addition,<b> look for top events that have hybrid and virtual tickets so you can attend from home or the office.<\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Conferences As Industry Research<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>From a lead generation standpoint<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, it\u2019s tough to beat attending a conference in person. Virtual attendance is a great alternative option. If you cannot attend a conference this year, you can still <\/span><b>benefit from using conferences as a research tool.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To continue the example from the previous section, let\u2019s assume you have a list of three events where CFOs \u2013 your ideal buyer \u2013 are attending. You can still gain lead generation insights by reading conference websites for inspiration. These websites will give you clues about the trends, worries, and opportunities facing your market.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Choose Your Lead Generation Strategies And Execute<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>Conference based lead generation is a powerful way to augment your sales team\u2019s effectiveness.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> If your employees are well supplied with leads, they may need sales coaching support. Use our guide to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/blog\/beyond-smiles-dials-5-sales-coaching-techniques-that-work-2\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sales coaching techniques<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to lead your sales team to a higher level of success.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Please take the time to read further <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/blog\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">blogs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_module et_pb_image et_pb_image_0\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6628 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/1-PSR-500_500.png?strip=all\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/1-PSR-500_500-250x250@2x.png?strip=all 500w, https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/1-PSR-500_500-150x150@2x.png?strip=all 300w, https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/1-PSR-500_500-150x150.png?strip=all 150w, https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/1-PSR-500_500-250x250.png?strip=all 250w, https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/1-PSR-500_500-15x15.png?strip=all 15w, https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/1-PSR-500_500-15x15@2x.png?strip=all 30w, https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/1-PSR-500_500.png?strip=all&amp;w=100 100w, https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/1-PSR-500_500.png?strip=all&amp;w=200 200w, https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/1-PSR-500_500.png?strip=all&amp;w=350 350w, https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/1-PSR-500_500.png?strip=all&amp;w=400 400w, https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/1-PSR-500_500.png?strip=all&amp;w=450 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- relpost-thumb-wrapper --><\/p>\n<div class=\"relpost-thumb-wrapper\"><!-- filter-class --><\/p>\n<div class=\"relpost-thumb-container\">\n<h3>Related posts<\/h3>\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<p><!-- relpost-block-container --><\/p>\n<div class=\"relpost-block-container\">\n<div class=\"relpost-custom-block-single\" style=\"width: 150px; height: 215px;\">\n<div class=\"relpost-block-single-image\" style=\"background: transparent url('https:\/\/g9d6c5a5.rocketcdn.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Optimized-iStock_000031844570_Small-1260x840-150x150.jpg') no-repeat scroll 0% 0%; width: 150px; height: 150px;\" role=\"img\" aria-label=\"sales job, sales career\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"relpost-block-single-text\" style=\"font-family: ProximaNova, sans-serif; ;  font-size: 15px; color: #6eba57;\">Didn&#8217;t Get the Sales Job? Here Are 10 Reasons Why<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"relpost-custom-block-single\" style=\"width: 150px; height: 215px;\">\n<div class=\"relpost-block-single-image\" style=\"background: transparent url('https:\/\/g9d6c5a5.rocketcdn.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Company-Culture-graphic-1-150x150.png') no-repeat scroll 0% 0%; width: 150px; height: 150px;\" role=\"img\" aria-label=\"Company-Culture-graphic-1\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"relpost-block-single-text\" style=\"font-family: ProximaNova, sans-serif; ;  font-size: 15px; color: #6eba57;\">Is the Company Culture Right For You? Five Questions to Ask in Your Sales Interview<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"relpost-custom-block-single\" style=\"width: 150px; height: 215px;\">\n<div class=\"relpost-block-single-image\" style=\"background: transparent url('https:\/\/g9d6c5a5.rocketcdn.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Optimized-iStock_77385757_LARGE-150x150.jpg') no-repeat scroll 0% 0%; width: 150px; height: 150px;\" role=\"img\" aria-label=\"Interview Preparation\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"relpost-block-single-text\" style=\"font-family: ProximaNova, sans-serif; ;  font-size: 15px; color: #6eba57;\">Top 5 Ways to Prepare for Your Next Sales Interview [Infographic]<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- close relpost-block-container --><\/p>\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- close filter class --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- close relpost-thumb-wrapper --><\/p>\n<div class=\"abh_box abh_box_down abh_box_business\">\n<ul class=\"abh_tabs\">\n<li class=\"abh_about abh_active\"><a href=\"#abh_about\">About<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"abh_posts\"><a href=\"#abh_posts\">Latest Posts<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"abh_tab_content\">\n<section class=\"vcard abh_about_tab abh_tab\" style=\"display: block;\">\n<div class=\"abh_image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"avatar avatar-80 photo\" src=\"https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/30c3fe2307ff39603f8240fdaad5419es80ampdmmamprg.jpg?strip=all\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1_30c3fe2307ff39603f8240fdaad5419es160ampdmmamprg.jpg 2x\" alt=\"\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"abh_social\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"abh_text\">\n<h3 class=\"fn name\"><a class=\"url\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/author\/ryanebbtcorp-com\/\">Ryan Thornton<\/a><\/h3>\n<div class=\"abh_job\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"description note abh_description\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"abh_posts_tab abh_tab\">\n<div class=\"abh_image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"avatar avatar-80 photo\" src=\"https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/30c3fe2307ff39603f8240fdaad5419es80ampdmmamprg.jpg?strip=all\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1_30c3fe2307ff39603f8240fdaad5419es160ampdmmamprg.jpg 2x\" alt=\"\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"abh_social\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"abh_text\">\n<h4>Latest posts by Ryan Thornton <span class=\"abh_allposts\">(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/author\/ryanebbtcorp-com\/\">see all<\/a>)<\/span><\/h4>\n<div class=\"abh_description note\">\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/blog\/hitting-year-end-targets\/\">3 Ways Your Employees Will Sabotage Hitting Year End Targets<\/a> &#8211; December 27, 2023<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/blog\/7-ways-to-hit-your-year-end-target-with-ease\/\">7 Ways to Hit Your Year End Target With Ease<\/a> &#8211; December 20, 2023<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/blog\/how-to-handle-counter-offers-and-win-top-talent\/\">How to Handle Counter Offers \u2014 and Win Top Talent<\/a> &#8211; December 18, 2023<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recruiting top-tier sales talent with Peak Sales Recruiting is a powerful way to grow your sales force. Once you have excellent sales talent on your team, it\u2019s important to coach and support them to hit their goals. One meaningful way to support salespeople is to find high-quality sales leads. Conferences are one of the best<\/p>\n<div><a class=\"text-primary mt-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/blog\/how-to-get-more-sales-leads-from-conferences-2\/\">&#8230;continue reading <span class=\"sr-only\">&#8220;How To Get More Sales Leads From Conferences&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"limit_modified_date":"1","last_modified_date":"2023-04-10T19:37:50","cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sales-career"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1350"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1350\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}