Measuring your results is all about bottom-line profitability
If you want your investment to pay off you must follow up and analyse your results.
After-show follow up not only allows you to illustrate bottom-line results but also
enables you to set benchmarks for the future.
Your lead management process is key to your exhibition success.
You need to know from the outset what you want to achieve, how you will record the
achievements, how your follow up process will operate and in what timeframe. Your
chosen process needs to be simple, user-friendly and track-able so that you can
see bottom-line profitability at the end of the process.
It would seem to be pretty straight-forward, yet so many exhibiting companies fail
at the first hurdle – that is to record their leads on a ‘fit-for-purpose’ lead
card. Your lead card needs to be easy to complete and provide areas to record the
specific information you need to progress the enquiry. Use tick boxes where possible,
allow space for attaching a business card and include space for notes.
All show leads need to be recorded in a contact management database that will allow not only
the basic contact information but also the additional detailed information recorded
on the lead card. Encourage your stand staff to take proper notes at the show so
that the information visitors are interested in is properly communicated to the
representative following up the lead. This will avoid your sales people going through
the same information given at the show when they meet with the prospect after the
show.
Recording your data allows you to analyse your overall performance and the impact
on the bottom-line. If one of your exhibiting objectives is lead gathering, then
divide the number of leads into the total cost of exhibiting to achieve a cost per
lead measurement.
Evaluate every show
Immediately after the show, evaluate your performance, identify areas of improvement
and fine-tune your show for next time. Your post-show evaluation should include
your stand staff and possibly a selection of visitors to your stand. Key areas to
include are:
- How did you perform against your exhibiting objectives?
- What could you do differently to improve next time?
- What were the major challenges at the show?
- What happened that you did not perhaps expect or for which you were unprepared?
- Were there areas that you could have planned for better?
- Are there changes that could be made to improve your exhibition stand?
- How effective was the exhibition stand staff?
- How did the quality of visitors rate in relation to your needs?
- What response did you get to your pre-show and at-show promotions?
- Would you exhibit at this show again?
Exhibition marketing is a specialist area for Marketingesp. We
can help you with all aspects of successful exhibiting – planning, stand design
and construction, promotion, stand staff training and measurement. For a free, no-obligation
meeting contact us on 05600 473060 or email.
Read more about analysing your exhibition results in our
Articles and Tips
section.
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ESP Top Tip: Evaluate your show straight away so that you know what to change or fine tune for next time
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