Top performing sales organizations are realizing the value of trade shows when it comes to building brand awareness and generating leads. Trade shows have grown to having the capacity to bring potential buyers together who are there for one reason: to find the best solution for their needs and challenges and to find out what you and your competitors are offering to remedy those needs.

The opportunity to reach hundreds of leads in a matter of hours makes trade shows an invaluable avenue for the start of the engagement process. So how do top performers make the most out trade shows? They empower their sales reps with sales aids.

According to an Aberdeen Group report, top sales teams closed more deals with tablets — achieving an average of 109% of quota. Using tablets at trade shows is no longer an option for those who want to stay ahead. They empower reps to reach out to buyers in an engaging way so that our brands gain a sense of innovation in the eyes of the consumer. Gone are the days of paper-based selling. Companies that use innovative digital technology make an impression with buyers.

Instant Lead Data Capture
When people are visiting your booth, and are interested in leaving their information behind, using a tablet makes this process easy. Not only does a tablet store customer data, but it also sends the information back to the company CRM. This way, your sales team back home gains access to this information, instantly. This timely process is critical. It ensures that we stay top-of-mind with buyers, so that when we follow-up with them, they remember us right away.

Completing Forms for Surveys and Questionnaires
Top performing brands use web forms at trade shows in order to capture customer data. Exhibitors exchange data with prospects by offering an incentive. They promise something in return after filling out a survey or a questionnaire. It may be a white paper or any other communication asset that the prospect would receive at a later date.

The benefit of allowing attendees to fill out forms not only streamlines the lead capture process, but it also provides marketing with important information that will enable them to refine campaigns in the future.

Lead Nurturing Right from the Get-go
A key element of a trade show is that we have the opportunity to communicate with buyers face-to-face. This is unique because in today’s digital age, we don’t have this opportunity. We find prospects through various faceless marketing campaigns, and put them to work in the sales funnel. But, trade shows are different. When we use sales enablement at trade shows, we have already begun the lead nurturing process.

How effective are you at capturing leads at a trade show? Are you not capturing enough lead data? Perhaps it’s time to consider sales enablement as part of your trade show strategy.