Chatting with the CMO of a CPQ customer at the Salesforce1 event in Boston, I was suddenly cut off by my conversation partner, who was keeping an eagle-eye out for his own customers and prospects. He had noticed a strolling prospect eyeing their booth from a few feet away; this woman was not being approached by any of the sales reps responsible for engaging with conference attendees. Interrupting me – legitimately – he quietly called out to the nearest rep, who was clearly not as situationally aware as the event demanded, and had his back turned toward the potential customer. “Bill, turn around!” No response; the rep was in some other zone. Again: “Turn Around!” Nothing. The CMO raised his tone above the subtle hiss this time. “BILL!!” “Huh?” “Turn. Around.” And, finally, the prospect was engaged.
Perhaps the rep’s morning joe had yet to kick in; maybe the loud music in the building was distracting. But the simple rule of trade shows and sponsored exhibitions was neglected: a lot of time and money is expended sustaining these non-digital marketing activities, because events still work, but only if the on-site staff bring their “A” game. People still want to engage with people, even in this hyper-connected age. They attend shows for a variety of reasons – networking, industry education, vendor short-listing, free food – and the hosts and sponsors continue to allocate marketing budget, because the Bills of the world are supposed to be discovering, nurturing, and closing business with the support of the field marketing team.
In our never-ending efforts to bring Marketing and Sales together to build and deliver revenue pipelines, it is inevitable that we see some finger-pointing between the two teams: “Your leads suck.” “Well, you couldn’t close a screen door in a hurricane.” As one who has spent most of his career on the sales side of the equation, it’s painful to see the efforts of the CMO not receiving 100% support from marketing’s true customer: the sales team. Prior to the next live event your team support, be sure to have all attendees connected regarding how to maximize the company’s investment. Confirm the basics of event blocking-and-tackling, which Bill neglected; arrive at the venue with a unified message and mission; use all your sales and marketing technologies to identify ROI on the whole affair.
Peter Ostrow
Vice President and Group Director
Sales Effectiveness
