Part 1 of this series, we focused on business card and printout options to lead gen. Today's blog post will focus on smartphone apps and the risk associated with too few lead retrieval systems in your booth.
It is cheaper to use a free iPhone/Android app.
While there is no question that these apps look really good and have many bells and whistles, they have some drawbacks as well.
First and foremost, everyone in the booth needs to have the same phone system in order to maximize the use of this app.
Hardly a chance of this happening and very unlikely a free app provider is going to support a multitude of platforms.
Second, only part of the lead system is free.
If you want more, you will need to pay. They try to hook you with a low monthly fee usually consists of a year long contract.
Third, if you have to take a call while you are gathering the contact’s data, the call trumps the data collection and all is lost.
You need to look the prospect in the eye and say “Sorry, we need to start over.”
Fourth, if the app is native to the person’s phone they could keep the lead for themselves instead of turning it into the company.
Although this is rare, it can happen especially if you do not know your employee very well or worse you have temporary staff manning the booth for you.
The cheaper solution is an automated Lead Retrieval System.
A Lead Retrieval System has many benefits including the ability to have a standard platform that everyone can learn to use in a matter of minutes.
-
While the unit is not free, what you see is what you get. You rent it for a trade show and that’s it. There are no lingering monthly fees and nothing to upgrade.
-
Because you scan or swipe an attendee’s badge, there is not risk of data interruption. The system is dedicated to collecting leads, period.
-
Your data is protected. Once the data is in the lead retrieval system it stays there or it is uploaded to your CRM system. Your system is not going to walk away and neither are those precious contacts.
- The system will work with or without Wi-Fi. So if the Internet connection on the floor is interrupted, you can still collect the data. This may or may not be true with a smartphone app.
It is cheaper to rent only one Lead Retrieval System.
While this may work for some booth exhibitors, you should not take a “one size fits all” approach. You need to consider the following before making a decision of how many Lead Retrieval rental units make sense.
-
How big is your booth? If it is large, will staff have to walk a long way to scan a card or badge?
-
How many leads are you hoping to capture?
- How many staffers are you going to have? You don’t want them all crowded around one machine. It takes a lot of time and takes the focus off the real reason the prospect is at your booth; to learn more about your products and services.
The cheaper solution is multiple automated Lead Retrieval Systems.
Because your mission is to learn more about the attendee so the lead is very warm once you leave the trade show, it is important to scan the pertinent information about the attendee as quickly as possible.
This makes the follow-up easier on the people back home who can receive the leads the next day or on a real-time basis.
Bottom Line
Hopefully you have gathered by now, the seemingly cheapest option is not always the most efficient. By investing in automated Lead Retrieval Systems, you will not only save money but you will have much better leads in the long run.
SmartSource Rentals and AV Event Solutions can provide you with a plethora of total technology options. Rent iPads, laptops and Wi-Fi network array systems by giving them a call at 800.888.8686 to get the process started!
