Beyond Events – The Value of Leads

Exhibitions present opportunities for businesses to sell their products, get in the faces of prospective buyers/clients, and network with other competitors. The benefits of getting your business showcased at an exhibition cannot be overstated.

Rather than focus on only making physical sales, attention should also be given to getting leads for the future. In fact, the number of leads that are gained at an event or exhibition should be seen as a metric to measure the success of that outing. While immediate sales might boost business at that moment and possibly morale, it is these leads that will enable the business grow in the future. Therefore, this part of the exhibition should not be taken lightly.

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Getting The Leads

People present at an exhibition are either business owners like you, or are (prospective) clients and customers. Identify the latter, that’s the group you are looking for. Most likely, the exhibition has a theme and so you do not really have to worry about trying to identify a particular set of prospective clients. For instance, if you’re part of an exhibition for Education, it is safe to say that most person’s that will be available there will be education-based to some extent, and your product should be relevant to most.

Attracting these leads is another thing. I’d like to break it down into two ways:

Direct marketing involves you walking up to prospective clients to begin a conversation. Advance preparation is required here to know exactly what to say and how to act. Note that it might not be necessary to put forth a business proposal at this stage, the main aim is to establish a relationship such that they are comfortable with you enough to engage in further conversation even after the event.

Dress the part, first impressions matter. Visual marketing requires that you set up an attractive booth that would draw people over. Some have found that using colourful banners, catchy copies and catchphrases, and side attractions draw the attention of the public.

Exhibit At TOSSE 2021

Remember the aim of the effort you’re putting in: to generate leads. Therefore, you would need to be able to get the contact information of these ones you meet. Have a viable system of doing this that would not be awkward or make them reconsider. Now you’ve got these leads, what next?

Following Up On Leads

This is the part that should eventually yield results: sales. This is also the tricky part. There are a few tips that can make this process go smoothly:

  1. Separate your leads. Not all contacts you make will require the same level of correspondence. Some might require immediate and constant communication while others might not need so much. Identify these early and strike as necessary so that you don’t get tagged as too pushy or too nonchalant.
  2. Get in contact early. You do not need to wait for too long to get in contact with these leads. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate call, as little as a “thank you” email or text message can do the trick. This will help impress you and your business in their minds.
  3. Personalise your correspondence. Include personal names of the recipients in emails and text messages. Don’t just push out these messages in bulk, it will sound faux and wouldn’t help boost your stock. For direct phone calls, sound friendly on the phone, and engage in conversation rather than giving mechanical responses read off a handbook.
  4. Be consistent. Sales are usually not made at the first contact. This is where consistency comes in. Make sure to always be in contact if you see the prospects of closing a sale on a lead, whether it immediate or not. Persistence would not mean “spamming” these leads as that would be counterproductive. Create a pattern that works.
  5. Know when to abandon a lost cause. Not all leads will become customers/clients. Identify this on time and save yourself a world of stress. To determine this, check for their ability to make a purchase, their motivation, and their level of influence if they stand as a representative for a business. If you determine that they would not be able to patronise you at the time, you’d be better served striking your blows elsewhere. This doesn’t mean you discard their contacts altogether however. Add it to your database of contacts, they might be customers for another product of yours.

Chasing and closing leads might be tedious, but it is usually worth the effort

 

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Related Post

HAND FLYERS ARE SPECIAL TOO, TOSSE 2019 WILL BE A PROOF

TOSSE is all about exposing your brand (alongside your products & services) to a specialized audience in the Education community. Handbills distribution is one of the best ways to take your products/services farther than your marketing team can. Start designing and redesigning your flyer for TOSSE 2019.

EXHIBITOR INFORMATION

Organisations like yours try in all possible ways to develop marketing strategies to sell their products or services and also build their images around certain percentage of market shares they currently occupy while aiming to expand beyond their present status.

Let’s talk about utilizing the marketing tools at your disposure.

Have you asked yourself;

  • How do I make my marketing/ads connect to my customers?
  • How do I make my product the best?
  • How do people perceive my product?

How do I get to retain my customers and get them to make referrals?

EXHIBITION STANDS

Handbill distribution might just be one of the tools that will take your products and services farther than your marketing team can. 

A flyer or handbill is a form of paper advertisement intended for wide distribution. It is posted or distributed in a public place, handed out to individuals or sent through the mail (e-flyer). In 2010, small scale businesses and organizations start using flyers to gain more market traction.

REGISTER TO ATTEND

Flyers range from inexpensively photocopied leaflets to expensive, glossy, full-colour circulars depending on your budget and taste for a design.

TOSSE provides you a platform where you can distribute your flyers to a large audience. Take advantage of this opportunity by calling us now to book a space at the 10th Total School Support SeminarExhibition.

VISITOR INFORMATION

The annual Total School Support Seminar/Exhibition holds Thursday – 31st August 2023

The annual Total School Support Seminar/Exhibition (TOSSE) holds this Thursday, 31st August 2023, at the 10 Degrees Events Center, Billing Ways, Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos.

The TOSSE platform brings together manufacturers/suppliers of educational resources and stakeholders in the education sector. TOSSE is an education fair featuring the display of innovative products and services, networking among top school leaders, administrators and teachers attending transformative seminars.

The 15th edition of TOSSE featured TOSSElead held in June, and TOSSE2023 slated for August. The event will host over 100 exhibitors with WOWBII Interactive being the lead sponsor.

Join the event YouTube Livestreaming on Thursday, 31st of August 2023

Check out some of the brands to expect at the event this Thursday:

FinLab is a leading indigenous scientific and technological equipment company actively involved in manufecturing, design, supply, and installation of laboratory equipment and furniture. Another brand is HowBodi, a teletherapy App where you get overall health care from the comfort of your home using a phone, laptop, computer, or tablet. KidsReadArt will also make an entrance as a literacy program that teaches children to read fluently through the use of phonics, animations and games.

Some institutions that will showcase at TOSSE2023 are African Leadership University (ALU), an higher education dedicated to building an army of ethical and entrepreneurial leaders, equipped with the required skillset, knowledge, and network. GreenSpring Training College (GTC), a subsidiary of greensprings educational services limited established to meet the development needs of teachers, school owners, parents, students and professionals. Blooming School is one of the top 15 educational institutions in Lagos State that blend British and Nigerian curricula designed to enhance critical thinking and HIIMA Education.

TOSSE Outdoor Floor Plan: Three seminar rooms

Attendees will be opportune to meet Wagefit, a payroll and financial well-being platform that provides Earned Wage Access (On-Demand Pay) by enabling employees to access a portion of their earned unpaid wages before payday to deal with unplanned emergencies. Visitors would also see Eduriea Future, a technology and innovation deploying technology company driving the much-needed innovation in the way educators engage young learners to lay a good foundation for success.

Parents would be excited to meet SchoolingYonda Consulting, an organization that assists parents and their children to study opportunities abroad and transition from study to work in Canada. Edukoya will also be making a return to TOSSE,  the Nigerian’s No1 online tutoring platform, which enables students to learn LIVE with some of Nigeria’s best teachers from the comfort of their homes. Edukoya caters to learners in primary and secondary school, and learners preparing for competitive examinations. TOSSE2023 will also feature Lothego, a learning platform with the mandate to transform education and improve access to high-quality content for continuous professional development.

Education stakeholders will also meet LAPO Microfinance Bank, a leading Microfinance institution committed to the empowerment of members of low-income households and owners of MSMEs. The Bank is bridging access to quality education through its Edu-finance product by providing credits to school owners and parents. SuccessTAB by Chronicles Software will be on display. It’s  an advanced learning device that offers diverse apps for students.

Nexcel Group will be showcasing its EduproVR and EduproTAB, their innovative educational solutions created to bridge the gap between knowledge and understanding of what students are taught in schools, enabling teachers to impart knowledge seamlessly. Zeta Brent Education is a leading study abroad agency in Nigeria.

Other great brands that will be present at TOSSE2023 are Revive Tech Montessori, Manners & Conduct, BredHub, Nliten, Legal Properties, Stamp4School Concept, Brains & Butter, The Ark Pregnancy, The Spelling Bee & Vocabulary Handbook, 9ijaKids, Syllabux, Kunda Kids, Lady Divine, Smart school uniform, Angels Learners, The Let Cerebral Palsy, Save a child save a nation, Teach for Nigeria, Red cross, Imperial Edtech, ALTS Education Consulting and many others.

The Total School Support Seminar/Exhibition (TOSSE) is a Viable platform that provides Impactful support for the education sector. This Initiative represents 15 years of passionate, committed and Impactful Support of the education sector by creating a platform for all stakeholders to Interact and devise creative solutions for current challenges in the sector; This was a statement made by Mr Alex Okoh, DG of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, Keynote speaker at TOSSElead 2023 event.

TOSSE Covid-19 restriction flyer

TOSSE to operate at maximum capacity as FG lifts Covid-19 restrictions

In March of 2021, we called for a meeting to debate if TOSSE 2021 event should hold or not. There was a mixed feeling across the roundtable, some people expressed their fears of the federal government restrictions on numbers, while some others were optimistic and put in their vote to go on.

We had the Lagos State Safety Commission (LSC) with its Safety Marshals in charge of permit and monitoring attendees’ control to contend with, we worried about the COVID-19 scare and we also had limited time to convince stakeholders that we had put in place adequate measure to keep everyone safe and secured.

TOSSE 2021 was not just a successful event, it was an edition that reaffirmed our belief that anything is possible with the right team and the right plan.

On the 6th of April 2022, the Federal government of Nigeria lifted the restrictions on the limited numbers of persons at gatherings and the nation-wide midnight curfew imposed in 2019.

The removal of restrictions was decided in view of the declining number of cases; the reduced risk of importation of new variants, as well as the availability of vaccines. Other parts of the world are also beginning to open up to businesses, international travellers, events and tourists.

TOSSE 2022 is now open to welcome attendees from the 36 states of the federation and visitors from around the world to partake in the 20+ seminars for school owners, administrators, teachers and stakeholders in the education sector.

There will be an impressive display of innovative products/services that can positively change the way schools businesses are managed and how knowledge is delivered.

TOSSE also presents an opportunity to international and local producers/suppliers of Educational resources or solutions to meet key stakeholders in the sector for a profitable business transaction.

TOSSE offers a 5% early bird discount for exhibitors that come in before the end of April.

For more updates on TOSSE: Follow us on our social media pages below:

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