This piece is part of our series on modern sales reps, by sales reps.
Did you know that Salesforce is hosting a World Tour event in Amsterdam this year?
Sign me up.
Truthfully, I don’t know if I’d make it back to the United States in one piece, but I’m certain it would be a good time.
Anyway, I attended my first Salesforce World Tour event in Atlanta a few months ago and have a few takeaways that I’d like to share with you…
5 Salesforce World Tour Tips:
1. Make visitors curious.
Don’t be Greg, the guy who works at the phone stand in the mall kiosk and hassles every shopper that passes. Greg sells immediately. He doesn’t care that I’m on a mission to get in and out of Macy’s in record time. He might ask how I’m doing, but before I finish my sentence he’s pitching his product.
Rather than being a Greg, kick back and relax, but still engage. For example, if someone walks by, ask them how the event is going or if they’re attending any breakout sessions. Make them ask what your company does, rather than bringing it up on your own. This eliminates the sales vibe, allowing the attendee to generate interest and curiosity.
2. Know your personas.
Every sales team has an ideal account profile. And every sales team has a target buyer within that account. Salesforce World Tours, while not nearly as crazy as Dreamforce, can be hectic. That being said, talking to the right people is vitally important to seeing an ROI.
First, of course, you have to fully understand that profile. So make sure the entire team representing your brand at this event has that down.
Then at the event, pay close attention to the actions of attendees. Do they appear to be heading straight to booths with a mission in mind? Are they asking specific questions around a solution (ie. finding a tool to address a need) or general questions all over the place? These actions can help you understand their intentions.
3. Consider your swag.
As much as I hate the word “swag,” it’s unavoidable and used so often that it just makes sense to use here. I know this may not seem important, but it’s a very effective form of marketing. Make sure you have some cool, relevant, reusable and branded swag to give away.
This does a few things for you:
- Gets more people proactively approaching your booth.
- Generates a want, which subsequently allows you the opportunity to generate a need…for your product and/or service. (See what I did there?)
- Provides ongoing marketing. Of course, the SDR that just grabbed your coffee mug won’t always be the primary buyer at your ideal account. However, they’re going to learn what you do and bring that mug back to their booth, office and/or home. At some point, a decision maker asks that SDR what you do…interest is generated…decision maker now makes it a point to do his or her research and visit your website, next booth or wherever else you may be.
We all know that swag’s not the most important piece of a successful Salesforce World Tour, but still consider it. Just make sure that the product you’re bringing to the table has everyday application and can be used in the workplace.
4. Walk around.
Don’t stay glued to your booth the entire event. There’s power in numbers, but not all in the same place. Bring enough people to the event so that you have the freedom to go visit other booths to find out what they do. Hear them out. Participate in the conversation. Chances are, they’re going to ask you where you work and what you do. Boom, now you’re talking about your product. Who knows, you may even find a tool that you need.
5. Get someone on your team to speak.
This opportunity may not be available to everyone, but it can generate a lot of conversation and interest when someone from your team, or your customer base, is able to speak at a session. At the World Tours, Breakouts occur throughout the entire event. Having representation in one of them can make a big impact.
Ultimately, World Tour events are a great opportunity to interact with fellow Salesforce customers, share best practices and most importantly (says the sales development rep), create greater visibility into your company. By no means is this a silver bullet, but these 5 tips will help your team see the greatest return on your investment.
Oh, and don’t forget to have fun. If my memory serves me correctly, the beers start getting served at around 4:00 p.m.
