Unlock Growth Potential: How to Use Virtual Events to Convert Prospects Into Customers

Virtual events offer an efficient way to connect with prospects and important customers. Creating an engagement with the highest impact means offering more than just a sales pitch with wine tasting as a backdrop. To have the greatest impact, we must go deeper. From pre-planning to the event run-of-show, to post-event follow-up, here are a few tips for building out high-impact engagements.

Know Who Your Attendees Are

Knowing whom you are talking to is key for creating a run of show that will best meet the needs of the attendees. You want them to have a takeaway that is bigger than the host company’s sales pitch and some information about Chardonnay. Knowing who they are is paramount. What do they like? What are they excited about? What resonates with a group from IT may differ from what resonates with a group of salespeople, for example, so how we present must also be different. If your presentation is incredibly technical, and you are presenting to novices on the subject, the material will fall flat and have little impact. We aim to meet our guests where they are and the only way to do that is to intimately know who they are.

Know Where Attendees Are in the Sales Cycle

Prospects that have had zero engagement with the host company have different needs than long-time customers that are up for renewal. We argue for breaking up attendees into different styles of events depending on where they are in the funnel. A whiskey tasting that offers an incentive to attend, like a 1 or 2 oz pour of a rare or allocated whiskey, drives attendance and offers an easy yes. These are great for top-of-funnel folks that we want the sales team to get to know better. The run of show for these events needs to be light and fun and designed to drive engagement so that foundational relationships can be built. High-value, priority customers that are up for renewal, would best benefit from a high-end wine tasting complete with cheese, caviar, and charcuterie. This luxurious ‘thank you’ needs to arrive at the right time in the buying cycle. If they are considering other options, this beautiful gift that comes with an experience could be just the thing that reminds them why they want to remain loyal to you.

Know What Your Conversion Goals Are

Know what dollar amount is on the line, or ‘in the room’ as we call it. Furthermore, you want to support the sales team in closing deals. Of course, we host virtual events to efficiently connect, but the end game is to convert to the next stage of the sales cycle or to retain a valuable customer. Briefing the sales team before the event to make sure they understand how this engagement impacts sales is crucial. Selling is an emotional buy and developing relationships plays into the emotional side of the decision making. Our job is to help the sales team connect emotionally over the long haul. Virtual events lay that foundation.

Designing the Run-of-Show

We offer tricks of the trade for keeping these fun. Nothing kills the mood quite like PowerPoint, however, we know this can be an important part of the pitch, so even when there is material being presented, it needs to be done with a tone that says, “We are here to have a good time!” The wine and food help guests relax in the space and make them more receptive to your message. Engagement is the most important thing. No one wants to listen to a one-hour sales pitch, just like no one wants to hear me preach for hours about the glories of Chardonnay!  A networking event or a thought leader are two great ways to up engagement and guarantee guests take away something bigger. Offering an incentive for ‘camera on’ attendance is another way to guarantee people show up ready to be fully present.

Follow-Up

A follow-up strategy is paramount for maximizing conversions. A customized video message offers a takeaway that reminds guests who attended the event about what occurred while offering those who missed the event more information, all while providing a clear call to action. Regardless of whether or not the recipient was able to attend the live event, the goal after the event is to book a meeting and nudge them closer to conversion. A personalized video is one high-touch approach. Sending a personalized follow-up gift can seal the deal. We use our virtual events as information-gathering tools. If we know that Joe Smith was married at Silver Oak in 1994, and Joe Smith is a high-value customer who is up for renewal, perhaps we send Joe Smith a bottle of 1994 Silver Oak with a handwritten note from the team thanking Joe for being a loyal customer. Gifts do not have to be expensive to be impactful. People want to feel something and a personalized gift does just that.

We understand intimately the impact a virtual event can have on building key relationships and nudging deals over the finish line.

Let us help you convert!