In his blog for the Harvard Business Review, Rick Reynolds makes the point that quantitative data is highly useful to the sales process but it cannot replace the value of qualitative information gained through face-to-face interaction.
It’s true for trade shows and events, too. Lead counts have long been eclipsed by dozens of more specific and more sophisticated success measures. Today’s tools for capturing attendee data are more varied and more technologically advanced than ever before. Demographic reports generated by marketing organizations dazzle with analytics and data mining. Even so, in the past two months I’ve seen exhibit booth staffers struggle because their lead capture device did not have a fast and easy method for inputting notes and comments.
Data is important. So is context. Event staffers get that – especially if they come from the sales organization. It’s up to us marketers to give them the tools to contribute the contextual side of their engagements. Human connections are still the most powerful drivers in the sales process.