Just as a football coach draws up his match selection, an account manager draws up his guest list. Both have a particular goal in mind. With the tactical selection they make, they want to create a situation which is most likely to achieve their goal.
So, who do you invite to your next corporate event? Only prospects you want to close a deal with? Existing customers who are open to an upsell? Sure, those two parties are certainly a strong start. But, don’t forget to invite some loyal customers too….
Because if you put a loyal customer at the table with a prospect? Then that one will do the networking for you! This way, you make it a lot easier on yourself as an account manager.
Once your guests are at your event, it’s showtime. As an account manager, you always have your social skills to throw into the mix. But, how do you increase your chances so that all your conversations run smoothly?
Preparation is key here. And since you worked out your guest list in advance, you can prepare yourself accordingly. Here are some things you can look up about your guest beforehand:
- Google news:
You probably already know how to look up an image on Google. But did you know you can also look up relevant news about your search terms? Simply google the company name of your guest, and click on ‘News’. Here you will discover the latest insides & updates about your guest. That way, you immediately have something to start a conversation with. And your guest? He’ll feel much appreciated.
- LinkedIn:
An absolute must: take a look at the LinkedIn profile of whoever you want to chat with. What do they post about? What are their most recent activities (e.g. Comments in other posts). That way, you always have conversation material ready to go.
- The past with your own company:
How has the guest’s journey with your company been so far? Has the prospect already received a demo/sample? When did you last see him? What was said in that meeting? If you refresh this for yourself, you will avoid some awkward situations.
An account manager at his own company’s event, is like a kid in the sweet shop. The whole place is full of interesting people AND opportunities for business growth. But, beware. Because if you spend an entire evening talking to people and making promises, there is a chance you will forget things.
How do you keep track of everything you discussed with guests? A notebook certainly does the job, but you don’t want to be writing all evening either. An e-mail to yourself then? Then everything gets mixed up and mistakes creep in too.
But, with the InviteDesk app, you can add notes, tags, to-do’s and reminders for each guest present during the event. Adding info takes no longer than sending a WhatsApp. And afterwards, you can go over for each guest what you need to do in terms of follow-up.
Are you curious about how the app will help you run around your events with fewer worries? Then feel free to ask for a live demo. We will be happy to show it to you, no strings attached.
Networking at an event is very nice. But, what about the people who signed up, but didn’t show up? Missed opportunity, you might think. Still, it’s best not to let your guard down.
Just because someone didn’t show up, doesn’t mean a conversation afterwards isn’t possible. Give him or her a call! “Hey X, you missed something, too bad you couldn’t be there. If you want, I’ll send some of the content you missed, so you’re still up-to-date!”
The person might feel honoured that he was thought of, or you might get some extra credit for wanting to compensate for his absence. Anyway, it’s a great opportunity to have a good conversation about what you wanted to talk about at the event….
From compiling guest lists, to consulting information, keeping track of everything during the event and following it up afterwards. Networking at your own corporate event is more than just having a good conversation with (potential) clients. Because of the amount of ‘mental notes’ you take during such an evening, things sometimes escape your attention.
To get more mental peace during your events, and so that you can focus on networking and have a good time, we developed the InviteDesk platform. With it:
- You’ll build a solid guest list within a few clicks.
- Updating information on individual guests is a piece of cake.
- You have all information at your fingertips afterwards.
- And you can easily see who did not attend your event, so you can contact them.
Wondering how it all works? Leave your e-mail address here and we will send you our video demo.
