Why Roadshows?
We’re just a few weeks away from our first Roadshow event of 2019 and I thought it would be a great idea to share with you WHY Equipment Zone thinks producing this event is a worthwhile endeavor. My goal is to share with you the four value points so that you can consider planning your own Roadshow. That’s right! This type of event could be a great fit for your company… but let me tell you why it works for us.
The purpose of roadshows is to take your company’s message and brand—you guessed it—on the road. Most of the time it means your event will be in another location. Roadshows are often done in sequence and occur in a handful of cities in an effort to increase brand awareness and product knowledge. They often have a training component. Roadshows are a great way to spread the word in a personal, interactive format and reach those you may not have been able to otherwise.
Typically, roadshows are half-day events that bring customers, prospects, and partners together for thought leadership, product demonstrations, and networking.
Roadshows can make a very positive impact to your company’s bottom line. I have planned two types of events like this. The first has a longer return on investment. This is where you are introducing your company, new concepts and planting seeds. It’s 90% marketing. The other kind of Roadshow event has an immediate return on investment and the goal is sales… we were no longer planting – we were harvesting! It’s 90% onsite selling.
Let’s explore the four main reasons why Roadshows work and what the benefits are. Then hopefully, you’ll get inspired to attend our Roadshow and possibly plan your own company roadshow!
1. They Help Create a Great Environment for Real Discussion
Sales reps rarely turn down the opportunity to meet qualified prospects. This is their bread and butter. Roadshows allow the sales process to move beyond playing phone tag and sending emails. You actually create face-to-face relationships with potential customers and renew relationships with existing customers. Conversations seem to flow better and the discussions are more real when everyone has something in common: they all showed up to learn more about how to grow their business (or whatever your roadshow might be for)!
2. They Can Jumpstart an Otherwise Slow Time of the Year
Roadshows are, for lack of a better word, AWESOME! For some businesses the summer months can be slow, and roadshows help tremendously to pick up the pace. If you have other companies sponsor your roadshows, a good rule of thumb is to make sure they promote your show out to their networks. Roadshows can also really help with generating pipeline. As I previously stated, these events give the sales team an opportunity to engage with prospects they might not otherwise engage with.
3. They Help Build Your Brand
Roadshows should be both professional and fun. The goal is to have all of your attendees leave the event feeling that the time was well spent, feeling happy and with a smile. To help that happen, consider sharing new content and/or have an inspirational speaker. You want to make this a lively and engaging environment. Try to break up the time with some “classroom” style learning and some “hands-on” type of learning. I suggest a 50/50 split of both types of presentation. I would also consider catering the event with some delicious local food. Your attendees will leave with a positive impression of you, your staff your company and the event!
4. They Help Prove Your Reputation as Leaders
Perhaps the most important part of the roadshow is the content. Roadshows allow the presenters to share new ideas and talk about the latest industry trends. The valuable content presented by thought leaders is usually why people show up. A free lunch can help a few who are on the fence. Some attendees must leave work early; others have to take the day off in order to attend a Roadshow. So make your event worth their while! If the content is valuable, and the learning experience is authentic, then audience will appreciate it and your credibility and trust will go up.
I can promise you our Roadshows will be:
- Informative
- Interactive
- Inspirational
- Memorable
- Fun
If you are planning to “borrow” this idea from us – go ahead. That’s the point of this blog and you have our permission! Do you really think we came up with all of this on our own? There’s a good chance we borrowed some ideas too ☺