Sales Target Setting In Retail

I do dozens of interviews with top CMOs every year. I always ask what the best performing marketing channel is. And right now everyone is saying events. Post COVID events are back, but also now in an AI world, I think there's a stronger appetite to get out and connect with real people vs. just getting answers from ChatGPT. But: like anything in marketing, running events just because everyone else is doing them is a great way to set money on fire (and still not drive any incremental business). Whether it's a booth at a trade show. A VIP dinner. A 500-person conference. They can all work. They can all flop. The difference: having a real plan and strategy for that event going in. Why do it in the first place? (which continues to be the most important lesson in marketing - what's in it for me? what's the hook? why should people come to our thing?) We talked to two event experts on the Exit Five pod recently Stephanie Christensen and Kristina DeBrito — and here are 5 keys they shared for B2B event success: 1. Pick the right format. Not all events do the same job. Big splash? Go flagship. Want pipeline? Try VIP roundtables. Tiny budget? Host micro-events around existing conferences. Set real goals. 2. “Leads” are not enough anymore. Are you driving awareness? Accelerating deals? Generating pipeline? Define this upfront—or you’ll waste time measuring the wrong stuff. There are more metrics than just "did we get leads from this event" and in today's world leads are tablestalkes. 3. Align your team, bro. Sales and marketing must move in lockstep. Slack alerts for registrations. Sales meeting updates. Leaderboards. It all matters. This is a team effort. 4. Make it memorable. People forget panels. They remember custom pancakes and great venues. Was the food good? Did the WiFi work? Did Oprah show up? Just kidding. Making sure you'r reading. But think surprise and delight, not branded frisbees. 5. Put the work in on the follow up. Events don't close deals - follow-up does. Segment attendees. Create custom offers. Babysit the handoff to sales like your job depends on it. Because it does. You just went shopping and got all these fresh groceries - dont let them spoil. B2B buyers want real connection again. Events can create that. Are you feeling this desire for events? Are you doing events in your business right now? Let me know...

Conferences are expensive, boring, and typically have low ROI....but company-led EVENTS on the other hand can be powerful signals. Here's the exact playbook we used at Onward to organize profitable events where prospects can have a great time AND move closer to buying: ➝ 1. Align on your goal. I used to make the mistake of expecting a close within 30 days of an event and would be continually disappointed based on that expectation. Now I consider events another "touch point" in the customer journey/funnel. Our goal is simply to usher the customer to the next stage of the funnel. So if all your leads are top of the funnel, don't expect to close at the event. It's about a) learning what moves the needle for them and b) educating them on our ROI. This will result in moving them to the next sales stage. Your mindset and intentions here are important because otherwise, your pitch will misfire and either come off too brash or too aggressive. ➝ 2. Set the agenda to be what the client would want—not what you want. One of our go-to tactics is mixing education and entertainment. We would create an interactive, immersive learning session w/ a world-class expert with a focus on equipping attendees with tangible takeaways in addition to networking. ➝ 3. Find great partners. In order to share the budget, we typically find like-minded companies that we want to partner with and share customer leads. We participated in Retention.com's marquee summer event in Malibu called Retox and it was one of the more lavish events we've been a part of with over 200+ brands attending. It takes a lot to move the needle for customers to get excited and sometimes you have to go all out! ➝ 4. Yet the simplest format is often the most effective—an intimate, private dinner. You'd be surprised at how much common ground you can find with a potential customer over a 2-hour dinner. Typically there are no pitches, just real connections. The sales pitches will come later—but upfront it's about getting to know one another and seeing how it would be to work together. Sales is about developing relationships and meaningful relationships are built when people can let their guard down and simply connect as human beings. And that's exactly what we aim for. So if you're tired of the same old networking scene and you're craving experiences that truly move the needle, I'd love to connect. What are some unique events you've thrown? I'm always looking for new ideas.

Why your field events are NOT driving pipeline (Hint: It's a planning problem.) Most teams optimise for attendance. The ones converting CXOs to pipeline optimise for what happens before and after. I talked to Elaine T., APAC Field Marketing Lead at Sprinklr, about exactly where the gap is. 3 things she sees most often: 1) Sales isn't aligned on accounts before invites go out 2) There's no intent data or pre-event research 3) Post-event follow-up gets figured out on the fly None of these are event problems. They're process problems. Her fix: - Lock named accounts with sales first - Curate attendees around one shared challenge - Design the post-event motion before the event date is even confirmed On measurement, she tracks sourced pipeline, influenced pipeline, and account engagement lift. In long enterprise sales cycles in APAC, influenced pipeline and engagement lift often tell you more than sourced alone. Their CX roundtable led into a maturity workshop. Outreach within 48 hours referenced specific conversations from the room. Attendees didn't get a generic follow-up sequence. They got a continuation. 10 to 12 touchpoints to get a CXO in Singapore to show up. Most teams plan for 3. The gap isn't the event. It's everything built around it. How many touchpoints does your team typically run before an event?

100+ SKOs later, I can tell you exactly where most go  off the rails. (Trust me, it’s not what you expect...) ❌ It’s not the venue. ❌ It’s not the content. ❌ It’s not the speakers. ✅ It’s the planning. Most teams spend weeks sorting logistics: ❌ Seating charts. ❌ Caterers. ❌ Decks. But the part that makes the SKO actually work? That’s often squeezed in on a Friday afternoon. The truth is: when the planning’s off, even the best-run events  fall flat. Here are 5 common planning mistakes I see that ruin Sales Kickoffs: 1. No Clear Goals ↳ Without 2–3 measurable outcomes, everything feels  important and nothing sticks. 2. Agenda Overload ↳ Cramming too much into too little time. There’s no  space to pause, reflect, or apply. 3. One-Size-Fits-All Content ↳ New hires and experienced sellers need different  support. If the sessions aren’t tailored, they fall flat. 4. Unprepared Managers ↳ When leaders aren’t briefed, they sit back. And post- event coaching doesn’t happen. 5. No Follow-Up Plan ↳ The event ends, and that’s it. Without reinforcement,  people forget fast. So how do you fix it? 🧭 Use the SKO Planning Compass. It’s a simple way to pressure-test your plan before the  kickoff begins. Score each area from 1 to 5: (If anything scores under a 3, rework it.) 🔗 ALIGN ↳ Are your goals tied to real business outcomes? ⚡ MOTIVATE ↳ Is there energy, recognition, and a reason why it matters? 🎯 TRAIN ↳ Is there live practice, not just presentations? 🤝 CONNECT ↳ Have you built in space for peer learning and real conversation? Because a great SKO doesn’t start on stage. It starts in the plan. ♻️ Repost for your network (and look ridiculously clever while doing it.) Follow 👋 David Meade Keynote Speaker for science-backed strategies you can use this week.

The biggest mistake companies make with events isn't what you think. It's what happens the morning after (or doesnt) I've attended and hosted a lot of events over the past couple of years. I know how much investment goes into them. Increasingly so, as many buyers use events to compare and contrast different suppliers before making a decision. Months of planning Finding speakers Choosing venues Designing content Managing registrations Briefing the team Making sure everything runs perfectly on the day. But I've noticed something. Many businesses plan meticulously for the event... ...and barely plan for the surge in opportunity it creates afterwards. A successful event can generate dozens, sometimes hundreds, of meaningful conversations. Yet the following morning, those same leads often land with sales or marketing teams already operating at full capacity. The result? • Follow-up takes too long • Conversations lose momentum • Prospects go cold • ROI quietly disappears Ironically, the more successful the event, the bigger the operational challenge can become. So if you're investing heavily in events, I'd spend just as much time planning the follow-up as the event itself. Three things I'd always consider: 1. Resource for success - Don't assume your existing team can absorb a sudden influx of leads - If you're expecting 100 meaningful conversations, plan for them - Protect your SLAs. Remember, every company a prospect spoke to at the event is racing for the same opportunity. 2. Agree your follow-up strategy before the event - Who owns each lead? - How will leads be prioritised? - What's the target response time? - What happens in the first 24 hours? The best teams answer these questions before the first attendee walks through the door. 3. Keep the conversation warm - Not every lead is sales-ready - Share the presentation - Send useful content - Make introductions - Connect on LinkedIn The objective isn't simply to follow up. It's to continue the relationship. I've seen businesses spend tens of thousands of pounds delivering outstanding events......only to leave the return on that investment to chance. Then, when the post-event review takes place, everyone wonders why the ROI didn't meet expectations and investment is pulled. Great events don't finish when the last guest leaves. That's when the real work begins.

I’ve organized 50+ online & offline Convert.com events in the last 3 years. Here’s what you need to know to unlock their power:  (Not getting #2 early on is damaging!) 1️⃣ Online events & offline events -- they serve different purposes. Online events get you on the radar of your audience. Embed your narrative and your PoV through them. What do you know to be true about your prospects’ problems that they haven’t discovered yet? Online events reframe at scale. Offline events put a face to the affinity. Once you’ve earned credibility, deepen trust with offline gatherings. 2️⃣ You can’t run vanity events! Don’t pay lip service. The community you are calling to action should benefit in tangible ways —- beyond empty shout-outs. The first time it’s novel! The second time it is cute. The third time you dent your reputation. 3️⃣ Don’t rely on the ‘day-of’ to do the heavy lifting. 🗸 Get your speakers and their thoughts on pre-event podcasts.  🗸 Share not only the replay but also the speaker presentations  🗸 Post-event, snip the sessions’ Aha moments into shareable clips. Embed them in blogs, upload to your YouTube channel, use them to support education on social media. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞 (𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐂) 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧.  Try your best to help them see things differently. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 ‘𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠’, 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭. Handing it over to the fire-cracker Hannah Parvaz for the next 3 tips. [Congrats on hitting 20,000 followers on LinkedIn! :)] 🎉 Inspired by the success of her unique Aperture sessions: 4️⃣ Don’t aim for one-off (in-person) events. Create a space for conversation, connection, and community. Not sales. Before planning a gathering, run through the checklist: → Why are we doing this?
 → What do we want people to walk away with, emotionally, not just tactically?
 → And are we actually creating a moment, or just ticking a box? 5️⃣ Sponsorships vs own events. Sponsorships can be brilliant, especially when you customize your ‘package’ to bring your flavor to the proceedings. Building something from scratch requires a clear story to tell. To figure out what’s right for your brand -- Ask:
 → What’s the outcome we want: Reach, trust, connection? → Who are we doing this for, and what do they actually need?
 → And do we want to lead the room, or be part of someone else’s? 6️⃣ ‘Human’ is a buzzword now. But human events don’t necessarily mean ‘casual’ events. It’s about intention. Find beautiful, weird venues, talk to every person in the room, make it memorable! More event inspo from Hannah in the carousel. 👇 Over to you ... What do you like to see in industry events? Which one has been your favorite in 2025?

The Secret Weapon of Top Producers: EVENTS In the mortgage industry, we're constantly bombarded with advice about databases, CRM's, social media strategies, and techniques for calling on realtors. These approaches get all the headlines and dominate industry conversations. I've noticed a common trait among the highest producers that rarely gets the attention it deserves: hosting events for referral partners and past customers. I mention this because I don't hear it discussed nearly enough, yet I can tell you firsthand that events will move the production needle faster than almost anything else in your arsenal. Why Events Work: 1. They Transform Your Sales Approach Events give loan officers a legitimate reason to make a sales call without directly asking for business. Instead of making a cold call asking for referrals, you're inviting someone to a valuable experience. 2. They Address the Connection Paradox We live in a world where communication is at an all-time high, but genuine human connection is at an all-time low. Bringing a group together in person creates energy that cannot be replicated through digital interactions. This energy naturally leads to deeper engagement and stronger relationships. 3. They Amplify Your Network Effect The mortgage and real estate world is small. Hosting events naturally creates more referral opportunities as people connect and discover mutual contacts and interests. One successful event can trigger a chain reaction of introductions that continues long after the event ends. 4. They Drive Self-Accountability Most importantly, planning events creates a built-in accountability structure with a concrete timeline and goal. Real-World Results Our Triangle team just hosted an event to kick off the ACC tournament. The turnout was excellent, the weather cooperated beautifully, and we made several new friends. More importantly, we strengthened existing relationships in a way that would have taken dozens of individual meetings. Do you need some ideas for successful events? I'd happily share some approaches that have worked for our team.

Let’s be honest — most teams treat events as vanity projects. Big booths. Branded swag. Badge scans that never convert. We don’t play that game. We run events the way we run sales: With a clear target list, mapped sales stages, and defined deal movement goals. At two recent industry events, Versatile generated nearly 30x ROI. That wasn’t a marketing win — it was a sales win. Built on execution, not exposure. Here’s how we actually make events close deals: 1. Have deeper conversations with fewer people We don’t chase random conversations. We work to fill our calendars with people already in our pipeline three to four weeks ahead of the event. The goal: surface urgency, unblock friction, and get to next steps. 2. Send closers We send people who are their move their own deals forward. 3. Accelerate relationship velocity Dinners, whiteboards, late-night deal shaping — whatever it takes to deepen trust. Relationships don’t get built through booth traffic. They get built in real conversations. 4. Follow up like it’s a pipeline obligation — because it is Every interaction is logged. Next steps go in CRM. Follow-up isn’t optional or delayed — it’s immediate, specific, and tracked to close. If you're still measuring event success in badge scans and brand impressions, you're doing it wrong. Events can be one of your highest-ROI sales channels, it is for Versatile, because we treat them as sales plays.

GTM Workflow That Turned Event Buzz Into 33 Sales Meetings Before the Event Began. Most teams still run events like this: - Sponsor the event - Blast a few “See you at Booth #14” emails - Hope someone stops by Here’s how we built a Pre-Event GTM Automation for a B2B SaaS targeting retail & e-commerce and hit 20% interest rate before the event even started. Step 1: Prospect Discovery We identified every ICP attending or engaging with the event before the event & not waiting to get the attendee list post-event. ✅ Event pages (speaker & company data) ✅ Event apps (attendees & exhibitors) ✅ LinkedIn posts with “See you at {{EventName}}” keywords ✅ CSV files (job title, location, company name) 🛠️ Tools: Clay, Apify, Serper, Trigify.io, Event Apps, CSV files Step 2: Data Enrichment & Cleanup Raw lists don’t convert. Context does. We enriched, deduped, and cleaned all profiles for location, title, and company fit. 🛠️ Tools: Clay's waterfall enrichment - LeadMagic, Prospeo.io, Icypeas, Datagma, ZeroBounce Step 3: Messaging Personalization We bucketed prospects into 3 cohorts; speakers, and attendees who were were ICPs, and exhibitors [who can be our partners], and wrote context-based copy for each. Short, high-intent patterns (<80 words). Step 4: Multi-Channel Outreach Setup Every ICP received personalized outreach across 3 channels: 📩 Email (Gmail sequences via Instantly) ✉️ LinkedIn DMs and InMails 📱 Event App messages for high-intent attendees 🛠️ Tools: Instantly.ai, Smartlead, HeyReach.io, lemlist Step 5: Positive Reply Flow ✅ When a prospect books a meeting: → Sync lead to CRM → Auto-assign an Account Executive/SDR/any team member attending the event ⭕ When there’s no booking after 2 follow-ups: → Recycle the contact into Clay for segmentation → Add to nurture sequences through: • Email drips via Intuit Mailchimp, or Brevo • SDR call follow-ups • Direct mail via Sendoso Step 6: Sales Process Kickoff Once the meeting is confirmed: → Push contact into HubSpot or Attio → Assign to AE/SDR/any team member attending the event → Official handoff to events/field sales team for opportunity management Results 163 Prospects Contacted 31 Replies (20% reply rate) - from Email + LinkedIn 16 Interested Responses (10% interest rate) from Email + LinkedIn 📱 +17 Additional Leads from Event App/Direct mail No booth chaos. Just structured GTM automation. If you’re heading to any conference this or next quarter, don’t wait for inbound footfall. Build your pre-event GTM engine now.