How should I organize a Meetup group to generate sales leads?

Question

Sales management has noticed that a couple of sales districts have active Meetup groups involving our customers and our products.

These particular Meetup groups have turned out to be a great source of leads, and a good way to organize low cost events for our local customers.

Sales management has asked each district sales leader to organize local Meetups to try and replicate this success.

How should I organize Meetups to best generate sales leads in my sales district? Is there a best practice for this?

Answer 1

Meetups can be great for sales leads as long as you strike a balance between providing an interesting/fun/great forum where people get something out of it and identifying targets to sell to. If you are continually lining up cool speakers, great sponsors and doing it all in a fun venue, people will want to keep coming to your meetups. If it's a sales person doing a pitch or demo of their product and the only goal is to get people to buy, they may not return. I would say think of meetups like inbound/content marketing -- develop a broad list of what THEY want to know about and make it worthwhile even if they hear nothing about your product. If/where suitable, introduce your products, or even better, save the product pitch until you follow up AFTER the meetup.

Answer 2

I kind of like the idea of using Google maps contributions because after enough contributions Google will help promote your meet ups. Begin to build a reputation, even a small one, that your opinion is important to google maps about your community and might encourage local business' to come to your meet up so they can connect with you, even if it's just to learn more about maps and how to use them to drive customers. I hope that made sense?