How a Coin Show Taught Me to Build a Better MarTech Tool: CRM, CDP, and Email Automation Insights from the Field

Introduction: The MarTech Landscape is Competitive — Here’s What I Learned from a Coin Show

The MarTech world moves fast. Tools multiply, trends shift, and most of us are busy chasing the next shiny integration.

But sometimes, the best insights come from the last place you’d expect.

Last spring, I found myself on the floor of the 2025 Rosemont Great American Coin Show—dodging crowds, listening to chatter, and watching dealers work their magic. No dashboards. No AI copilots. Just decades of memory, sharp instincts, and a gift for remembering the right detail at the right time.

And that’s when it hit me: this wasn’t just a hobbyist convention. It was a living, breathing customer engagement machine—one that out-performs most SaaS marketing stacks when it comes to relationships, retention, and repeatable behavior.

Over four days, I saw how dealers handled lead capture, behavioral segmentation, real-time CRM updates, and post-event follow-up—all without logging into Salesforce.

As a developer building MarTech tools, I walked away with a fresh blueprint for a CRM, CDP, and email automation stack that doesn’t just process data—it respects the human behind it.

Here’s how I’d build it differently now, using what I learned from the coin bourse floor.

1. CRM Integration: Why Your Salesforce or HubSpot Data is Only as Good as the First 5 Minutes of Interaction

No one at the coin show pulled out a tablet and asked: “Mind if I fill out this form?”

Instead, they started the conversation. “Hey Alan—saw your last purchase. Still looking for that 1914-D?” Or, “You mentioned toned Morgans—just got three in. Want to see?”

That’s not just good memory. It’s CRM intelligence in motion—live, dynamic, and powered by context.

Most CRMs today? They’re digital filing cabinets. They wait for someone to press “submit.” But real relationships don’t start with forms. They start with recognition, relevance, and recall.

Actionable Takeaway: Build a “Live Sync” Layer for CRM

Give your field team a lightweight mobile or web app that lets them log interactions on the fly—and instantly sync to Salesforce or HubSpot.

No delays. No double entry. Just real-time data capture that turns a quick chat into a CRM-ready record.

Here’s how it works with the HubSpot CRM API:

// POST /crm/v3/objects/contacts
{
  "properties": {
    "firstname": "Alan",
    "lastname": "Flint",
    "email": "alan.flint@example.com",
    "phone": "+1-555-123-4567"
  }
}

// POST /crm/v4/objects/notes/associations
{
  "objectType": "CONTACT",
  "objectId": "12345",
  "toObjectType": "NOTE",
  "toObjectId": "67890",
  "associationType": "contact_to_note"
}

// POST /crm/v3/objects/notes
{
  "properties": {
    "hs_note_body": "Customer interested in 1914-D Lincoln cents. Follow up in 7 days with new inventory."
  }
}

Pro tip: Use templated notes with placeholders like {{product_type}} and {{follow_up_days}}. That ensures consistency—and makes it easier to segment later.

For Salesforce, use the Composite API to bundle actions (create contact + assign owner + log call) in one request. Less latency, fewer failed syncs.

Developer Tip: Use Webhooks for Bidirectional Sync

Don’t just push data from the field to the CRM. Use webhooks to pull updates back—like new deal stages or account changes.

That way, your reps always know what’s changed since their last interaction. No blind spots. No awkward “I didn’t get that email” moments.

2. Customer Data Platforms (CDP): Turn In-Person Interactions into Unified Customer Profiles

At the show, dealers didn’t just track what you bought. They tracked why you bought it.

“He’s been hunting for that 1943 copper cent for years.”
“She refers friends every time—she’s a community anchor.”
“He looked skeptical, but opened up after Andy verified the coin.”

That’s not transactional data. That’s contextual intelligence—the kind most CDPs ignore.

Rick Snow passed out during a presentation. The entire dealer network rallied. One dealer sent flowers. Another called his family. That moment? It became a data point: “This customer values loyalty and empathy.”

A modern CDP should capture that.

Actionable Takeaway: Build a CDP with “Event-Intent” Mapping

Your CDP should pull events from everywhere:

• CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot)
• Email platforms (SendGrid, Mailchimp)
• Field apps (interaction logs)
• Social media (via API or scraping)
• POS or e-commerce systems

Then, tag each event with an intent signal—a human-readable clue about what the customer truly wants:

• attended_event → intent: community_engagement
• referral_mentioned → intent: advocacy
• long_purchase_journey → intent: high_value
• emotional_response → intent: empathy_trigger

Here’s how that looks in a Snowplow Analytics schema:

{
  "schema": "iglu:com.coinshow/customer_event/jsonschema/1-0-0",
  "data": {
    "event_type": "in_person_interaction",
    "customer_id": "CUST_12345",
    "timestamp": "2025-04-05T14:22:00Z",
    "location": "Rosemont Horizon",
    "interaction_notes": "Customer showed 1943 copper cent, referred to Andy for verification.",
    "intent_signals": [
      "skepticism",
      "education_seeking",
      "trust_in_third_party"
    ],
    "source": "mobile_field_app",
    "follow_up_scheduled": true
  }
}

Developer Tip: Use a real-time stream processor like Apache Kafka with Flink. Enrich events with intent signals before they hit the CDP. That means faster segmentation and smarter automation.

3. Email Marketing APIs: Automate Follow-Up, But Keep It Human

Most post-event emails are forgettable: “Thanks for stopping by!”

But at the coin show? The follow-up was specific, warm, and timed perfectly.

“Glad you found that 1914-D cent—here’s three more from the same series.”
“Let’s grab dinner next time.”
“We saved a box for you—stop by the shop this week.”

That’s not spam. That’s remembered.

Your email marketing API should help you do the same—without writing every line by hand.

Actionable Takeaway: Trigger Dynamic Email Sequences from CDP Events

Let your CDP drive your email strategy. When an event hits, fire a sequence that matches the intent:

• High-value buyer? Send 3 emails: new inventory → social proof → personal CTA.
• Community-engaged? Send a “thank you” email with a photo from the event.
• Mentioned a referral? Send a “We heard you” email with a discount for both sides.

Here’s how to do it with SendGrid:

// POST /v3/mail/send
{
  "personalizations": [
    {
      "to": [{ "email": "customer@example.com" }],
      "dynamic_template_data": {
        "first_name": "Alan",
        "product_type": "1914-D Lincoln cents",
        "inventory_count": 5,
        "event_name": "Rosemont 2025",
        "follow_up_days": 7
      }
    }
  ],
  "from": { "email": "noreply@coinmartech.com" },
  "template_id": "d-1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef"
}

Developer Tip: Use Liquid templating to add subtle personal flair. For example:
{% if intent_signals contains 'empathy_trigger' %}We’re here for you, {{first_name}}.{% endif %}

It feels like a human wrote it—because, in a way, the customer did.

4. Marketing Automation: From “Ghost Town” to “Ghost Follow-Up”

By Saturday night, the bourse floor was empty. Booths packed. Crowds gone.

But the best dealers? They weren’t resting. They were activating.

They had:

• Emails scheduled for buyers of rare coins
• Social posts going live with show photos
• Inventory syncing to CRM and website
• Follow-up calls set for 48 hours later

No micromanaging. No manual work. Just a well-oiled post-event machine.

Actionable Takeaway: Build a “Show Closeout” Automation Workflow

Create a post-event automation sequence that runs every time:

1. Day 0 (Post-Show): Sync all interaction data to CDP. Send a “Thank You” email with a photo.
2. Day 1: Push new inventory to CRM and website. Trigger “You might like this” emails to high-intent customers.
3. Day 3: Pull CDP data for call prep. Schedule follow-ups with notes and context.
4. Day 7: Retarget non-responders with a “We missed you” email and a small incentive.

Use Zapier, Make, or a custom Node.js script to tie it all together. For example:

• Query CDP for customers with intent: high_value
• Generate a personalized email via SendGrid
• Create a task in Salesforce
• Book a call in Calendly

It’s not about replacing people. It’s about giving them superpowers.

Conclusion: Build MarTech That Feels Like a Coin Show — Human, Data-Driven, and Repeatable

The 2025 Rosemont coin show wasn’t just about coins. It was about people, memory, and trust.

And as a MarTech developer, I realized: our tools should do the same.

We don’t need more automation that feels cold. We need automation that feels remembered.

That means building:

• CRM integration that captures real-time field insights—like a dealer pulling up your last purchase
• CDP architecture that tracks not just what customers do, but why they do it
• Email marketing APIs that deliver personal, timely follow-up—without writing every line
• Marketing automation that scales the human touch, not replaces it

Your job isn’t to erase the handshake. It’s to remember it—and use data to make the next one even better.

So next time you’re designing a marketing tool, ask yourself:
Would a coin dealer use this? Would it help them remember the customer, not just the transaction?

If the answer’s no?
Go back. Build it again.

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