Trade Shows: When the Show Is Over

Trade shows work, but only if you follow up. Your goal at any trade show is to get sales, not visitors. Trade shows aren't the end of the sales process, they're just a key part. To get sales, you need a follow-up system designed to build relationships and nurture them through the buying cycle.

1. After the show, follow up with each of the people you met at these sessions. Depending on the number, use a letter or phone call to make contact. Use the content of the presentation or something you spoke about with them as the focus of your conversation, finishing up with some question you would like to explore further the next time you talk. That conversation is, of course, your first appointment.
2. If some of your prospects were show exhibitors, remember that they will be very busy right after the show sending out literature and following up on their own hot leads. Consider waiting a week to 10 days before contacting them.
3. Build an integrated response management program. Start with your "A" list first and decide, based on your knowledge of each person, how best to approach them. Never leave multiple messages. The more messages you leave, the more desperate you may appear to be. If phone calls are your chosen method of communication, call till they pick up the phone. If you are getting frustrated, consider
   • having an assistant track them down for you
   • sending them a card asking for a time to call
   • using e-mail
   • calling at an unusual hour
4. If you do make contact on the phone, identify yourself and the name of your company and your past history with the individual.
5. Go slowly with your introduction, breaking it into separate sentences. Remember, the prospect is still concentrating on something else. Give her a chance to hear you and understand what you are saying.
6. Tell the prospect why you are calling — to follow up on the mailing you sent.
7. Inject pauses. Give the prospect an opportunity to speak if he wants to.
8. Don't ask the prospect whether she has read the information or has any questions about it.
9. Refresh the prospect's memory by presenting a brief overview of your company. Personalize this as much as possible by mentioning information you have about his company.
10. As soon as the prospect expresses interest by starting to ask detailed questions, begin to sell the appointment. In order to answer the prospect's questions, you need to know more about her business.
11. Ask for an appointment by giving the prospect a choice between two days. The prospect will likely pick one or come up with a date and time of his own. Do not ask, "When is a good time for you?" Most business owners are too busy to have a "good" time.
12. Throughout the conversation, always listen to the prospect without interruption. The more she says to you, the more she becomes involved in considering the purchase.