Tips for Effective Follow-through After Amerimold

After all the preparation and then execution of trade show strategies, there is still work to be done to make your trade show investment pay off.

Follow-up after a trade show can be difficult, and it does not have to be a huge show to make a company feel a bit overwhelmed as to how it will now work to turn all those valuable leads into sales. Following are a few tips that can help make the task much easier, or at least provide more confidence for the team members who will be making those follow-up calls. The first two tips are recommended for during Amerimold while the rest are post-show strategies.

Ask for a business card. Now you may be thinking that because you will be scanning their badges you won’t need their business card. In some cases, they will not have any with them and that is okay, but it never hurts to ask. The reason is that many times, show attendees will share badges. You may get incorrect data and then have to chase down the right person.

Take notes about each customer. I have blogged in the past about how important it is to take thorough notes after talking with a customer. Be prepared to ask the right questions in order to learn about each customer’s challenges, needs and goals. Have notepads and pens near every scanner or in your pocket. Write down their name and company, title, and what products or services they expressed interest in and why (of course this means you must ask good questions). If there were several, rate them so you know which to bring up initially when you call. Staple the notes to the lead tape and/or business card so that you have all the details together. If they become separated, it will be easy to match them back up.

Take your time – but not too much time. This may be common sense to some, but others may not be thinking about timing when it comes to following up with potential customers. First, you must remember that they have taken valuable time from work to attend Amerimold. They will probably not welcome a sales call the day after the show closes. In fact, it might be good to wait a few days (about a week, but no more than two weeks) before making contact. Let them settle in and catch up after being out. However, if they ask you to call them when you meet them at the show, ask what day and time, and be sure to follow through.

Prioritize your leads. Based on the somewhat comprehensive notes you collected, prioritize your leads based on your company’s goals and objectives. Follow up accordingly.

To call or email? Both. Ease into your follow-up by using a service like Constant Contact to generate an email blast to your Amerimold leads database. This should happen within a week or two of the show. To make this effort more memorable for your customers, snap a nice group photo in your booth before the show opens, while everyone is fresh, alert and well rested. Use that image in the email blast to remind customers of the team member(s) they saw while visiting your booth. Your copy within the email should be concise, reminding them of products you featured and how they can advance operations. Be sure to include your company website, a direct email to a sales or technical representative along with that person’s name and title, and a phone number. Links to further information about featured products, including application videos, is also helpful. Then, after a few days, begin dialing that phone and reaching out to your leads.

Use social media for added exposure. This is an important strategy for both pre- and post-show marketing. Whether you like to blog, post on LinkedIn.com, tweet, snapchat or facebook, do it. Let all your business contacts know that you will be at Amerimold and where to find you. Use images and videos to capture their attention. Then do it again after the show in case they missed it.

Planning ahead for following up is a good idea, so begin now while there is still time.

 

See you at Amerimold!