The trade show has come to an end and there are no more sponsored events to attend.  All of the networking has paid off because everyone is heading home exhausted with a stack of business cards.  The real value of attending the trade show begins once back at the office.

Following up on the trade show leads is imperative after the trade show to build your business and convert potential customers to actual sales.  80% of leads are not followed up on according to trade show industry resources.

JASE’s Six Follow Up Tactics:

• Organize. Make sure you have all of your acquired business cards and print read outs from Lead Retrieval Scanners.  Consolidate and categorize everything in a notebook that allows room next to the taped or stapled card to take notes on the contact’s interests and needs.  Bringing a laptop can also be beneficial for note taking. Also, catalog the contacts based on how important it is to contact them immediately and place them on the top of your list.

• Don’t wait. As soon as you get back in the office, use that momentum from the show and begin your follow ups.  There will be other things to catch up on from not being in the office but make it a priority to touch base with a few contacts with an immediate need within the first few days to keep your company fresh on their minds.

•Discuss.  Converse with your sales team on strategies and your plan for following up with this set of trade show leads.  Share what you learned from customers or seminars and try to educate others on information you received from the show. Develop an action plan for your contacts and set timelines for each.

•Personalize. Send out personalized emails to each contact thanking them for taking the time to stop by your booth and discuss any specifics that you noted about the contact.  Remind them of what your company can do for theirs and add you will follow up with them shortly.

• Manage. Add your new leads to your companies CRM or contact management database with notes on the most up-to-date interactions.  Also, add your leads to monthly mailing list and marketing contact lists.  There is always a chance that those contacts can forward any information you send to them on to other contacts within their company/industry.

• Follow up again.  Remember that most people are busy when getting back into the office and catching up on missed work so if you are following up a second time, do not get disappointed and be persistent.

Take that networking you did at the show and turn it into building relationship.  It is important to compare trade show attendee lists with customer data to see if direct sales links can be ascertained.  Any trade show that seems to be unprofitable should be crossed off the list for next year.

Contact JASE Group today customize your company's marketing plan and how best to turn leads into sales!

image credit: JenniferHuber on Flickr