Trade Show Follow-up That Gets Results | Business Networking ...

Trade shows are among the best ways to meet lots of prospects in a short period of time. If executed properly, you will be able to connect with qualified prospects and be ready to move forward. Without the proper follow-up strategy, however, all of your efforts could be wasted.

Here are the seven steps you?ll want to take to turn qualified trade show prospects into satisfied clients:

Step One ? Prepare Ahead.

Don?t wait until after the trade show to figure out your post-show strategy. If you do, you will waste valuable time. Determine what follow-up activity you will do for each category of prospects (See ?Prioritize? below). Will you make a call, send a letter, write a personalized note, or send an e-mail. You can prepare a template in advance that can be customized as necessary. For example, if you are sending a letter, you can enter it in a word processing document before the show and leave blanks where appropriate to tailor it to the individual attendee.

Step Two ? Prioritize.

At a trade show, you will meet many people. Obviously some will be ?hotter? prospects than others. Separate your contacts into three categories immediately using the ?A,B, C? system. Your ?A? prospects will be your hottest while your ?C? will be your least promising. You can even categorize your contacts during the show to save time by marking ?A,? ?B? or ?C? on their business card or a lead summary sheet. Of course, you should make your notes quickly and discreetly if you are doing it on the show floor. Otherwise, create a system to keep your best prospects sorted from the others.

Step Three ? Schedule Your Time.

If you have been out of the office all day for a trade show, it is likely that you will be very busy getting caught up when you get back to your desk. To avoid being overwhelmed upon your return, you should delegate to others in your absence to take care of routine matters and use breaks at the trade show to return calls and keep in touch with people who specifically need to talk to you. Another important strategy is to block your calendar for important trade show follow-up activity in advance of the event. You don?t want to get back to the office and get so swamped that you can?t handle your follow-up activities in a timely manner.

Step Four ? Contact Your ?A? Prospects.

Your ?A? prospects from the show should get your prompt attention. You should follow-up immediately with them to set an appointment or to move them along to the next step in your sales process. In this step, the more you can customize your follow-up with any information the prospect shared with you at the trade show the better. For example, you may call your prospect and say something like, ?Hi Bob, this is Will Turner at Dancing Elephants. When we talked yesterday at Biz Linc, you asked me to follow-up with you about sales training for your new hire Mary. When would be a good time for you to get together to discuss this further??

Step Five ? Make No Assumptions/Apply No Pressure.

If your next step is to get a face-to-face or a phone appointment, don?t forget to treat this prospect just as you should any other. In other words, don?t assume that because the prospect came by your booth and you had a friendly chat that they are willing to buy immediately.

As with any good sales appointment, your job is to see if there is a good fit between what your prospect is looking for and what you can offer. So take your time to ask the right questions and explore the answers.

Further, to build the relationship stronger and increase the likelihood of the sale, you should avoid applying any sales pressure. Whether, it?s overt or subtle, sales pressure will damage your budding relationship with the prospect. To make sure that you are not exerting any pressure, be mindful of your language. Avoid closing questions or trial close questions. These will actually damage your credibility and put your prospect on the defensive. Instead, relax and ask open-ended information questions. By asking the right questions, you and your prospect will discover the next best step to take, whether that is to buy from you or not.

Step Six ? Listen And Learn.

The only way you?ll understand what your prospects need and want is to listen to them. So when you ask your information questions, take the time to really listen to the answers. Probe your prospects for greater understanding as needed. Uncover not only their needs, which are factual and situational, but their wants, which are emotional and ongoing.

It?s true that people buy based on emotion and rationalize based on needs. By asking the right questions and really listening, you?ll be able to understand both the needs and wants of your prospects while building stronger relationships which will increase your likelihood of making the sale.

Step Seven ? Provide An Honest Assessment.

Many salespeople are so worried about making the sale that they will do anything to close the deal. The pressure or desperation associated with this mentality will only damage a relationship with a prospect.

The sales process should be a mutual evaluation process. In other words, a buyer and seller should be able to have a meaningful discussion and determine needs and wants as well as possible outcomes and solutions. If both parties understand the value and will be better off with proceeding forward, then the fit is good. If only one party will get what they are seeking, then the fit is not good.

By acting as a trusted advisor and resource, and leaving typical ?sales tactics? at the door, you can best determine whether your solution is the right one for your prospect. In other words, share your insights and knowledge as they relate to your prospect and act in their best interests whether that is to buy your product or service or not.

While a completely honest response means you will sometimes walk away from a sale, you will more than make up for it by building a solid reputation and getting referrals and repeat business.

Source: http://businessnetworkingu.com/2011/09/26/trade-show-follow-up-that-gets-results/

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