Even if you’ve done an outstanding job of gathering leads at a trade show with whatever system you chose, you won’t see any results unless you do systematic, timely follow up.
The 48/10/30 plan
First contact: within 48 hours (24 hours for hottest prospects)
Second, more extensive contact: within 10 days of meeting (five days for hot ones)
Third contact: call to follow up on information you sent within 30 days of meeting (then continue following up about every six weeks)
With every day that goes by, your leads get colder. To keep them hot (and to keep from letting your competitors get to those prospects ahead of you), make that first contact right away. Your hottest leads need to be followed up each day of the show—don’t wait until you get back to the office. And all leads should have their first contact from you within 48 hours after visiting your booth.
Now, this doesn’t have to be complicated. Simple thank-you emails that reiterate what follow-up action they can expect are a very good method to use. It simply gets your company name in front of them again and confirms that you (or someone else from your company) will be following up.
Some will argue that you should send your prospects complete information kits via FedEx, so the kits are waiting for them back at their offices. The problem with that? There are millions of other things waiting for their attention, too! It’s much better to time your mailings to arrive two or three days after the prospects have returned, in order to get their full attention.
The best way to accomplish this is to designate a lead manager to coordinate each day’s leads and forward the hottest ones back to the office to begin immediate follow up. Or, you may want to consider hiring a fulfillment house to help with lead management. It can assist you with everything from telemarketing to literature and sample fulfillment.
Excerpted from Build a Better Trade Show Image. Copyright © 2002 by Marlys K. Arnold. Used with permission.
Marlys K. Arnold is a trade show marketing consultant based in Kansas City, MO. She travels across the country working with both exhibitors and show managers to help them maximize their trade show results. For more information or to sign up for her free online exhibitor tips, contact her at 816-746-7888 or marnold@imagespecialist.com .
