Companies spend time, effort and money investing in their trade show and research shows that 80% of leads are not followed up after the event, yet 90% of business comes from following up after the show. This article will help you get a good system in place to maximise the leads and sales you get from exhibiting.
There are 4 simple steps to attracting visitors and creating the opportunity to gain a lead:
The approach is a conversation starter
‘What type of (product/service) are you using at the moment’?
Don’t use conversation starters that could provoke a negative reaction: such as ‘Can I help you’?
You can build in a ‘hook’ in order to approach visitors
Examples of ‘Hooks’ are:
Once the hook has worked, engage in conversation by asking open questions
Staff should be alert and find out who would be the right person to talk to in their organisation.
This is where the leads are converted to sales
Without follow-up, you are unlikely to convert the majority of leads you have generated at your exhibition stand.
Having a long-term strategy to follow up will maximise your results.
Sales efforts need to be backed up by a marketing campaign. Make sure your sales team is well briefed, so they understand what they need to do and when. Show them any marketing materials in advance so they know what is being sent to prospects.
If you have an internal resource in your company then fulfil leads during the show, if not then immediately after the show. The most important thing is to get there before your competitors do.
Plan a sequence and variety of follow-ups, example as follows:
Once you have converted a lead to a sale both marketing and sales can nurture a client into further orders for services and products.
This can be in the form of an action plan similar to the follow-up following the show but will be over a longer period.
