The main reason why people invest in tradeshow exhibitions is to collect leads, and perhaps to make a few sales. But for the event to be considered a success, the leads collected must be followed up in the right manner, and be turned into sales.
However, this is where most businesses go wrong. Once they get the leads, they fail to follow up correctly and end up losing the lead or failing to close a sale. To avoid this from happening to your business, here are some of the common mistakes you must avoid to have a successful post-show follow up:
Failure to evaluate or grade the leads
It is vital to tell the difference between a hot lead and a cool lead after the event, so that you have the right approach when following up.
Being vague about the details of the follow up
You should have a clear follow up plan for every lead. You will encounter all types of leads, with some interested in samples the following week, while others are interested in a meeting, and yet others will be interested in downloading a sales sheet. You can’t apply the same approach to all of them, and you must know how to deal with each and every one of them in a way that will not offend them so as to increase the chances of a closing.
Failure to track responses from the follow-up
Once the initial follow up is made, it is vital to make detailed notes on what transpired. As is always the case, most of the follow-ups will involve more than one step, and sometimes more than two people may be involved before a sale is finally closed. This makes it vital to track the responses in a clear and concise manner, to ensure better chances of success.
Failure to follow up in time
Most people make the mistake of not asking prospects the best time to follow up after the tradeshow event. As a result, they end up making the follow up too early or too late, when the lead is now cold. But when you ask, both you and the prospect will understand when to expect the follow up, ensuring that the follow up is done at the right time, thus increasing the chances of success.
