If you made an appearance at the well-attended Seacoast Business Expo, you were probably there for one of two reasons…
A… Your business paid for a booth to generate some new sales leads and connections for your company…
Or B… You were there to wander about the exhibitors, and make some new connections, (or secretly, maybe scoping out your competition).
Either way, the primary goal is usually to build new relationships, which turn into new business.
And no matter which side of the table you were on, I wonder if you made the common mistake most people mistake.
That mistake is… not following up with people you meet…
Now before you get all huffy – answer this question…
Did you have to empty your pockets of the big stack of business cards you collected?
If you did, did you take the time to follow up with those people – with an e-mail, a letter, or a card?
My experience was that out of all the cards I handed out to exhibitors 2 weeks ago, only 1 company ever bothered to follow up with me.
Pretty sad, if you ask me… Especially since I was interested in using services from a couple others, but their lack of interest turned me off.
On the other side, I called or e-mailed people I talked with who are potential clients or partners, and will continue to follow up with them.
The moral of this story is:
Always follow up with people you connect with at trade shows. Not to mention it’s just the right thing to do, but your next big client could be waiting for your next move.
What do you think? (Leave your reply in the white box below)
If you need help with website design, writing SEO optimized web copy, email marketing, or other online marketing strategies, I can help!
To your marketing success!
Merrill Clark
Website and Marketing Copywriter
Join my discussion by leaving a comment below…
Merrill,
I can’t agree with you more. It is not always easy or convenient but it does make you stand out from your competitors. Some people may not respond or even decline but you never know until you try to make the connection. Great reinforcement!
Thanks for your great comment, Carol!
It’s kinda like “If you don’t play – you can’t win”.
Basically, if you don’t try, it ain’t gonna work.
I know how to make it easy, extremely convenient, and very economical! And Merrill, I know you could help them with some great copy! Let me know if you want to get together so we can help them really stand apart from their competition! Because, we know, the fortune is in the followup!
This is so spot-on. I think as business owners – or entrepreneurs – we think we are bothering people if we follow up with them. I believe this speaks more to our own dislike of random phone calls. As you pointed out, they would probably like to know you at least took an interest in them – even if they don’t want to buy from you. Consider it as just one of the building blocks to building the relationship. Not everyone likes to “sell” – but there is nothing wrong with finding out if there’s anyway you can “help” someone with your services.
It’s a completely different angle on looking at the whole follow up process.
Janet,
Of course!
Send Out Cards is a perfect way to follow up with potential customers and partners.
I can’t believe I didn’t mention it. Jeesh…
Kim,
I appreciate your thoughtful comments!
Personally, I’m going out on a limb… but I think if you have true value to offer someone, it’s a disservice to them if you don’t offer your help.