Post Show Follow Up

Okay, the ‘big’ show ended almost 4 weeks ago. Where are you now in the follow up process? Has every lead received a ‘Thank you for visiting our booth’ letter/e-mail? If not, they should have. What about phone calls? Has every lead been followed up with at least one phone call? Have you made appointments to visit every lead that you could contact? This is the part of the post show follow up that may be more challenging to accomplish, but will make the difference between having had a good show and a great show. The true determining factor of the show is how many sales the company receives as a result of being at the show. It is vital for the sales department to continue to follow up the leads not just right after the show, but for the entire next year.

The show allows your sales department to uncover potential customers and sales. They actually come to you at a trade show. But, just because they came to you, does not mean they will buy from you. Remember the old saying, “Salesmanship begins when the customer says ‘no’.” If the customer has a need for your machinery, it is your sale to lose. If you don’t continue to follow up and offer your assistance in helping your customers find the equipment they need, someone else will. So, keep dialing that phone, sending those e-mails, and knocking on those doors. It’s not really of case of “If you build it, they will come.” It’s more a case of “If you educate them, they will buy.”

The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at www.neminc.com.