Your marketing department plans an awesome trade show experience, garners all kinds of hot leads, and then the entire experience goes down the drain in less than thirty days. How did that happen? Easily – in fact more times than we would like to count. We talk to marketing people all of the time that fulfill their company goals for attaining clean leads at a trade show and then their sales force disappoints them. Why? There has to be a plan. And, the plan must be driven by marketing to be certain that it happens. What can you do?

It’s tempting, after the preparation to get ready for a trade show and the hours on the trade show floor, to come back to the office and just collapse. However, the real significance of being at a trade show —comes when your sales team follows up on the leads after the show. As many as 80% 0f trade show leads are not followed up after a show – and that is exactly why you need real leads, not cards in a fish bowl!

First, you must organize leads while still at the trade show. Most people return from a trade show with a stack of business cards. Maybe they have something written on the backside to remind them why a contact is important. Everyone must start tracking contacts and leads as you get them. In the old days you made a notebook – now you swipe that card in a card scanner, or type them into your company database at the show. Take one additional person to the show to get this done or hire a temp and add all new leads and contacts to the company’s mailing list and contact management system. The people who aren’t in the market for your product or service immediately are still involved in your industry, so they’re most likely to know others who may be interested in your products or services. These cards are gold and the sales people need to turn them into platinum.

Everyone is tired after the show, both the exhibitors and the attendees however; many attendees come back from trade shows re-energized about their own businesses, so it can be a good time to move fast. If you wait more than 48 hours to start following up on trade show leads, there’s a good chance this will never get done. Call a follow-up meeting in your office to review leads. Bring all those who will have follow-p responsibility together to discuss the leads, make follow-up assignments and set deadlines. Turn those business cards into an action plan.

Your first follow-up is to send each lead an e-mail. Thank them for visiting your booth, remind them who you are and what your company does, and tell them they’ll be hearing from you again soon. Personalize the message and don’t be too vague in the subject line, so they don’t think the message is spam. As the marketing department you can take the lead on this – but have each individual sales person send out the emails to their prospective clients – start personalizing immediately.

For sales personnel that have already had good exchanges with strong leads and promised to do something for them when back in the office such as sending a catalog or sample or getting them some pricing or a proposal that must be done right away. These are very strong leads and sales people must move fast. Remember to follow up again. Many of the new contacts will also have been away from their office and will need some time to catch up, so plan a second follow up. Trade shows are one of the most effective and efficient ways for entrepreneurs to build their businesses. But they take work — before, during, and especially AFTER the show. With pre-planning and an action plan you will have no problem justifying next year’s trade show budget.