4 Tips for After the Travel Show

Most of us register for a trade show to generate new business opportunities that translate into overall sales revenue. During the show you work the floor, visit with current clientele, and meet new prospects. So, what happens when you get home?

Most business is lost by the lack of follow-up. Make sure you maximize your trade show investment by following these four critical steps when you return home.

• Don't get lost in the weeds. It's natural to dive into the stacks of paperwork that are sitting on your desk, but the first thing you should do is your follow-up—or at the very least, schedule when it should take place.
• Enter the contact information of your new prospects. You are only as good as the information you have, so make sure you are entering that into your database.
• Do what you said you were going to do. If you said you would follow up with a phone call, e-mail, or package, be sure to do exactly what you committed to.
• Don't give up. As it is for you, it's easy for operators to get caught in the weeds when they return from a show. If they don't get back to you right away, be persistent.

To many of you, the lack of follow-up that takes place is unimaginable. But the reality is, it happens more often than not.

Just think: If you do what you're supposed to do, you just might beat everyone else to the punch. Good luck!

Written by Kasie Smith, President and Publisher of Serendipity Media.