Beyond the Table:

For many companies, tradeshows are an important part of their marketing strategy. Months are spent on coordinating materials, people, and logistics. Then the big day arrives. You put on a smile, shake as many hands as possible and gather the all-important business cards. But what happens after the show? More often than not, “hot” leads get priority. Then somehow that stack of business cards you worked so hard to collect ends up in a drawer or buried under piles of paper.

How much does this lack of follow-up cost you? As I found out – the number is bigger than I ever expected.

A few years ago, I participated in a full-week tradeshow. We worked hard, got some amazing leads and were even close to signing some contracts. At the end of the week everyone was feeling great.

We started to pack up, imagining all the ways we would spend the money from these newly commissioned deals. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw someone running frantically down the aisle straight for our booth. 

“I’m really angry at you guys!”  He said, almost out of breath.

My colleagues and I were taken aback. “Excuse me” I said, “I don’t quite understand. Why are you upset?”

“Two years ago I stopped by your booth and left my business card. I didn’t stop to chat because I had a plane to catch - and you didn’t call me!”

“OK” I thought to myself, “So we didn't call. Why such a big deal?”

The man went on to explain, “I went with one of your competitors instead because they followed-up with me. Now they completely messed up my production line! We wouldn’t have these problems if we had used your product.”

Then, in an instant, he was gone – probably running to catch another plane.

I must have looked like a deer in the headlights - I was in a state of shock and confusion. Who was this guy? Did he seriously think it was our fault his lines were down because he decided to go with our main rival? He was the one who made the bad choice.

Reconciling the event in my mind I thought to myself “It’s a two-way street, buddy. You could have picked up the phone and done some research.” 

All of us were stunned, but eventually we blew him off as one of those “crazy” customers you can never satisfy. We finished packing, celebrated our success and were on our way home.

When I settled back in at the office something compelled me to do a little research on what this guy’s contract would have been worth. I found his information and crunched the numbers.

Looking at the total, my heart sank. I realized his contract was worth over half a million dollars – five times larger than our average sale! How did we let this golden opportunity slip right through our fingers?

I had always been proud of the way we managed trade shows. We started planning at least a year in advance and paid close attention so not even the slightest detail was overlooked. We chose the space carefully, determined the ideal products to showcase, created extensive literature and marketing materials, invited our best customers - and yes, we even set up follow-up activities after the show. So what went wrong? 

Our system was good - but not good enough. We needed something that would handle all of our leads - from the coldest of the cold to the hottest of the hot.

I set out to find the perfect system – one that would anticipate the needs of any prospect, keep in touch with every contact, and know the precise moment a salesperson was needed to close the deal. But the more I searched, the more frustrated I became. The system I needed simply wasn’t out there – I would have to build it myself.

Learning from my mistakes I started making changes to the way we handled our trade show follow-up. I tested to see when to call, send e-mails, mail handwritten notes or arrange a meeting.

After implementing these small changes, our sales began to increase. After a year, we closed double the deals when compared with the old system. It became clear – the secret to sales success is more than a friendly smile, firm handshake, or colorful marketing materials – it’s consistent and effective follow-up with every single contact you meet.

You may be saying to yourself, “Randy, there’s NO WAY I could follow up with every contact I meet – there just simply aren’t enough hours in the day.”

That’s where Taumark can help. Learn from OUR mistakes instead of making them yourself. Don’t let a golden opportunity slip through your fingers – contact Taumark today to find out how we can help you implement your perfect sales system.