Sales Progress Blog

Trade shows can be a very successful lead generation tool, often though they are not as successful as they could be because companies don’t prepare enough.  To effectively prepare for a successful trade show you must role-play and practice your skills, and then follow up after the event.

Leading up to the event you must have your team practice their skills.  Working a trade show is different than working a typical sales call, while the talking points may be the same the process is slightly different. Trade shows are full of businesses all competing for the attention of the same prospects over the same time period, it’s easy for a prospect to become bombarded by too many companies, so it’s vital that you are on your game.  Some companies may practice their elevator pitch for people already at their booth, but rarely do they practice how they will get people to stop and talk to them in the first place.

Role-playing will be your most successful route.  Have your staff practice pulling people in as they walk by as well as their elevator pitch once people are in the booth.  Being able to effectively pull people in will be just as important as keeping their attention once they stop, so practicing both will be very important to your success.

Pulling people in and keeping their attention is like a live prospecting call, and prospecting can be a difficult skill to master.  Have your sales team practice 1-2 times per week over the few weeks leading up to the event.  To get the most out of the practice have your staff score each other or offer specific feedback to the other team member.  Two heads are always better than one, so by collaborating and offering up feedback your team will come up with better tactics than if they just made them up on the fly once at the event.

Second FOLLOW UP .  I recently read an article that said on average 80% of leads from trade shows are never followed up on.  If you don’t go into the show with a follow up plan already in place, you will be less likely to get around to it later.  Many times leads are forgotten about till months later and by then your prospect has probably lost their initial interest.  Come up with a follow up plan and communicate it to your leads during the show.  For example: " Thanks Mr. Smith for stopping by our booth, look for a call from myself or my partner next week  with more details on the special we are offering and how it can help your company do xyz ."  Your prospect may be contacted by dozens of other exhibitors from the event the following week, but by warning them you will be reaching out they will be expecting to hear from you and will be more likely to respond back.

Practice and follow up are two easy and FREE tools to ensure that your trade show experience is a successful one.  Make sure you take advantage of them.

Tim Hagen Sales Training business opportunities, Enhance Performance, free sales training, lead generation, lead nurturing, networking, prospecting, sales skills, Sales Staff, sales techniques

Nurturing leads has become more important and more difficult than ever for creating business opportunities:

• Research firm Sirius Decisions says that during the last five years, the average sales cycle has become 22% longer, typically with three more decision makers participating in the buying process.
• According to Forrester Research, companies that excel at lead nurturing are able to generate 50% more sales-ready leads at 33% lower cost per lead.
• According to CSO Insights, companies that excel at lead nurturing have 9% more sales reps make quota, and enjoy a 10% shorter ramp up time for new reps.

Follow up opportunities are a great way to nurture your leads, and they don’t always have to include a closing sales pitch.  Keep reading to check out some innovative follow up ideas to nurture your leads and keep you in front of your prospects with out looking desperate.

1. Send a referral:  This is a GREAT one.  Call up your prospect and tell them you have the name of a potential new prospect FOR THEM!  You establish yourself as a trusted resource, and should that prospect turn into a client for them, you can bet they will remember you when it comes time to make a purchase decision.
2. Send an article:  We pass this tip on to all of our clients, but still many won’t take the time so it’s a great way to set you apart.  Set up a Google news alert for articles, news, or how-tos written about your prospects industry.  Check the news alert once a week, and if there is information that may be relevant to your prospect forward it on.  Again, you position yourself as a resource, and are keeping your name top of mind with out becoming obnoxious.
3. Send them a relevant success story or testimonial.  Keep an up to date list of references, success stories, and testimonials on file. Then when a similar prospect pops up send them a quick email with the attached reference piece along with contact information of the source.  Encourage your prospects to contact your reference.  The easiest way to convince a lead to buy is to give them a trusted testimonial from one of their peers.
4. Communicate new products or features.  Every time your company comes out with something new, or updates something old use it as a way to get back in front of prospects.  A personal phone call is best, but if you have a large list, target the most promising prospects to call while sending an email to the rest.  This new product development may just be the the feature that resolves their hesitation to buy.
5. Give a response to questions.  Of course the best sales people try to be prepared for everything, but sometimes this is just unrealistic.  When a prospect asks a question you can’t answer use it as an opportunity to follow up with them later with a clear and specific response. You will get through again easier if you can say, "I have an answer to your question," as opposed to "I’m just following up."

Have your own creative way to follow up?  Share it with us in the comment section below!

Shannon Gburzynski Sales Training Enhance Performance, lead nurturing, prospecting, sales, sales effectiveness, Sales Manager, sales skills, Sales Staff, sales techniques, self directed learning skills