| FOLLOW UP NOW!
An Excerpt from: “MILK THE MOMENT –
Optimizing your Opportunities from any Business Event”
By Leonard M. Getz
Copyright © 2008, Image Unlimited inc.- All Rights Reserved. |
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 INTRODUCTION
Business events are what you make of them. You may choose to BRAND in order to keep your name out there, seek ALLIANCES to create co-marketing, referral or lead-sharing partners or SOLICIT to promote your businesses to end users.
Attending & exhibiting are great but they’re NOT ENOUGH! To make any event work for you means a true commitment to the “FOLLOW UP”! The name of the game is to build connections out of fresh new contacts. You have no nurture and grow them into something of mutual benefit. It’s who you know- and who knows you! Staying connected means maintaining a link between you and those that you’ve had “FACE TIME” with. This excerpt outlines the DO’S and DON’Ts of relationship building from a grassroots level. It aims to formulate discipline and structure to anyone whose business relies heavily on people connections.
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Julie Anderson, winner of the Island Star Networking Award showcases Primedia services with Expo attendee. |
1. FACE TIME AT EXPOS:
There is no better impact than face-to-face connecting. The handshake, the eye contact, the vocal presence and the visual displays combined will always be your best chance to attract public attention. The impact of the physical presentation or “face time” is why trade shows and networking events rank highest in popularity for business development solutions today. To showcase and communicate with your desired audience in a private and concentrated setting brings the potential for mass business connections and tremendous opportunities within a short period of time.
2. THE NEXT 48 HOURS: BATTLING MEMORY LOSS:
The busy, “Vegas-like” atmosphere of any show space tends to make it easy to forget most of the exhibitors after the event. Attendees and exhibitors alike have a tendency to come out of the show exhausted because of INFORMATION OVERLOAD. From the big colorful banners to the bright lights to the hundreds of smiles and handshakes-- remembering everyone under these conditions is not easy and memory markers fade over time.
POST-EVENT MEMORY SOLUTION (yours):
The moment you get back to your office, priority #1 is to organize all those business cards into a neater format. Your attendance in a show is about information gathering- so take NOTES on as many of them (that you feel can truly be of use to you)- before you forget who they are. But whatever you do, make sure that within 48 hours (while your memory about the event serves you best), organize your leads for immediate follow up. If not, your valuable data (and those who could potentially be of value to your business) gathered from the show is in jeopardy of being lost forever.
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POST-EVENT MEMORY SOLUTION (theirs): Memory fails on both sides, not just yours. No matter what great presence you may have imparted upon them, over time, you too can be forgotten. The 48 HOUR rule states that you must send a quick follow up, a thank you, a voice mail message or an email just to keep the door open. Try not to fall into the weekend without connecting with your leads in some way. Voice-to-voice contact is best because interactive exchange gets you 100% attention.
3. SOME RECOMMENDED FOLLOW UP FORMATS
We all have methods of follow up, but try to tune them up to get better results.
EMAIL:
This is the simplest, easiest and quickest solution to deploy a quick follow up. It is also the most COMMON, OVERUSED, IMPERSONAL and (in these times) the least response driven method available. Email does not have the same impact it used to. Most businesses have a tough time reading all their emails at work and new spam filter settings add to the obstacle of getting reconnected.
POST-EVENT EMAIL SOLUTION: Use email properly.
- Keep your emails down to 3 sentences at most.
- Leave your contact info.
- Most importantly, end it with a proposal to connect--- a phone conference appointment or a visiting conference.
- If you do not get a response within 1 hour, CALL to ask if they received your email. From there, a phone contact has been achieved.
PHONE:
Calling the day after is the right way to do things, but it’s hardly realistic when everyone has to catch up to their daily routines after a show. The business call (today) has become the single most powerful and popular sales vehicle for the business community – which means it’s also privy to obstacles, abuse and mismanagement.
POST-EVENT PHONE SOLUTION:
For solicitors and follow-ups alike, the show is a valuable icebreaker between you and their gatekeeper (receptionist). Having met at the show gives you (some) leverage to connect - over a cold call. So when you do connect, always recognize the fact that you are calling an office where your target may be amidst a thousand things. Present your objectives quickly while keeping the first call a SHORT one.
- Task 1: Call to give thanks.
- Task 2: “Remember me from the show?”
- Task 3: “Set up an official phone conference (for another time) to discuss ideas for co-marketing, collaboration, partnering opportunities, showcasing etc.
SUMMARY
Follow ups are crucial after any presentation, meeting or first contact. If your business is relationship- based, you have a tremendous responsibility to “REEL THEM IN” by reconnecting. A successful follow-up program will lead to building strong networking bridges, creating sound alliances and converting great sales presentations into dollars. Remember, an OUTREACH effort after an event is time-sensitive- so REACH OUT AND RECONNECT NOW!
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