Deadly Mistake #6 – The Show is Over… Or is it?

Part #6 of the 7 Deadly Mistakes Exhibitors Make When Purchasing Promotional Products For Trade Shows.

Hall-of-Famer, Yogi Berra was talking about baseball when he made the famous statement, “It ain’t over till it’s over,” but he could have easily been talking about trade show exhibiting.

You know the feeling at the final hour, right? “Phewfff… it’s over.” If you are like most exhibitors, you pack up your booth and wait until the next show to market again. But here’s the truth - companies that get the BEST results will market continuously to the contacts they met at the show until the start of the next show the following year.

I’ll rephrase Yogi for trade show purposes. “It ain’t over till… next year’s show starts!”

Don’t Drop the Ball

If you think it’s nothing, think again. The most successful exhibitors continue to build on their original presentation with consistent follow-up. And they do it along many different channels.

Picture it like this: Have you ever spun a basketball on your index finger? Well, when you leave the show the ball is spinning and the momentum from that first contact will keep the ball on your finger for a short time.

But remember - in order to keep that momentum, you must tap the ball or it will fall off your finger. Just little taps every so often will help the ball spin forever. The same goes for your prospects.

Don’t forget - once you lose momentum and the ball falls off – you’re back to starting from scratch.

Post show follow up is essential to maximizing results. It makes all the difference between a successful show and a mediocre show. Thinking last year’s show was a bust? Asking yourself if you should even bother doing it again this year? Well before you answer, take a hard look at how your follow-up was. If you didn’t get the results you were looking for, there’s a good chance the ball was dropped in your post show follow-up

Put Yourself in Their Shoes

Have you ever attended a show as a buyer? The amount of information you will receive and the number people you will meet is overwhelming. Putting the company names, faces, and products together is a major challenge.

As an exhibitor, you actually do remember specific prospects. The lengthy conversations you had or how exited they were. And you actually mentally counted the money they are about to spend. But here’s the real kicker…You call them up a week later, and can’t distinguish you from the next exhibitor. Maybe they think you are someone else, from a different company, with a different product. So it takes five minutes to re-introduce yourself and start from scratch! Has this happened to you?

Hey, it’s not their fault; trade shows are overwhelming and follow-up is an essential to acquiring customers.

It’s Me, the Guy Down Here on Your Paper Cube

Consider these two facts:

1. 71.6% of trade show attendees could recall the name of the company they received the promotional items from after the show.
2. 76.3% of attendees had a favorable attitude toward the company that gave them the promotional item.

Sure, they may forget you, your company, and what you sell. But you know what they’ll remember? The gift you gave them.

I use to mail information after a show, but I also made phone calls to all my leads. And that call would always include the line “I’m the guy with the putting green who gave you the T-shirt.” Once I mentioned the gift I gave them, they immediately knew who I was. From there, the selling process picked up where it left off at the show.

Strike While the Iron Is Hot

Think about it... Whether you are going to call, send a postcard, mail a catalog, or set up an appointment, it is important to keep the leads warm. There is no denying that the continuous exposure of promotional items will help.

So instead of hoping they remember you, remind your prospects of your previous meetings. Take control to ensure your contact will in fact be a follow-up call – not a cold call

Fail to Plan and You’ll Plan to Fail: Post-Show Follow-Up

Let me ask you this… Do you have a follow-up plan ready for action even before you go to your show? You should

Check out this tidbit – A study by Baylor University showed dimensional mailers with a promotional item got a 57% better response rate than an envelope with only a promotional item.

Ok, sounds great, but what is a “dimensional mailer?” Have you ever been sent a piece of “lumpy” mail with a pen in it? That’s a dimensional mailer – it could also be tubes, boxes etc. Believe me - these mailers get opened! Human curiosity will keep it from the junk mail pile.

Dimensional mailers are a great way to get your samples and your literature looked at… put a promotional product in there to reinforce your trade show message! Let me say this again…Do NOT put off your follow-up until you get back. Have it ready to send before you go to the show. Come back, put the labels on it and send it. Think about it… You will be too busy after being out of the office for a few days to start from scratch and it is important to act while the lead is hot.

Want to keep that ball spinning? Be sure to mail to your prospects periodically throughout the year.

Habit 6: Synergize Principles of Creative Communication

The saying goes, “You were given two ears and one mouth,” and this was done for a reason. Listen more than you speak and you will learn a lot more about what the customer is telling you. Listen to their words, translate their body language. When you think you’ve figured it out, feed the information back to the customer in their own words and language. From there, use qualifying questions to build mutual trust and understanding to overcome any objections.

Pre-Approach

So we’ve covered some different ways you can follow-up with prospects AFTER the show…but what about BEFORE your next show?

Check out this statistic: Research shows 76% of trade show attendees have decided BEFORE they get to the convention which booths they will visit.

Before you know it, a year will pass and it will be time for the next show. Make no mistake about it - you will want to approach those original leads again and try to get those who you didn’t convert to customers yet back to the booth.

Remember they are no longer “new prospects.” They are warm leads who know who you are.

Two-Part Promotions

A great way to get your old prospects back to the booth next year is with a “two-part promotion.” Do you recall my Pre-Approach lanyard story from Mistake #3? It was about how I sent out colored lanyards to customers so that I would know who they were. Well, the same type of promotion can be used for those prospects you did not convert.

Here are some examples. You can do as I did and send a colored lanyard. Another effective tool is to send them a postcard that displays a Free Gift you will have for them if they stop by your booth again.

Remember, a gift that will be something they can use at the show is always a good idea…and it can get you on their list of people to see first.

Two-part promotions are a great to re-attract traffic back to your booth…especially when you are targeting existing customers and prospects from prior shows.

And think about this… if they show up and hand you the postcard you sent them, you can plan your pitch accordingly.

But I’ve found one snag… and it’s with cold leads. I’ve found that two-part promotions are still effective with cold leads, but the conversion rate is often lower. Remember, they’re not “qualified” leads, so you won’t have the same results.

The solution? Keep your warm leads warm. It’s not easy to break people’s buying habits. In fact, studies show it takes an average of 7-9 contacts with a new prospect before they become a customer - so make sure you stay in front your prospects consistently.

Quantify Your Results

Here’s something your probably already know about… The question is – “Do you do it?” Do you track where your new customers come from? If not, it’s time to get on the ball

Most accounting programs make it easy enough for you. They include a field to enter where the customer came from. (referral, trade show, internet etc.) You can even review monthly reports with you staff to see how the show follow up is doing.

Map out where your customers come from; check your source codes every year. You know what’s great? Look at results after 5 or 10 years. When you see it in black and white, you will realize the true return and value of your follow up efforts.

RJ Williams, is the owner of Poor Richards Promos. Our goal is to help educate exhibitors and give them the tools to maximize their trade show results.
Email for free marketing tips, “52 Ways to Trade Show Wealth.” For a copy of our full report, “7 Deadly Mistakes Exhibitors Make When Purchasing Promotional Products for Trade Shows” visit www.poorrichardspromos.com