The Expo and/or tradeshow is over now what!!! You travel for your promotional products business. You discover new products and learn about industry trends. You make connections and shake hands. Then you return home, get sucked into your usual routine, and are left with little to no recollection of what this past trip was about.

Does that ring a bell? We have a solid idea of what to do before the tradeshow, and we’ve discussed all avenues of networking during the tradeshow, and yet we somehow fail to connect the dots after all is said and done after the tradeshow.

Before you go bending your mind to seek out forlorn ideas, consider a logical to-do list to follow as soon as you get back into the office.

Check in with your “why”

In the first part of this blog series, we talked about discovering your “why,” the goal you were planning to achieve by attending a promotional products tradeshow. During the event itself, you got to put on your Sherlock Holmes glasses and gather all the information necessary to get closer to your objective.  And now is the time to put all the puzzle pieces together and set yourself up with a deliberate action.

Your finished product should look a little something like this:

Goal: Want to find new customers 

Info: Exchanged contact information with many attendees and collected data.  

Action: Reach out to the new contacts with a newsletter, direct mailing etc.

Once your investigative work is done, you should have a clear set of feasible tasks to complete. The trick is to do this directly following the show before you’ve had the chance to shrug the effort off for something more fitting of your time.

Seal the deal

Having assembled an actionable plan, the only logical next step would be to carry it out. While your new contacts are still fresh in your memory, write up a quick follow-up message to make sure you’re on track with your mission.

You can use this template to get started:

Hi [First Name],

Glad we got to meet at The Conway Expo!

I’d like to tell you [insert your questions/comments] [Request meeting/phone call]

Best,

Keep ideas fresh

Reaching out via email is only half the job in forming a network. In our day and age, to learn more about a company or to get someone’s attention, you must exhaust all outlets of digital communication.

LinkedIn – Continue the relationship building by connecting with your contacts on LinkedIn and sending a personalized invitation with a reminder of how you met. You can take it to the next level by endorsing their skills and following their activity.

Facebook– The best way to connect with members of a community is thru Facebook. Create an event or post detailing your goals.

Recharge your batteries

Long hours spent on the tradeshow floor are enough to wipe you out. To ensure you don’t get burnt out before the upcoming week in the office, take some time to relax and unwind after a mission-filled trip to an expo.  Having tackled all the steps of achieving your business objectives, you can rest assured that your efforts have not gone to waste.

Now that you know what to do before the show, during the show, and even after the show, there is no excuse for achieving all the goals you have set for yourself and your business.

If you need more information or would like to schedule a FREE one-on-one consultation with me please give me a call. Kim Slaughter 501-269-6197 or email me at [email protected]  

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