How to Follow-Up After A Boat Show: A Strategic Guide

To effectively follow up after a boat show, begin by organizing and categorizing your leads promptly. Prioritize them based on their potential value and interest level. Within 48 hours, initiate contact with a personalized email or call, referencing specific details from your interaction at the show. This quick response demonstrates your commitment and keeps the momentum going. Utilize digital tools like CRM software to track and manage follow-up activities. Schedule follow-up meetings or calls within the first week to discuss potential deals or provide more information. Remember, consistent and personalized communication is key to nurturing these leads. Regularly update them with relevant information and offers, but avoid overwhelming them with too frequent contact. By following these steps, you can maximize the impact of your boat show participation and turn leads into valuable business opportunities.

In the dynamic world of boat shows, the real game begins when the show ends. The post-show strategy is not just a phase; it’s a critical component that can make or break the success of your participation in any event. This article delves into the essence of an effective post-show strategy, drawing insights from expert advice in the field.

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The Overlooked Importance of Follow-Up

An astonishing statistic reveals that 81% of trade show leads are never followed up. This neglect is a glaring missed opportunity. The reasons for this oversight are often mundane – returning to a backlog of work, getting sidetracked by other urgent tasks, or simply procrastinating on lead follow-up. However, this lapse can result in leads growing cold, losing relevance, or, worse, turning to competitors.

The Golden Rule: Follow Up Within Six Days

The key to capitalizing on trade show leads is prompt follow-up. Best practices suggest following up on every lead within six days. This timeframe is not about closing deals immediately but about maintaining contact and nurturing the relationship initiated at the show. It’s about keeping the momentum going and ensuring that your company stays at the forefront of potential clients’ minds.

Dealing with an Overflow of Leads

A ‘good problem’ to have is receiving more leads than you can promptly handle. In such cases, delegation within your organization is crucial. Assign team members to follow up with an email or a call within 48 hours. This rapid response ensures that the initial interest sparked at the trade show is not lost.

The ‘Back at Office Show Day’

A novel approach to handling post-show follow-up is dedicating a day exclusively for this purpose upon returning to the office. This ‘Back at Office Show Day’ involves locking yourself away from daily distractions and focusing solely on following up on trade show leads. This concentrated effort can significantly enhance the return on investment from the trade show.

Psychological Hooks to Keep People Engaged

• Urgency: Emphasize the fleeting nature of leads. Just like tides in the ocean, opportunities in the marine industry come and go swiftly. Delay in follow-up can mean missing the tide altogether.
• Opportunity Cost: Highlight the cost of inaction. Each unattended lead is a potential revenue stream that’s slipping away. This perspective can create a sense of loss aversion, motivating immediate action.
• Success Stories: Share anecdotes of businesses that reaped substantial benefits by promptly following up on leads. Success stories are powerful motivators and provide a roadmap for readers to emulate.
• Fear of Missing Out (FOMO): Instill a sense of FOMO by discussing what competitors might achieve with diligent follow-up. This can spur action to avoid being outperformed by rivals.
• Visual Imagery: Use marine analogies, like navigating through uncharted waters or catching a big fish, to make the concept more relatable and engaging for the marine industry audience.

The post-show strategy is a critical phase that demands as much attention, if not more, as the trade show itself. It’s about building on the initial contact, nurturing leads, and converting them into profitable relationships. Remember, the true measure of your trade show success is not just the leads you generate but the ones you effectively convert through a well-planned follow-up strategy.

Merrill Charette

Brought to you by 

SHIPSHAPE.PRO – Innovative platform that bridges the gap in marine repair

& 

MIDA.PRO – Marine Industry Digital Agency – Web dev / Marketing

Podcast – SHIPSHAPE INTERNATIONAL OCEAN INSIGHT