The promotional work of a company participating in a trade fair does not end when the fair is over. In the post-fair period, a period opens up important business opportunities. To get the most out of them, it is essential that you carry out a series of actions. With them, you will increase the impact of your participation.
Commercial organization after a post-fair participation
This is one of the first commercial actions you should implement. Once the fair is over, it is time for you to make an evaluation of your time at the fair and the results achieved.
In this way, the data you obtain will allow you to perform, for example, an analysis in which both costs and benefits come into play. However, the study will have to continue for several months to determine its evolution.
Similarly, it is at this stage that a new period of work begins. This is intended to give a boost to the commercial relations that have begun to take shape.
Organize the table of long and short term sales opportunities
Your visit to the fair will have resulted in the first sales and orders, as well as other business options that you will soon be able to close. Organize all these forecasts by means of a table of opportunities.
To begin with, plasma the businesses that will bear fruit in the short term, since they are, after all, the ones that are most urgent. It then addresses those that will materialize in the medium term. Finish with the ones you plan to carry out in a longer period of time.
This sales projection is an estimate with which you can begin to know how fruitful your participation in the fair has been. It will also allow you to make an initial estimate of the profit you can obtain. Analyze if the cost of your participation in the fair will be compensated from an economic point of view.
Organize contacts
Surely during the last few days you have met all kinds of professionals, such as company directors, store managers, suppliers, marketing specialists, etc. Organize the cards provided to you and then sort and store the information they contain. Thanks to it, you will be able to update your database with contacts that will surely be very useful to you.
Sending thank you emails
Upon your return to the office and with the contacts already entered in the database, do not forget to send them an e-mail. In it you should thank them for the interest they have shown you, the sales you have already closed during the fair or, simply, the visit you received to your stand.
However, it is advisable not to send the same text to all recipients, but try to personalize it as much as possible. Enter, for example, the name of the person you met in the initial greeting. You can also quote their company and some detail, as it is a way to nurture the commercial link.
LinkedIn Contacts
A great way to stay in touch with the professionals you met at the event is to add them on LinkedIn. This action has numerous benefits:
- Through this social network, you will maintain a relationship beyond the stage that allowed you to meet.
- You will be up to date with their activity and they will be up to date with yours, since it gives you great visibility.
- At any time you have the possibility to send a message and establish a direct and immediate communication.
However, remember that, before establishing your network of contacts, you must take into account what strategy you plan to follow.
Request and planning of strategic meetings
After your first face-to-face meeting at the trade show you attended, take a step forward. Request a meeting with your new contacts in order to establish synergies that will benefit your business.
When you receive a positive response, start planning the meeting so that it is as strategic as possible and meets your expectations.
Dissemination of participation in the fair
This is another of the most important actions you can carry out. Publicize your participation in the fair through an article published in specialized media, a press release or a post on social networks.
With all this, you will contribute to improve the image of your brand. You will also increase your market awareness and take the lead over your most direct competitors . Thanks to these actions, companies and the general public will have a more positive perception of your company.
Follow-up of suppliers
After personally meeting potential suppliers, customers and other entrepreneurs with whom to establish synergies, you need to follow up with all of them. This is the best way to get to know their work, their projection and what they could bring to your company.
This follow-up includes discovering:
- What is its origin and trajectory.
- What products they elaborate.
- If they have quality certificates.
- Its sustainability policy.
- What information is published about them.
- Reviews written by other customers or users.
Sample shipment and price lists
When sending new contacts a thank you note or information about your organization, take the opportunity to include samples and price lists. This way, you will get the recipients interested in your production and have in their hands items that they can try without even having ordered them. They will be able to study them, use them, check their quality, etc.
They will also get an idea of the costs involved and begin to make an estimate of their possible purchase. They will be one step away from acquiring them or starting a business relationship with you.
Therefore, if your contacts are interested in doing business with your brand, you will accelerate them without the need for prior commercial or business negotiations.
Put these recommendations into practice in the post-fair phase. At Catwalk, we know how important it is to participate in events of this type and make the most of them. Therefore, we encourage you to make the most of them both during and after the event.
