How do you overcome trade show follow up rejections?

You've spent a lot of time and money to exhibit at a trade show, and you've collected a bunch of leads from potential customers. But what happens when you try to follow up with them and they ignore your calls, emails, or messages? How do you overcome trade show follow up rejections and turn those leads into sales?

1 Understand why they reject you

To overcome trade show follow up rejections, it's essential to understand why they occur. Your leads may not respond to your follow up efforts for various reasons, such as being busy or overwhelmed with other priorities, not being interested or qualified for your product or service, not being ready or able to buy from you, waiting for more information or approval from someone else, or having forgotten who you are or what you offer. Knowing the cause of the rejection can be beneficial in tailoring your follow up strategy and addressing their concerns or objections.

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Hagit Rimon Lochoff

Marketing and Branding expanding to new markets
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As a visitor, plan ahead what categories are you interested, and what booths are a MUST to visit. Manage your list through the show - not to miss and be sorry when you return. Summarize the visit in a file + make a list right after returning, so you will not lose info over time, when your thoughts are fresh. Lat but not least, it seems to be so obvious, but so many times we tent to linger, and delay that, thinking it will just be my next task - and then we find out that a while has past. SO, be effective, and return to your leads straight after the show. Set yourself a timeline to complete the task, when it is still relevant.

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2 Be persistent but respectful

In order to effectively overcome trade show follow up rejections, it's important to be persistent yet respectful. You don't want to give up on your leads too soon, but you also don't want to annoy them or damage your reputation. To ensure a successful follow up, try to reach out within 24-48 hours of the trade show, when they are still fresh in their minds. Utilizing multiple channels of communication such as phone, email, social media, or text can help you reach out in a more personalized and relevant manner. Additionally, providing useful and valuable content that educates them, solves their problems, or answers their questions can help remind them of your value proposition and the benefits of working with you. Include a clear and compelling call to action that encourages them to take the next step in the buying process and don't forget to track and measure your follow up results so that you can adjust your frequency and timing accordingly.

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Sam Noble

Building Long Lasting Partnerships, Driving Growth and Delivering Results
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It’s a good idea to entice people to your stand even before the actual event. Some simple yet effective pre-event marketing will do the trick. This can be anything from targeted email campaigns to social media campaigns. While you’ll be meeting many new faces at the exhibition, it’s important to let the people that already follow your business know that you’re going to be there. It is also important to let people know that they are welcome to come and meet with you. You can include details of the event in newsletters you send out or create an email specifically to let people know where you’ll be when it is and what you’ll be doing there.

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3 Add value and build trust

The third step to overcome trade show follow up rejections is to add value and build trust. Show your leads that you care about helping them achieve their goals and solving their challenges by sharing testimonials, case studies, or success stories from your existing customers. Offer a free consultation, demo, trial, or sample of your product or service. Invite them to a webinar, workshop, or event that showcases your expertise and solutions. Additionally, send them a thank you note, a gift, or a referral. Ask for feedback, suggestions, or referrals from them as well as recognize their achievements, milestones, or events. This will demonstrate that you are truly invested in providing value to them.

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4 Handle objections and close the deal

In the fourth step of overcoming trade show follow up rejections, you need to be prepared to handle objections and close the deal. Listen carefully and empathize with your leads' concerns or challenges, and ask open-ended questions that uncover their needs, wants, and motivations. Utilize facts, data, or evidence to support your claims and counter their doubts. Focus on the benefits and outcomes of your product or service rather than the features or price. Create a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) with urgency, scarcity, or social proof. Ask for the sale or suggest a trial close to gauge their readiness and interest. Finally, follow up with a proposal, contract, or invoice that summarizes the terms and conditions of the deal.

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5 Nurture and retain your customers

The fifth step to overcoming trade show follow up rejections is to nurture and retain your customers. You don't want to lose touch with them after they purchase from you or risk losing them to competitors. To keep them satisfied, loyal, and engaged with your brand, you should deliver on your promises and exceed their expectations; provide ongoing support, service, and education; solicit feedback, reviews, or testimonials from them; reward them for their loyalty, referrals, or repeat purchases; cross-sell or upsell complementary products or services; and keep them informed and updated on your latest news, offers, or innovations. Trade show follow up rejections are inevitable but can be overcome by following these five steps. It's important to remember that trade show follow up is not a one-time event but an ongoing process requiring patience, persistence, and value.

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Kim Schofield

Marketing Programs Manager, Stamus Networks
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Trade shows are a great way for prospects to get some general information about your product. However, it's rare that a prospect is ready to buy on the show floor, especially in a B2B business with long lead cycles. So, unless you come home with a hot lead to follow up with immediately after a show, it's best to add leads collected in your booth to an email nuturing campaign. I always send a 'thanks for visiting' email after each conference, which includes general company information. Prospects are then adding to a nuturing campaign, which consists of one-three emails/month. Rejection is inevitable but developing programs to stay in touch with your prospects is a great way to build trust and demonstrate your expertise.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How do you overcome trade show follow up rejections?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Understand why they reject you

2 Be persistent but respectful

3 Add value and build trust

4 Handle objections and close the deal

5 Nurture and retain your customers

6 Here’s what else to consider

Trade Shows

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How do you overcome trade show follow up rejections?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Understand why they reject you

2 Be persistent but respectful

3 Add value and build trust

4 Handle objections and close the deal

5 Nurture and retain your customers

6 Here’s what else to consider

Trade Shows

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