Prospects

You ever feel like you don’t have anything worthwhile to share with your prospects?

Maybe you’re a little hesitant to really “put yourself out there” because you’re afraid of what others might say or think. Maybe you’re doubting whether people will really want to hear what YOU have to say. Does any of this ring a bell with you?

It’s normal to have those skeptical thoughts run through your head. Just take a deep breath and relax. Look inside and build on what is really important to you and go from there.

Create a Path for Success

As businesses prepare for rebuilding, the executives who lead these organizations need to start thinking about a more productive and profitable future. The first step is to advance your thinking from the past year and focus on what can be achieved in the future. Experts stress that you need to know where you’re going, so you can create a path to get there.

Create an After Expo Plan

What do you do when you get back to the office after a trade show?

Once you get back to your office; schedule a meeting with your sales manager to review the leads and assign them to the appropriate sales person for follow up. Make sure the person who receives the lead is accountable for calling them in a timely manner and make sure they have been given detailed notes on the conversation from the booth. Most importantly, periodically check in with each sales person on their progress with their leads and if any business has been closed as a result of your marketing efforts at the show. By doing so, you will have some quantifiable data to give you an accurate ROI from your trade show participation.

Prepare ideas for follow-up a week, month, 3 months, 6 months, and even 10 months out. What level of attendee should receive the appropriate amount of follow-up? That depends on the conversations you are having, and the type of services you provide.

Consider ways to reach out to your prospects that include data they can use (like an article from a magazine or website). If you use email follow-up (like everyone), how will your message stand out? Are you visible year round with advertising, involvement, or even written articles? Soft visibility is important to build trust.

Personalization goes a long way with everyone. For great prospects, consider a hand-written note immediately following the event to thank them for visiting your booth. The sooner you make contact after the EXPO closes, the more apt the prospect is going to remember your conversation.

The Right Mind Set

Did You Know...66% or more of a salesperson's success is actually due to how they approach their work day. If you think the bad economy or anything else will affect your sales, well guess what, it will. You cannot be successful in sales if you wake-up each day complaining about how difficult it is to make a sale.

Understand What Makes Your Company Different And Then Telling It To Every Prospect

Ask each salesperson who works for you to answer this one question as if you were a prospect: "Tell me, what makes our business any better or any different than the competition?" Why should you ask this question? The answer to that is simple; it will give you an understanding of how well-prepared that salesperson is about your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). And if they spout out things like "how great your classes/trainers are" or "how long you have been in business," you can be sure that they will be competing on price more than ever before.

Try it and see what happens.