You came home from the conference with a stack of cards. Now what?

Most conference conversations go cold within two weeks. Why it happens to good salespeople, what it costs, and how to keep them going.

Someone spends a few thousand dollars on a trade show booth, flights and a hotel, has thirty good conversations over two days, and comes home with a stack of cards and a sore throat.

Then Monday happens. The cards go in a drawer, or into a CRM with no notes, and within about two weeks every one of those conversations has gone cold. The people were interested. Nobody followed up past the first "great to meet you" email.

The conference already did the hard part

You met them in person. They know your face, they shook your hand, you had an actual conversation about their business. That's warmer than any list you can buy, and most of it gets wasted.

It isn't laziness. The week after a show is when everything you put on hold for it comes due. Client work, the inbox, the team. The cards sit there looking at you, and every day they get a little harder to pick up, because you remember a little less about who said what.

A card on its own tells you almost nothing a week later. You can't remember whether Mark from the blue lanyard was the one with the budget or the one who just wanted the free pen. So the follow-up turns generic, and generic gets ignored.

What cold trade show leads are costing you

Add up what the show cost. The booth, the travel, the days out of the office. Then think about how many of those thirty conversations turned into a second one.

For most people it's a handful. The rest weren't a no. Nobody ever asked them again.

And the ones who weren't ready that week are the real loss. Someone who said "maybe next quarter" at the booth is a good lead in March, if anyone is still in touch with them in March.

We thought this through for you

This is exactly the kind of follow-up that falls through the cracks of a busy week, so we built a proper system around it.

Every conversation from the show gets captured with what was actually said, not just a name and a title. Then we stay in touch, for months if that's what it takes, in a way that sounds like you and reads like someone who remembers the conversation. Nothing goes out that a person hasn't read.

It all pipes into one dashboard, so you can see every contact from the show, where each conversation stands, and who's ready for a call. You take the calls. We handle the rest.

Questions people ask

How soon should you follow up after a conference?

Within a couple of days, while they still remember you. After about two weeks, most conversations have gone cold.

What should a trade show follow-up email say?

Something from your actual conversation, not "great to meet you." Mention what they told you and ask one easy question about it.

What if a conference lead says "not right now"?

Put a date on it and come back then. "Maybe next quarter" is still a lead until they say no.

If you've got a show coming up, or a stack of cards from the last one, book a call with me.