FOLLOW-UP TIME
You've made it back to the office alive. Now it's time to follow up
on ideas and people.
Respond, Respond, Respond. "Okay, they came by the booth.
But that's just the intro," says Kevin Donnellan. "What's the next
step? E-mails to everyone you met? Phone calls? Direct mail? You
want something to land on their desk the following week, if
possible."
"We rank our leads from hot to cool," says Rodrigues. "Then they
all get culled and sent to sales reps or the inside sales team. We
want to take some action on every lead within 7 to 10 days. If we
have a super-hot lead, like a surgeon who wants to use the device
in a procedure next week, he gets a call fast."
File 'Em, Don't Forget 'Em. As for that hefty bundle of
newly gathered business cards, TI's
John Daniels uses a card
scanner to capture all the data on his desktop and laptop. A few
months ago, Daniels really needed a certain contact at
Sony - and
thanks to a card he'd collected at CES two years ago, he had
it.
The bottom line: Trade shows can be a bonanza if you know what
you're doing, a black hole of fatigue and frustration if you don't.
Plan your work, work your plan, and be ready to reap the fruit when
you get home. Then take time to soak your tired feet and think
about next year's show. Or next week's.
Dallas writer
CHRIS TUCKER, who has been lost at Comdex,
InfoComm, CES, TechXNY, and other shows, writes the
Business
Trends for
American Way each month.
MARCOS CHIN is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and
Design in
Toronto. His work has appeared in publications such as
Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and
Esquire.
CONVENTIONAL WISDOM
Gear up for your most successful convention or trade show
experience.
By STEVEN CASTLE
It's convention and trade show time. You rushed to get out of the
office, you're not sure if you've brought all your important files,
and you're cramming to get organized.
I know, because I have been to more trade shows than can be
computed, including double-digit forays to one of the big daddies
of all trade shows: The Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held each
year in early January in
Las Vegas. This show attracts people from
around the world and features thousands of exhibitors in countless
halls and hotel rooms from one end of the Strip to the other. There
is virtually no way one person can see this entire show. What you
need for this, or any other convention, in lieu of a staff of
executive assistants, is a game plan - and a slew of ultratech
tools to make your busy trip a success.