Follow up after trade show with customers

This week we will conclude our 3 weeks of focus on building relationships with customers at trade shows. It is important to plan before the trade show, exciting to be there and interact with people, but probably most important to follow up. This is where you will really understand the progress you were able to make and if you will sell more.

As we continue our series on building relationships with retailers, we will share 5 areas for you to focus on after the trade shows.

Follow up with customers first

You probably met some new people at the show and some potential customers. Awesome, but remember we did use the word potential. If you were able to connect with existing customers, they are the people who have already made the commitment to your business and likely help you pay the bills.

These existing customers are the people you should follow up with first. I remember during my time at Loblaw there were suppliers who demonstrated they wanted to continue developing the relationship and work for both businesses to sell more. There were other suppliers who felt like their job was done when we decided to list their product. Sure, they would acknowledge me at a trade show but I definitely would have come to the conclusion they were looking over my shoulder for the next potential customer.

You want to be one of those suppliers who gets credit for continuously working on the relationship. Quick follow up from a trade show is one way to demonstrate this.

Summarize the discussions you had and confirm any plans that were made. You can imagine the amount of people these category managers interact with in a 2-3 day event. Take good notes and send them the summary within a week of the show.

Share your best from the trade show floor

Review your photos and notes from walking the trade show. Try to narrow it down to a top 10. If you share too much, they will probably never get to it. When you can let them know up front you have boiled it down to the 10 best ideas, then you will get their attention for a few minutes.

Try to avoid making it all about your business. Yes, you might include a couple of packaging ideas for your products but share some other ideas too. They will be more likely to look at your packaging ideas if you share some insights for them to drive category sales too.

This can be a great opportunity to get feedback from them about some options you are considering. Ask if they like flavour option A or B. Ask them why one is preferred. It does not mean you have to go with it, but it helps you understand what is important to them.

Send this trade show floor recap 2-3 weeks after the show.

Summarize your learnings

Most trade shows have breakout sessions and keynote speeches (if you are looking for a speaker, send me a note…sorry I couldn’t resist). Retailers do not always attend these sessions. They are busy trying to meet with everyone and they do not see it as the best use of their time.

If you can attend a few of these talks and you gather some good facts or information about trends, share them with your customer. You can get access to slides from presenters at some shows so pick out a few that are pertinent. Don’t send the whole deck, they will probably never look at it.

You might attend a session from someone at Nielsen. They share sone good data on consumer trends or purchasing behaviour. This is valuable information. It is best when it helps your category get more exposure but try to be a bit objective and look at the big picture.

You can send this email 3-4 weeks after the show.

Photos and ideas from retail visits in the market

Hopefully you had some time to get into stores while you were at the show. The further away from your customer’s office the more valuable this information is. These are likely stores they do not get into often.

Like your trade show floor email, focus on a top 10. They will look at some, not 50 photos. Sometimes it can be a challenge to see exactly why you captured the image so give them a brief caption under each photo. Tell them which store the photos are from. Usually, they know the overall positioning of formats, so it helps them put it into context.

Yes, you want to promote your categories but also remember to help them do their job. A great idea is valuable to them, even if it does not help your cause. The good ones will remember where it came from.

You can send this email 4-5 weeks after the show unless some ideas are timelier for seasonal planning.

Ask questions

One of the best strategies in sales is to ask questions. No category manager likes to be talked at all the time. You should want to understand what they think and get their input on things. You do not have to do everything they say. If you did you would probably have zero bottom line.

You always want to keep the conversation going. One good method is to ask questions.

You can ask these questions in the different emails or send a few questions separately, or both.

Try to keep your questions specific. Questions like, ‘do you like this?’ or ‘what do you think?’ are too vague.  Give them 2 options and ask them which one they like better and why. Often why is more important.

If you are considering a packaging change and saw some options at the show, try to quantify the change. Give them option A and B but also let them know A will add .10 to cost of goods and B will add .15.

Now follow up with the potential customers

Once you have a plan for your existing customers, you should follow up with the potential customers. They are important too, but we wanted to emphasize how important your existing customers are.

Proper planning, execution and follow up are the secrets

Trade shows are part of the industry. They take a lot of time, money and other resources. They are great opportunities to foster the relationships with your existing customers and develop new ones.

We look forward to seeing you at the trade shows this fall