After spending four days in beautiful Anaheim, California with over 18,000 real estate professionals you can only imagine that my brain is a little like mush. However, as mushy as it is I realized that I have a boat load of cards and memories of conversations that I had with some great people. As a business coach, I am always asking myself the question how can I help my clients? How can I add more value and give them real world tangible things that they can use in their business?
This post is for you if you find that you attend networking events, conventions or seminars and you have a lot of cards, good intentions but no real strategy for following up and taking the conversation deeper.
Since I just attended the National Association of Realtors Convention I am going to used them as an example but believe me when I say it works for any industry.
Pre-event Strategy
a) Social Networking – What I love about technology and specifically social media is you can find out who will be attending the event prior to going. Let’s say that you are attending a national convention and you want to connect with individuals in your local market you can reach out to those individuals via Facebook event page, Linkedin page or Twitter HashTag. Most people who put on events create a social media page to promote and create a buzz. This is a great way to find out who will be attending before they even show up and guess what you can schedule time to meet with them while you are at the conference…more to come about this.
b) Set Your Intentions – Most people who attend events don’t really have a strategy. As a business strategy coach, this is like nails on a chalkboard to me and it is also a waste of time if you don’t really know what your outcome, goal or objectives are. So get clear…decide how many people you wish to connect with? Are you looking for strategic partners or other vendors who can support your clients? The clearer you are the more likely you are in reaching your objective.
c) Set Up Autoresponder Campaign and Call To Action – You must start with then end in mind. So if we go back to setting your intention. Let’s say that your intention is to connect with a couple of potential clients. I would recommend that you have a call to action that you provide them. An example could be a postcard for a free strategy session or free marketing tips or free webinar. The goal is to know where you want to take them before you ever leave the house. If the objective is to meet a strategic partner maybe the call to action is to give them a postcard for them to schedule an appointment with you for a free cup of java. Make sure you can automate the process by using a service such as www.tungle.me
During the Event
a) Do Talk to Strangers – I remember growing up and what I heard my mother say on a regular basis as I left the house to walk to school was “don’t talk to strangers.” Isn’t it amazing how those words show up many years later when talking to strangers is not only essential but a must if you are looking to grow your business. What I would suggest is to target someone who may be attending the event by themselves and strike up a conversation. Believe me when I say that many people will remember you just because you included them into the conversation or lunch. No one really wants to be on the outside. The other thing is you can practice your elevator pitch and be detached to the outcome. It may sound crazy but many of these people are from other parts of the country and you may never have any other contacts with them ever again. By the way…this is really a great strategy when you are walking through the EXPO. You have a captive audience who can’t get away.
b) Social Media Meet-Ups – Remember those people that you connected with online. What I like to do with large events is let the person know that I would love to connect and invite them to have lunch or connect for coffee during the breaks. It is a great way to deepen the relationship and I cannot tell you how people really do feel connected with you when they had a chance to converse with you on Facebook or LinkedIn.
c) Organizing Business Cards/Contacts – If you are attending a multi-day event, organization is a must. I would recommend that you purchase a expandable file folder (I like to use the accordion-style). Everyday before you go to bed you want to review your cards and separate them in categories…prospects, hot leads, strategic partners, etc. If you use a service like www.instantcustomer.com you can actually snap a picture of their business card with your iPhone and they will updated into your database. You can also automatically include them in your autoresponder or drip campaign. The key is to get them organized before you go home and feel overwhelm.
After the Event
The fun part begins. All of your time, energy and effort has lead you to this point…THE FOLLOW UP. I cannot tell you how many people attend events, seminars, and conventions only to collect 100’s or 1000’s of cards and then nothing. Like seriously people, if you are not going to take the time to follow up then don’t even bother going. I know I might sound harsh but the truth is the truth. Why would you spend your money going to networking events or seminars and you don’t do anything thing afterwards. Ok I am off of the soap box for now. There are a lot of things that you can do to follow up but I am going to share with you my best two golden nuggets…are your ready?
1) Video Message – Do you want to know how to set yourself apart from the competition while leaving a lasting impression? The key is to create mini video messages that share with the person how much you enjoy connecting with them along with a call to action. The call to action could be sign up for my newsletter or it could be let’s schedule a time to have coffee. I would recommend that prior to making the follow up that you block time in your schedule to follow up with the leads. If you use a service like www.tungle.me or www.timetrade.com you will be able to have the prospective client or strategic partner schedule with you automatically and you avoid the dreaded email and phone tag.
You might be wondering how to create the video. I will share that on an upcoming video post. I just want you to know that I have closed a lot of business because I used this one powerful business strategy.
2) Phone Call – I know you may be thinking I am crazy but I have found that no one picks up the phone and if you go through the organized contacts and just do a phone blitz where you call them and mention that you really enjoyed speaking with them you will be surprised by the response that you will received. I would encouraged you to wait at least 2-3 days from the big conference to start following up…it gives people time to get their bearings.
On the next post I will share with you the technology that I use for both the videos and the phone calls. These are the same marketing strategies that I go more in detail during my weekend event, Skyrocket Sales Summit. If you want to learn more about this powerful and transformational event feel free to visit www.SkyrocketYourSalesSummit.com
Happy Follow Up!!!
