Question · Growth strategy
How quickly should I follow up leads after a trade show or webinar?
Answered by Nathan Frater ·
The short answer
Within hours if you can, and no later than 48. Attention and goodwill peak right after the event and fade fast, so speed alone puts you ahead of most of the competition.
In my experience, most exhibitors take somewhere between two and ten weeks to send a proposal. When we ran a trade show stand, we were getting quotes out between two and ten hours after the conversation. The aim was to land it before the buyer had even got home.
The trick is setting it up on the stand. Qualify people with a few questions and give them a start price. Leave the optional inclusions off on purpose, so they ask what the total will come to. Then offer to send a full quote, and have someone back at the office send it straight away. Your competitors hand over a catalogue and say enjoy the show. You land a tailored proposal while the buyer is still excited.
Webinars and workshops work the same way. The event did the hard work of building trust, and a slow follow-up wastes it. Anyone who attended and looks like a real prospect should get a personal message within 48 hours. Something like: “Hey, I’ve got three questions for you. Could you jump on a Zoom call this week?”
Keep the ask small and specific. A short call with a clear reason does far more than a generic thanks-for-coming email.