A 30-day plan for following up trade-show leads
Assign leads by need and next action, then test commercial progress instead of counting cards.
Before leaving the show, give each lead an owner and next action. A business card proves a meeting happened, not that a buying requirement exists. Adapt this suggested schedule to testing and procurement cycles. The aim is to advance or qualify out opportunities, not promise orders within 30 days.
Days 1–3: clean the records and deliver promises
Merge cards, badge scans and notes, deduplicating by company and person. Keep the show, meeting date, product, use, quantity, timing, role and promised action. Mark unknowns as questions; do not invent budgets or authority.
Prioritize requested quotations, drawings and samples. In the first email, recall the specific conversation and propose one action, such as confirming a specification or choosing a call time. Check names, models, currency and attachment versions. Sending the whole catalogue makes the buyer do the work again.
Days 4–7: qualify the opportunity
Use three working groups: clear requirement and timing, further information needed, and currently unsuitable. Book technical or quotation meetings for the first, ask the most useful question for the second, and close or agree a future contact for the third. Rank by business evidence, not job title or time spent at the stand.
For priority opportunities, record the current solution, problem, specification, testing process, buying participants and next date. Confirm who receives samples, who evaluates them and who decides. Arrange cover when an owner is away.
Days 8–14: make the offer testable
Quote model, quantity tiers, trade terms and named place, packaging, lead time, payment, validity and exclusions. State when internal approval will be available instead of offering an unsustainable price to get a reply.
Before sending samples, agree the recipient, import arrangements, costs and acceptance criteria. Confirm the test, feedback owner and review date, then provide tracking. Dispatch is an activity; test feedback or an agreed next step is progress.
Days 15–21: resolve obstacles or pause
When a reply is overdue, send a short reminder of the agreed action and offer to pause or reconnect later. Consider working hours and holidays. Avoid repeated chasing across several channels.
Turn obstacles into specific tasks: obtain a test report, revise delivery terms or identify the approval owner. Pause opportunities without a fit or current project, recording why and when they might become relevant.
Days 22–30: review results and data use
Count qualified opportunities, formal quotes, test responses, signed orders and realized contribution separately from forecasts. Divide the full show cost by qualified opportunities; if there are none, report that directly. Schedule later reviews for longer sales cycles.
Limit contact records to their stated business purpose and restrict access. France’s CNIL distinguishes consumer and professional email marketing; professional outreach still involves information and an easy way to object. A card exchange is not unrestricted permission for a mailing list. Check rules for other markets, respect objections and remove unnecessary data. Feed the commercial findings into the next show-selection decision.