Today’s guest post is by Mark Perl. Mark talks about the importance of following up after an event, and shares tips to help you:

It’s All in the Follow-up! 15 Top Tips

The Follow-Up Call is essential to achieving event ROI. Once an opportunity has been identified, this is the first step towards converting it into a sale. Interestingly, however, making The Follow-Up Call to a guest is not as easy as it sounds, particularly where a new relationship has been forged.

For many, The Follow-Up Call fills them with dread. Fears of rejection bubble to the emotional surface, and frequently, left to their own choice, Hosts will fail to follow up on their contact and will actively busy themselves with other tasks to avoid making that call. Many admit to engaging in
displacement activities and if we are being honest, I am sure we have all felt this way about an
unpleasant task we have had to do, in the past.

What follows are 15 tactical tips to help build your confidence before you pick up the phone:

1. clearly decide why you are making the call and what you want as an outcome. This call is all about securing a meeting – nothing more!

2. create enough time for the call. Sounding rushed because you have another pressing appointment to attend will be picked up in your tone and may have a negative impact

3. switch your mobile to silent, so you are not distracted should it ring whilst you are talking

4. have their business card, or any other medium where you have recorded all the details from your conversation, in front of you and visible (e.g. Aha Moment, and any other information you have learnt about them, their business, their challenges)

5. have your tablet, laptop, desktop or even some blank paper to hand to enable you to take notes easily

6. have your schedule/meeting planner open and ready

7. consider where you wish to propose that you meet, in advance (your offices, their workplace or at a neutral venue, like a hotel lounge, restaurant, coffee shop etc)

8. know lots about the person. Research the client’s personal profile on LinkedIn (for background)

9. know lots about the company. Research the company website and also their company page on LinkedIn (for due diligence)

10. prepare what you will say to the answer machine, the gatekeeper and to the prospect. If you have to leave a message, this information needs to be clear and concise but also complete (brevity is not the sole determinant). If you are not sure what you want to say, write it down

11. have a clear outline in your mind of how your products or services can help solve their problem, based on the conversation you had at the event

12. consider standing up for the call (this facilitates the flow of adrenaline and will naturally add energy to your tone)

13. give your full attention to the call and conversation (perhaps even turn your chair to face the wall so you are not distracted)

14. consider the transaction value, or the lifetime value, of the potential opportunity and give the call the respect it deserves – it could be the call that secures your annual bonus!

15. expect a positive outcome

The Follow-Up Call is a highly influential component in ensuring you achieve your event ROI goals.
By following these tips your organisation will stand head and shoulders above your competition and Hosts will be perceived as professional, reliable and trustworthy in the mind of your guest.

Mark Perl – Author, speaker, trainer and expert in the skills of Planning and Hosting events professionally

www.impeccablehost.co.uk
@markperl
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