From the crowded halls at the Manhattan Hilton to the spacious grounds of the San Francisco Moscone Center, ad:tech is one of the leading national digital marketing conferences. Whether you exhibited or took a guerilla marketing approach and plowed your way through the multiple floors, you got first-hand experience in the value of human interaction. In a world of multiple communications tools, it is more imperative than ever to place a face with the voice on the other end of the line. But in reality, it is a combination your polished soft skills and a diligent follow up that will turn all those handshakes into dollars and cents. 

Proactive Preparation:  Know Your Audience

1. Review your inactive Rolodex and scrub it against the exhibitor list. There is no better time to revisit all those contacts whose ventures never made it to fusion.

2. Assess the speaker list and proactively arrange to meet with potential individuals/firms. The majority of speakers are the decision makers of an organization so take advantage of the potential opportunity to open up a dialogue.

Qualifying New Leads: Listen Twice as Much as You Speak

1. Always initiate an introduction with an open-ended question:

-Passionate individuals enjoy speaking about their business (and themselves). Encourage it and you will quickly note whether there is a potential for a lucrative partnership.

2. Receive a pitch before proceeding with yours:

-You have a window of forty-five seconds to certify if the individual(s) before you are a fit for your business model. 

-Time is of the essence thus give the curtsey of listening to a thirty second elevator pitch and follow up with a validating question.

- This tactic will ensure you are fully capitalizing on your time (during the conference), proactively qualifying your prospects (shorten your follow up time) and may present innovative business ideas which you may not have otherwise incorporated. 

Capitalizing During Primetime: Hustle While You Wait

1. Schedule new prospect “meet & greets” during breakout sessions.

-Save thirty minutes plus meetings for individuals whom you have an active pipeline of business with.

-New prospects/projects only require two to five minutes (tops) to qualify any potential business and further action steps should be ironed out in the follow up call.

2. Spend any down time in a public gathering area (i.e. hotel lobby).

-Public spaces receive the highest enter and exit traffic therefore there is a 90% probability you will reconnect with an old associate or potential prospect.

Follow Up: Three Day Window to Close the Sale

1. Jot footnotes on the back of all business cards exchanged (in real-time). 

-This will ensure you can pick up right where you left off and secure the next course of action.

2. Swift and immediate follow up will ensure your correspondence is received first and most likely addressed first.

-You truly have a two to three day window to effectively follow up and make certain that your message is conveyed most efficiently.

-As correspondence begins to flood your prospect , and playing the game of catch up absorbs their next week , a swift turnover will guarantee that you/your firm are kept top of mind.

Happy networking!

Chantelle S.  White

MediaTrust

Business Development & Partnerships