Follow-up is a critical part of networking for both trade show exhibitors and attendees. Often, exhibitors seem focused on the number of cards or names they can collect. Rather, they should focus on making contacts with quality prospects where their follow-up is really worth the time, effort, and money.

Have a follow-up plan in place before the trade show ever happens. Otherwise, the follow-up can easily get delayed and take so long that it loses some of its impact.

Here are some trade show follow-up ideas for exhibitors:

• Send a thank you note to people who stopped by your booth. This could be a letter with a brochure included, a notecard with a business card included, or an e-mail with a link to your Web site and information on how the recipient can subscribe to your e-zine or download your free articles.

Do not automatically include people in any regular e-mail announcements or e-zines that you may send out unless they subscribe to your e-zine or ask to receive your e-mail announcements.

• Include the people you are able to identify as qualified prospects in a monthly mail campaign for at least three months, sending informative articles, product announcements, gift certificates, and other literature that could be of interest to them.
• Make sure that anyone who came by your booth and expressed a strong interest and gave out buying signals ("This is what I've been looking for" or "I'd like to talk with one of your reps") gets a phone call within the next week.