Write your follow-up before the show, not after it. The St. Pete Power & Sailboat Show runs January 14-17, and by Sunday night you'll have a stack of names, a sunburn, and no energy to write anything.
As I write this you've got about 10 weeks. That's plenty if you start with the boring part.
The trade group backs this up. MRAA points to dealers texting people within about an hour of leaving the booth, then following up the day after the show. An MRAA partner piece calls out the gap between grabbing someone's info and actually logging it as a common place this falls apart. I believe it. A stack of cards in a tote bag is where good quotes go to die.
Your show follow-up, start to finish
- Before January 14: Pick one place every lead goes, even a shared spreadsheet. Pick one person who owns it. Write your three messages now.
- At the booth: Get the name, the number, the boat they liked, when they want to be on the water, and a yes on texting. One line of notes beats a great memory.
- Within the hour: Short text. "Good talking about the {boat} today. Want the numbers by text or email?"
- Day after the show: Send the quote or the next step. Don't wait until you've caught up. You won't.
- 3 to 5 days later, no reply: Go back with something new, not "just checking in." A similar listing, a trade-in number, a sea trial date. YATCO's broker guide lands on the same window.
- About two weeks out: My own rule, not a study. "Still looking, or should I close this out?" It gives them an easy way to answer.
If someone says stop, stop. Right then.
Don't skip the yes on texting
Get it at the booth, in writing. Federal rules and Florida's law both have written consent requirements for automated sales texts. A one-on-one text from your salesperson may be a different animal, but ask your attorney, and have the form ready before January.
The real catch
None of this is hard. It's just that someone has to do step 5 for every single quote, in the middle of your busy season, without being reminded. That's where it usually breaks, and it's the part worth handing off, to a person or to software.
Same goes for quotes you're sending right now. Don't wait for January to find out who's chasing them.