How to follow up with buyers after a food trade show like SIAL Paris

You came home with a pocket of business cards, a phone full of photos of stands, and a clear memory of maybe five of the conversations. In two weeks you will remember two. The people you met are in the same position with you, except they met more people than you did.

That is why the work after a show matters more than the show itself. Here it is, in the order you would do it.

The night of each show day

Write on the back of every card. What they asked for, what you promised, and one thing that will remind them who you are: the product they tasted, the market you talked about, the person who introduced you. Do it that evening. By the flight home the cards will have merged into one.

Sort them into three piles. People who asked for something specific (a price, a sample, a spec sheet), people who were interested but asked for nothing, and people you were polite to. The first pile gets written to first.

Do not send anything from the aisle. A reply typed on a phone between stands reads like one. It can wait until you are sitting down.

The first week

Send the promised things first. If you said you would send a spec sheet, a certificate or a sample request form, send it in the first few days, and send only that. A promise kept quickly is the strongest follow-up there is.

Write one short, personal note to everybody else. Three or four sentences:

• Where you met, in words only they would recognise (“at your stand on the Thursday, when you told me about your range for independent delis”).
• One sentence on why you think there is a fit, about their business rather than yours.
• One easy next step: a call, a sample, or simply “is this worth a conversation?”

Write it in their language if you can. A buyer in Madrid or Milan who met you speaking English may still prefer a note in their own language.

Keep the price for yourself. When somebody asks what it costs, answer that one personally. It is the email that decides whether the conversation continues, and it should never be a template.

Do not attach a catalogue to a first note. Attachments from strangers are treated with suspicion by mail filters, and a brochure nobody asked for is rarely opened. Offer it, and send it when they say yes.

The second and third weeks

Plan more than one follow-up. Silence after the first note is not a no. People come back from a show to a full inbox and a week of work they missed. A second short note, a week or two later, with something new in it (a new product, a question about their range, a relevant date), is normal and expected.

Make each follow-up say something. “Just checking in” gives a busy buyer nothing to answer. A new reason to write does.

Know when to stop. Two or three notes over a few weeks, then leave it. Somebody who did not answer three times is telling you the timing is wrong, and a note in three months, with a real reason, will be read better than a fourth one now.

Stop the moment somebody replies. Whatever you planned to send next, a reply means the conversation is now a conversation, and it is yours to answer.

Three short notes you can adapt

These are shapes, not scripts. Replace everything in brackets with something only you and that buyer would know. If a note still reads as if it could go to anyone, it is not ready.

The first note, in the first week.

Subject: [Their company] and [your product], from [show name]
Hello [name], it was good to meet you at your stand on [day], when you told me about [one thing they said]. I think [your product] could fit [their range or their customers] because [one reason about their business]. Would it be worth a short call, or would you like a sample first?

The second note, a week or two later, with something new.

Subject: [New thing], for [their company]
Hello [name], a short follow-up from [show name]. Since we met, [one new and true thing: a new size, a certificate, a date, an answer to a question they asked]. If it helps, I can send [the spec sheet or a sample]. Is this worth a conversation?

The last note, two or three weeks after that.

Subject: Leaving it with you, [name]
Hello [name], I do not want to fill your inbox, so this is my last note for now. If the timing is wrong, I understand. If [your product] becomes useful for [their range] later, I would be glad to hear from you.

Whatever they answer, answer it yourself. And if they ask about price, write that reply by hand.

Before you send anything: check it arrives

A follow-up in a spam folder and a follow-up that was ignored look identical from your side. If your domain is not set up to prove your mail is really from you, the best note in the world will not be read. Send one test to a Gmail address and open the message details: it will say whether your mail passed. If it did not, our guide why your emails to buyers go to spam explains what to ask your host for.

Before the next show

Read the exhibitor list before you go. It is one of the best free lists of buyers in your category, because it shows which companies are spending money to be there this year. Mark the ones worth a conversation and write down one reason to talk to each. Our guide how to find food importers and distributors covers the other free places to look.

Keep the fortnight after the show free. Put it in the calendar before you book the flight.

The short version

That evening, write on the back of every card. In the first week, keep your promises and send one short personal note to everybody else. Answer the price question yourself. Follow up once or twice more with something new to say, then stop. And check your mail arrives before you send any of it.

Next: How to find food importers and distributors for your product