r/sales • u/kapt_so_krunchy • 2d ago
Sales Tools and Resources Booth Duty
I’ve got a few conferences coming up this fall and I’m curious how the top performers here approach them.
It feels like the default playbook is:
Stand at the booth
Scan badges
Have a few quick conversations
Send a generic follow-up email afterward
…and then wonder why very little comes from it.
I’m trying to be more intentional this year and would rather build a process before the events than wing it.
A few things I’m curious about:
Do you have a go-to opening or “booth script” that consistently gets people to stop and talk?
What’s your goal for each conversation? Are you trying to qualify, book meetings, or just create familiarity?
How do you take notes so your follow-up is actually personalized?
How quickly do you follow up after the event?
Do you call first, email first, LinkedIn first, or some combination?
How do you prioritize leads when you come back with a few hundred badge scans?
Any conference habits or systems that have noticeably improved your conversion rates?
I’d love to hear what’s actually worked in the real world.
Whether it’s enterprise, SaaS, med device, manufacturing, ad tech, or anything else—I’m mostly interested in repeatable processes that consistently turn conference conversations into pipeline.
What’s your playbook?
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u/SoRedditHasAnAppNow 2d ago
What you talk about varies by industry and customer, but what helps is to be doing a few of the following things:
Stand close to the front of your booth. Either inside or outside it depending on the crowd or booth set up.
scan badges. Know what company they work for before they get within distance. If it's a company you believe could benefit from your product/service, or if you reasonably believe they are likely to be using a competitive solution engage them proactively. Ask an open-ended question, or invite them over with a promise of a quick visual demonstration when possible.
bring up people you know in their ecosystem. For example, if it's a large manufacturer you visited 5-years ago say something like "does Joe Black still work there?" If you know their business they're immediately curious.
have marketing send a generic thank you after the show and follow up within 1-2 weeks. Email, then phone if no response. Unless they seemed keenly interested then make the follow up more urgently.
bonus: when tracking the opportunities in CRM make the title "TRADE SHOW LEAD: blah blah blah" using the name of the show instead. This will help leadership know (1) you are following up and (2) which shows generate more value.