So you’ve just put on a killer presentation that completely wows your audience or prospect. Time to go home and bask in the glow of a job well done, right? Well, no—not if you want your audience members to take action. You’ve connected with a group of prospective clients, colleagues, donors or volunteers; now it’s time to reconnect with them and seal the deal.

Following up with your prospect is actually something you should consider well before your presentation begins. Form a plan for how you plan to reach out and reconnect with them; this will give you a much better chance to persuade them towards an action.

Afterall, not everyone will be ready to buy from the get-go, most people need to be nurtured before they’ll be willing to buy what you sell. There are numerous sales techniques you could use to boost your closing rate, but ones specific to following up will help you secure those meetings for them to take the next step.

Here are some simple techniques you should keep in mind:

1.Exchange business cards

Before you end your presentation and walk out of the room, it’s important to give the prospect your business card. This might seem like a no-brainer to some, but with the advent of social media and other digital communications, many people take print media for granted.

You never want to be short of these handy references when you’re out and about at networking events and after speaking at conferences. Most of the time, conference attendees will be on the lookout for the speaker they just saw on stage sharing industry insights and will want to personally connect for further discussion after the conference is over.

Any business card is better than none at all, but if you’re going to invest resources into creating cards for your brand, make sure they have a design that stands out. Recipients are much more likely to hold on to a card with an unusual shape or design.

2.Create a video

An email is a fast and convenient way to reconnect with audience members after a sales presentation. But if you want to make a solid impression, you should do more than send a standard “just following up” message.

One creative technique you can use is creating a YouTube video (or a series of videos) related to the topic of your presentation and the action that you want recipients to take. Well executed corporate videos offer you an opportunity to demonstrate your product or service in a more visual way. You can even include taped testimonials from some of your other clients to provide social proof.

A video doesn’t need to be expertly produced in a professional studio with a green screen or elaborate set pieces. With the right editing and talent, just speaking into a camera and providing a few visual aids is often enough to leave a positive impression and motivate your audiences to take the next step. Just be sure to communicate clearly and concisely; few people will want to sit through a video that’s hours long rambling on the same thing.

3.Mail a handwritten letter

If you do nothing else to follow up after a sales presentation, you can also try to send a handwritten letter to your audience members. It’s one of the best things you can do to establish a personal connection. We’ve had success with this by sending outreach letters on special occasions like Chinese New Year or Christmas. These help to open doors to further communication with the clients.

If you can, avoid creating a single generic form letter that you send to everyone. Try to personalise it as much as possible; include a specific detail about your addressee (such as the type of work they do). We’ve found that printing envelopes or custom designed cards and including handwritten messages tend to get the best responses.

Some manufacturers like Company Folders let you customise envelopes and cards so that you can deliver cards that are on-brand and well-received by prospects.

4.Write an e-book

Even if you’re not strictly in the literature business, writing an e-book related to your industry is an excellent way to demonstrate your expertise and reinforce your value to potential clients. Provide your presentation audience members with a free copy of that book via an opt-in sequence so that they can refer to valuable reference of the knowledge shared in their own time and you’ll get access to information to reach out to them again.

Writing an e-book doesn’t need to be a daunting task; you don’t even necessarily need to perform a bunch of new research. Consider creating an e-book version of your sales presentation design. This shouldn’t just be a direct transcript; written mediums are different from spoken ones, so this will likely require a bit of editing to adapt. Make sure your information flows in a way that is logical and easy to read.

5.Give a gift

Sending audience members of your sales presentations a promotional gift isn’t always an option. In fact, certain companies have very strict rules about what they can and can’t accept as gifts. If your recipient does allow for it, though, sending a printed keychain or magnet that features your logo and/or contact information isn’t a bad idea. These are less likely to get thrown out than business cards because they have a practical, tangible utility.

Gifts shouldn’t be treated like a bribe; don’t try to butter people up with something extravagant. Instead, think of it as a means of connecting emotionally and helping them to more easily remember your brand agency.

6.Respond to questions

If anyone asks questions during your sales presentation (particularly ones you’re not fully prepared to answer), make note of them and the people who asked them. Later, you can email them with a detailed response. This helps establish trust and demonstrates to people that you care enough to pay personal attention, ensuring that they’re fully informed.

If you still aren’t certain how to answer a question (even after performing some research), refer the audience member to someone who’s more equipped to help. Even though you couldn’t assist them directly, prospects will remember that you put in the time to try and help them.

When you want to attract clients to a business or community members to a brand, “love ‘em and leave ‘em” isn’t a strategy that will work. Following up with your audience members is all about building a relationship—letting people know that you have more to offer them well beyond what you’ve already shared.

To summarise, here are 5 great ways to reconnect with your audiences via follow-ups after your presentation is over:

1. Exchange business Cards
2. Create a video
3. Mail a hand-written letter
4. Write an e-book
5. Give a gift
6. Respond to queries

Do you have other ideas for sales follow ups with audience members after a presentation? Share your ideas in the comments below!