How to follow up suppliers after a trade fair
Put fair contacts into a shared register, prioritise them against your buying brief and assign a named owner to each active lead. Record the requested evidence, response deadline and decision needed before chasing. Close unsuitable leads with a reason and a reopening condition. Your China-side follow-up can be coordinated by Cambridge China Bridge.
Build a register from your fair notes
Bring business cards, messages, catalogue notes and product photographs into a shared register. Record the supplier’s company name, contact, product reference, what you discussed and what they promised to send. Merge duplicate contacts from the same business while keeping the original meeting notes. Mark unconfirmed claims as unconfirmed.
Give each lead a status such as awaiting review, active, waiting for supplier, waiting for buyer, parked or closed. Record priority, named owner, latest request, response deadline, next decision and links to supporting files. A register should show what happens next without requiring colleagues to read an entire message history.
Prioritise by fit and the next decision
Compare contacts against the same buying brief: product specification, intended use, order requirements, target cost, delivery needs and willingness to provide evidence. Prioritise suppliers whose replies could resolve a buying decision. An attractive display sample or enthusiastic conversation should not outweigh a mismatch with your brief.
Keep promising but incomplete leads separate from leads that clearly cannot meet your needs. Identify the missing fact that could change each decision, such as whether the supplier can make the required material or accept your order pattern. Park contacts with no current buying purpose rather than giving every contact an active follow-up task.
Name owners and send decision-focused requests
Assign a named lead owner who sends requests, records replies and recommends the next action. Also name the buyer who can approve sample spending or changes to the brief. Where China-based staff handle supplier communication, agree who maintains the register and who reports back. Give absence cover access to the same records.
Refer to the product and discussion from the fair, then request the evidence needed for the next decision. Specify the document, photograph, quotation or sample details you expect, and explain how you will assess the reply. Use the guide on writing a factory quotation email for the quotation itself; keep this programme focused on ownership and progress.
Set deadlines and review the evidence
Ask the supplier to confirm a response date suited to the requested work. Record an explicit calendar date and time zone where relevant, alongside your internal review date. Separate acknowledgement from delivery of the requested evidence. When a deadline slips, ask what is outstanding and agree a revised date only if the lead still merits attention.
Assess whether the reply answers the request, rather than treating any reply as progress. Record gaps using unanswered quotation questions and supplier exceptions. Move a lead waiting for your approval to waiting for buyer, with a named decision-maker. When samples arrive, use comparing factory samples fairly before deciding which supplier advances.
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Close unsuitable leads and keep the queue manageable
Close leads when the evidence shows a material mismatch, the supplier declines an essential request or agreed follow-up no longer produces useful progress. Record the reason, supporting evidence, decision-maker and closure date. Send a brief message explaining that the current enquiry is ending, without implying an order commitment.
For parked leads, record what would justify reopening, such as a changed specification or confirmed capability. At an agreed review rhythm, examine overdue requests, buyer decisions and leads with no next action. Judge progress by decisions supported by evidence, rather than message volume. Cambridge China Bridge’s own staff in China can follow up suppliers while your UK buyer retains approval of spending and supplier selection.
Frequently asked questions
Which trade fair suppliers should I contact first?
Start with suppliers that fit your buying brief and can provide evidence needed for a current decision. Park interesting contacts that have no defined buying purpose.
Who should own supplier follow-up?
Name a lead owner to manage requests and records, and a buyer to approve spending or brief changes. Agree who updates the register when China-based staff handle communication.
What deadline should I give a supplier?
Agree a response date suited to the work requested. Record the calendar date and any relevant time zone, then set your own review date. An acknowledgement does not complete the request.
When should I stop chasing a supplier?
Close the lead when it cannot meet essential needs or agreed follow-up stops producing useful evidence. Record why you closed it and what, if anything, would justify reopening.