Picture the scene: You've just had a few succesful days at an expo or a trade show ; Plenty of enquiries, business cards, competition entries and contacts made. You're on a roll and ready to get down to picking up the phone and specifying the next step with your new aquaintances.

As you walk into the office on Monday morning, your enthusiasm for strengthening ties with new contacts begins to evaporate: your email inbox is overflowing, reports sit on your desk to read and it seems everyone wants a piece of you. Here's where you must decide to prioritize or lose the chance to work with some of the new contacts: Lose sales, lose market share, lose money invested in the expo/trade show.

What stops you researching your target market by phone?

• Perhaps you're uncertain which questions to ask.
• Perhaps you think you already know exactly what your target audience is thinking and feeling.
• Or perhaps you're just frightened of using the phone.

Have no fear, these are common reactions.