Networking is a complete waste of time if you do not take the time to followup. I know it is difficult to find the time when you are busy. I am sometimes guilty of this myself. You go away with good intentions and then get back to your office where work is waiting and the next thing you know a month or more has passed and the pile of cards you collected is gathering dust. The key is to find a way you can implement this into your day and I promise the results will be more than worth it.
Some things you can add to your plan are:
Add to Your Contact List
Add all new contacts and their info immediately into your contact management system. Note important details that you remember: where they work, how long they have worked there, what is their position, are they in a position to make business decisions, any common connections, and noteworthy attributes. By astutely listening and taking mental notes at these events, you can analyze their business potential for your company.
Prioritize Your Contacts
You can give them titles such as Hot, Warm Cold or Business Connection, Potential Customer, Supplier Connection. Come up with whatever titles work for you. This will make it easier to find people when you are planning your next promotion, or you need a quote on supplies or services.
Follow Up with a Card, E-mail
Send a follow up email to all your new contacts and reach out to them on social media platforms. Sending a simple, "nice meeting you" email, is an effective tool to begin engagement with.
Capture Them On Your List
Invite them to Join Your Newsletter or Subscribe to Your Blog. The key is to capture them on a list and have a regular means of connecting with them.
Reach out through Social Networking Sites
Search for them on networks on social media to see if your networks overlap by looking for your new contacts on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin or other sites you are involved in.
Make Plans
Make a plan for each person or group of people you meet and schedule in your follow-up. Perhaps you send an e-mail right away and then a card in a month. In 3 months a special report or article they may be interested in, in 6 months another e-mail. I think you get the picture. The key is to make a plan and stick to it.
Be Creative
Some other things you can do to stay in contact can be to send interesting articles, introduce them to someone in your contact list that you think would be of interest, send a birthday card, Christmas wishes. Be creative…how about a Sing Into Spring themed e-mail with some inspiration for a new season? It does not always have be all about business! If you get stuck, resource the other members, ask for help. Book your free 30 minute Action Coaching Session with me to get the juices flowing.
If you are too busy for follow up then I would suggest hiring it out. There are great VAs and assistants out there. Find one that can do what you need done, tell them what you expect and hire them on to do your follow up. Write a comment on the back of each card with any special instructions and keep them in batches so it is easy for your assistant to target them properly with an introduction like “It was nice to meet you at…”.
No matter what methods you choose I believe the
Sherry Lynn Simoes is a Marketing Action Coach working with small to medium and home based businesses. She thrives on seeing the results her clients get from working with her on a plan of action for their marketing.