Networking follow-up – just do it!

And do it at greater than snail’s pace.

Face-to-face networking is great BUT networking follow-up is crucial.

Networking:

• can be a bit like speed-dating – when you’ve met lots of people they often blur into one
• if you do too much of it, you’ll never actually get any work done!
• while you’ll probably get business cards they don’t tell you much apart from contact details – so use them for a follow-up
• it’s common courtesy (well, it is in my book) – people will remember you if you take the trouble

…and if people remember you, they’re more likely to think of you when a collaboration opportunity arises.

From Toothpaste for Dinner

As soon as I get back from a networking event, my networking follow-up process kicks in. I check people out online. Not in any stalker, snooping-type way, you understand, but to find out more about them and their business to discover more synergy between us.

Then I:

• mail everyone to say how great it was to meet them
• set out in writing how I think we’d be able to collaborate in the future
• connect to them on LinkedIn or via their website, blog or social media sites

I DON’T leave business cards to gather dust in a teetering pile.

I DO remember that networking and social networking complement each other.

I DO think that networking follow-up is more important than networking.

(But, of course, you can’t follow up if you haven’t networked first! Duh!)