Ah, the holidays: the perfect time for food, fun – and networking! No doubt you have a few networking events on your calendar during this busy holiday season. The great part about networking in the month of December: it means the New Year is fast approaching – and that means it’s time for (that’s right), New Year’s Resolutions. New Year’s Resolutions are great for business: come January, all of those creative business owners out there are refreshed and ready to connect with you to bring new ideas to life. So don’t miss out!
Find a Follow Up Topic
There’s a lot of debate out there on how to properly follow up after a networking event. I say good follow up begins before you end your conversation with a potential connection. Your goal: find a specific, helpful reason to follow up. This way, when you contact this person later, you present a reason to keep the conversation going, rather than simply offering them a generic email.
This follow up topic doesn’t necessarily have to be directly related to your business. For example, you’re speaking with a local business owner who is looking for a reputable cleaning company for her office. You mention that you’re very pleased with the company you’ve employed for the last three years. Before you leave the conversation, ask if you can help by emailing her the cleaning company’s contact information. Now you have a specific, helpful reason to contact this business owner and continue your relationship.
Sorting it Out
After any networking event, you should immediately sort through your stack of business cards and notes. (If you don’t perform this exercise immediately, you run the risk of forgetting the important details.)
Try sorting your stack of cards according to these categories:
- I have information to share with these people.
- These people have information to share with me.
- These people are aware they are in need of my services.
- These people could probably engage my services, but we didn’t specifically discuss it.
- I am interested in hiring these people in the future.
- All others.
I use this order to prioritize my follow-ups. For the cards in stack #1, I like to go ahead and write and send my follow up emails the same day. This shows your new connections that you found your conversation important enough to make them a priority. Don’t wait too long on the rest! I usually follow up with the remaining stacks the next day. Put aside a block of time to do all your follow-ups together – this will streamline the process.
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The Follow Up Letter
Each follow up should include the following (not necessarily in this order):
- “It was a pleasure meeting you.”
- State the name of the event at which you met (and the date) – even if it was yesterday.
- Remind them who you are and what you do.
- Bring up your specific, helpful follow up topic and provide necessary information.
- Let the person know you’re interested in learning more about them and their company.
- If the person mentioned information they would like to share with you, remind them you’re interested in said information. (If they’ve already provided it, thank them kindly.)
- Briefly point out and provide a link to your website, newsletter or other promotion. Don’t be too “salesy” – just a quick mention will do.
- Ask if you can keep in touch periodically. If you really hit it off with this connection, then by all means, ask if they would like to get together sometime for coffee and mention your availability.
A great follow up email shows that you are serious about developing a lasting professional relationship with your new connection – you can do it! Happy Holidays and Happy Networking!
There’s a lot of debate out there on how to properly follow up after a networking event. I say good follow up begins before you end your conversation with a potential connection. Your goal: find a specific, helpful reason to follow up. This way, when you contact this person later, you present a reason to keep the conversation going, rather than simply offering them a generic email.
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