During a networking event, you mostly think about how to talk to the other person, how to gain their trust and build a relationship. Who knows, maybe you've just met a person who will change your life? It's not only about business but also about our private lives because events like these have helped me win friends and the love of my life. But... Nothing will happen if you won't do a follow-up.
Follow-up system
What is important when developing a newly established relationship with another person? First, after one meeting, you cannot say that you have established a stable and strong relationship with the other person. To achieve this, you need to remember is to follow up with that person again after the meeting. You’ll get the best results when you consider the following expert advice.
Ivan Misner’s co-author Brennan Scanlon created a post-meeting follow-up system, which he called the 24/7/30 system. According to Brennan, this system represents the optimal time to contact the person we met at the networking meeting.
“First, you have to be visible in the community. You have to get out there and connect with people. It's not called net-sitting or net-eating. It's called networking. You have to work at it.”
Within 24 hours – Send a message to that person within 24 hours – preferably a handwritten message, but of course, in the age of the Internet, an email will do.
Within 7 days – Connect on social media within 7 days of the first meeting. DO NOT try to sell yet – focus on establishing a relationship, remind them where and in what situation you met.
Within 30 days – Try to meet in person within 30 days. If possible, arrange a physical meeting, and if not, meet online (e.g. on zoom, google meets). Remember to focus on relationship building, not sales.
How to follow up?
- If you don’t have a business card or someone didn’t give it to you – write a message/an email immediately after the meeting, as long as the memory of meeting you is fresh. You will also make a good impression as a person who cares about building relationships.
NOTE: The exception to the rule is when you have met a high-profile person. In this case, if you send the message too quickly, you may be considered overzealous.
- When getting to know each other, try to remember at least one piece of information about the other person, which you can later mention in your message. Thanks to this, they will be more inclined to message you back.
- Use customized templates – but ensure to include something personal in them. That may remind them of what you talked about the first time.
How to write an effective post-networking follow-up message?
Start by introducing yourself – write who you are, where you met and, as I wrote earlier, mention what you talked about, use your memory hook.
Include the most important information in the main message – let it be something that you think is interesting for this person, that may solve the problem you discussed earlier. Be brief and to the point so as not to bore the person to stop reading.
Call to Action – don’t put in the general “it would be nice to meet soon”. Focus on the specifics and write that you can meet for coffee next week. Provide specific dates and times to help the person make the decision.
Do not forget about a professional signature that contains information about you and where you work and what you do.
Follow-up after the meeting is critical, and networking meetings are pointless without it. Consider how you can improve your follow-up technique to start developing contacts even more and more successfully.
