What to do after the event
Our last blog talked about what to do when networking, whether at an event or when you simply meet someone. Assuming the conversation you have with goes well, you are now entering the most important phase if you are networking effectively.
Follow up
If you agreed a specific time and date, make sure you get in contact at that time. If you didn’t, you still need to get in touch again – if you want the relationship to move forward and be useful for both parties. Most people will email, so consider calling them to follow up. You will stand out from the crowd.
The purpose of the follow-up is to arrange a time to find out more about them. Whatever the future holds, you need to know more about them to move forward.
- For them to become a client, you need to understand more about their needs so you can work out whether they can become a client.
- If they are to be a supplier, you definitely want to know more so you can assess whether they are suitable.
- If you want to be mutual introducers, you will need to know far more than you found out in the 10 minutes you talked to them before.
Add them to your mailing list
Please note this is only with their permission, so please ask. When they are added, ensure they only get relevant emails sent to them. You can join our mailing list here.
Connect on social
There is nothing wrong with using LinkedIn, or other platforms, to connect, but again, don’t start selling to them straight away. You will only annoy them, leading to disconnects and blocks.
Talk regularly
This is the step that most people fall down on. The business card gets filed; they’re added to LinkedIn and there is usually that first one to one, but it then stops. Remember that relationships form over time and communication is required to maintain and build that relationship.
Effective networking will generate leads, and other connections, for your business, but only if done properly. Whilst this list of 21 points seems, at first glance, onerous, most of it is common sense and manners. Networking is not a shortcut to sales opportunities and should never, ever, be treated as such. When the rules of networking are followed, you will get the sales opportunities; you just have to be patient.
We hope this helps and we look forward to seeing you at our next networking event. You can register here.