Beyond The Introduction
In my previous article, I talked about social anxiety and how to deal with it. Hopefully, it served you well, and you have met many new people. Now, what else is there to do? Going beyond the introduction, of course!
Start With a Follow-up
After you made the first contact, the next logical step in your networking efforts is to follow up. Most people forget to do this. I believe that is due to not listening actively, and when you don’t remember much about the conversation, what is there to follow up with? However, that’s a topic for another day.
Say, you would like to follow up because you still remember this person you have recently met. How do you do that?
Value is of the essence
Usually, time is of the essence, and we are told to follow up immediately. That being said, what difference will it make if you have nothing meaningful to say if you send that follow-up message tomorrow or in a week or in a month? Your message must have some semblance of value to the other party.
During the networking event, if they were talking about a particular issue you were both interested in or challenged with, and if you have had time to mull over since that first visit, that’s a brilliant topic to bring up in your follow-up. Perhaps you found some resource to help the other party or you could send more information about your particular case to invite the other party to understand your situation better. This is so you can move the conversation forward.
If nothing else comes to your mind, but you still enjoyed your time with them; you can still mention it. However, a common element other than just being at the venue will mean more. That being said, no follow-up is usually a bigger sin.
Thus, don’t rush to follow up, but figure out what value your follow-up will have.
Don’t be quick to ask for things
So far, we have seen that the notion of when to contact is less important than what to say, but when is it a good time to ask for things? This is a delicate topic which brings us to another critical aspect of follow-ups.
If your follow-up is about asking for things, this will most likely frustrate the other party because, although you have established some connection, it is not yet strong. Are you perhaps using these networking events as leverage to meet people and ask for things, even worse, to sell? Don’t!
People will see through this and you’ll burn your reputation in the long run. That being said, there is a time and place for asking.
During your conversation at an event, if the person you were talking to gave you a clear indication that you should follow up and remind them of the particulars of your conversation, even better, if they told you to ask for it later; then you should definitely go ahead and ask. In fact, following up without mentioning the need for help may backfire.
See, you spent some time with this person. Apparently, things had progressed to a certain to point that they said it is okay to be contacted about whatever you were discussing. Until your follow-up, has the need suddenly gone away on your end? Then, make sure to mention that in your follow-up. Thank them for the help they were offering, but you will be okay going forward.
Does your need still exist? You were given permission to bring it up. If you don’t, it will look awkward and a waste of time for the other party, since they committed themselves to helping you out, but you left things up in the air.
Follow up to a follow-up
There is also the scenario in which you are the receiving party. You have been sent a follow-up message, then a simple thank-you message may suffice.
Continuing the help topic, in more complex scenarios, if you are in a position of power, and similar dynamics occurred but the roles are reversed and when the other party is asking for help; you have to evaluate the depth of your relationship with them. Have you given a clear indication that you were going to help them? Then, you reply to their follow-up message properly and deliver the help you previously mentioned in whatever form it takes.
Long-term follow-ups
After the introduction and the initial follow-up, if you have more chances to rekindle the connection, please do so. This may be a resource you come across to, an event that pops up in your notifications, some interesting article, etc. Whatever it is, if you think it is good material to bring up to another person’s attention, you should do it.
This is circling back to providing value vs. insisting on the timeliness of follow-ups. Therefore, even if months go by, this may be a chance to connect with people in your network.
Keep Nurturing
Remember, effective networking doesn’t end with the initial meeting. It’s the follow-up that turns connections into lasting relationships.
If you found these tips helpful, please share them with others.