You’ve made the decision to invest in networking to grow your business – great move – but so many business owners make the mistake of thinking that the networking starts & ends at the meeting itself. They wonder why their networking isn’t getting them anywhere and why they are not being trampled in the rush of people wanting to buy their stuff.
It’s pretty simple.
Everyone has forgotten about you.
You’ve simply been lazy and sent a follow up email and expected the magic to simply happen overnight. Or worse, you’ve sent a follow up email that is simply a ‘buy my stuff’ post without actually establishing a relationship first.
An essential part of your personal brand is making the right impact, for the right reasons – and that includes how you follow up after networking events.
Here are some do’s & don’ts for you to think about with regards to your follow up process (you do have one, right? – if you don’t, sign up for this webinar quick!)
Be Present
If you’ve invested your hard earned dosh in networking, then for the love of all things good - will you treat it that way?
Don’t turn up a few minutes before the meeting is due to start and miss the open networking bit – or be ‘too busy’ to stay after the event for the open networking.
If you are that person packing up your stuff whilst the meeting is still running because ‘you’re far too busy to stay & chat’ – the message you are actually sending is ‘I can’t be bothered to stay and talk to you because I have something more important to do’. Think about that. It’s nearly as damaging for your brand as booking into a networking meeting and not bothering to turn up at all (link to blog)
Then think about how you present yourself in the meeting – are you approachable? You might think you are – but are you? If the first thing you do is get your phone out and check your messages, and then you spend half the meeting checking your phone rather than engaging – think about how that looks to your fellow attendees. If you are on your phone the whole time throughout the presentation – think about how that looks to your fellow attendees AND how it makes the speaker feel. It’s just bloody rude. It creates barriers to communication and it makes you look an utter twonk.
And for goodness sake, if you are having a good time - let your face know - smile! Don't walk around with a face like a slapped arse....
Listen and learn during the 1-2-1 conversations you have. This is where the magic really starts to happen – but you need to make sure you are listening and not just broadcasting. Take notes. Offer advice. Start adding value to the conversation right now – you’ll get more opportunity to do that later. Taking notes is also an essential part of getting the follow up right – I take notes on a page per meeting, slip the business cards into the pocket in the back & then get the follow up ball rolling.
Be Committed
Get the damn meeting in your diary and stick to it. You’ve invested in networking, so act like it. Plan the rest of your week around it. Don’t treat it like something you’ll do unless something better turns up. Make it part of your marketing strategy for your business.
And then work at it. Be ready to network and ready to have those conversations – have your business cards & bumf ready to go, practice your introduction, and put your game face on.
Be You
Don’t be lazy.
Don’t just send a ‘thanks very much for the 1-2-1’ email.
Don’t just add the business card to your CRM package and then expect that single email to create sales.
And don’t send a sales pitch as your follow up.
How you follow up is really important – this is where you can really start to stand out from the crowd in a good way, by delivering a great follow up that showcases your personal brand. Here are some tips you can think about implementing:
Send that email – absolutely, get that written communication link going – but ask yourself this, why should I read it? Give me something to work with. Which is where your notes come in. What did you talk about? Here are some ways you can work with that information:
- Share a blog you’ve written that is relevant to the conversation
- Offer a tip sheet or other form of download to help with a specific thing you talked about or some general advice
- Who can you connect them to that might be a useful connection for them? Where could they meet? Use your network to connect people.
Get connected – before you send that email, look at where you can connect & engage with your new contact, do it - & then tell them you’ve done it in your email. Comment on a post/article/item they have posted recently. Like their page from your page (it’s great for your stats - use Likealyser to help you out)
And then pick up the phone. Actually make the connection. Or arrange to see them again at another networking meeting – maybe they didn’t know about lunchtime meetings you go to – why not ask them along? Give them a call, have a chat, invite them along, continue to develop the relationship.
Those business cards you enter into your CRM are opportunities. It’s up to you to make the most of them.