Well done! You may not realize it yet, but you made it through the first phase of the networking process. You planted the seed, and now it’s time to let it grow – off to the second stage. Use the below tips to follow up on the One on One session(s) and turn your connection into a successful collaboration.
1. Make it LinkedIn official
The easiest way to keep in touch with your brand-new contact is through LinkedIn. Send out a connect request, hit the follow button at their organization page and be updated about what’s going on in their network and business. Who knows, perhaps there is a business opportunity you can play into in the near future.
2. Keep it short and do it quick
Follow up on your One on One Session shortly after. Don’t walk down memory lane too much; rather expand on what you discussed. Perhaps you had an interesting subject or angle during the session? Use that to continue the conversation in your follow up e-mail. Be clear about why you’d like to keep in touch and be as specific as you can. This way your contact is more likely to remember you. However, keep it short so you don’t overwhelm them.
3. Reminder? Yes, please!
Don’t be afraid to ‘bother’ someone! People are often too busy to follow up themselves, so they’ll definitely appreciate a kind reminder. But, as always: don’t push it. Be mindful that they may be very busy and keep a couple of weeks (3 to 4 is often a good amount) between your reminders.
4. Please don’t call
Please don’t follow up by phone call. E-mail is the way to go! In this industry, you’re often dealing with time differences and no one wants to be called at odd hours. Besides, you’d like to give your new contact some time to get back to you.
5. Last but not least…
Keep in mind that your new contact might not have a project for you straight away. Gaining business isn’t always the end result. It’s already an achievement when one or multiple successful professionals have you in the back of their mind and consider you part of their network. This means that they’ll know how to reach you when opportunities arise.
Share your success
Oh, and don’t forget about us. We’d love to hear all about your successful collaborations. It’s why we do this. Let us know when your BMIM connections turn into collaborations. We would love to share your story with others.