Post-Elevator Speech Follow up
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You just returned from a COSE networking event, having delivered a concise, engaging and listener-centric Elevator Speech to Tony. You continued that brief conversation, enhanced a potentially new business relationship and learned more about what Tony does. You exchanged cards, shook hands and moved on. Now … what do you do?
Here are a few follow up and relationship maintenance best practices learned by those COSE members on the Varsity Networking Team. They can reinforce the positive first impression you made on Tony and help you establish a mutually beneficial networking relationship with him.
* Send Tony a follow up note immediately. Indicate you enjoyed your brief chat at the networking event and will follow up with a phone call shortly.
* An email note is fine - fast, simple and cheap. But how many emails do you get in a day? Instead, consider sending Tony a hand-written postcard. It's also simple, cheap and it really stands out in a stack of snail-mail.
* If you call him first, do three things in the first 15 seconds that most amateur networkers don't do:
1. Quickly reintroduce yourself and reference where you met.
2. Ask if this is a good time for a brief chat.
3. Then, most importantly, pause for Tony to digest what you just said and respond.
* After that conversation, suggest another brief call. Don't press for a meeting too early. You already met each other and you’re not sure yet if that would be worth the time. Neither is Tony. Earn the face time. You'll know when it makes sense.
* Stay in touch. Alternate between brief calls and briefer emails.
* Share information that Tony might find interesting or useful, like details on the next COSE event or some other networking opportunity. Include an interesting article or useful Internet link.
* Establish yourself as a valuable business resource and potential ally. Give before you ask. Help before you sell.
* If Tony doesn’t return your calls or notes or seem to be interested in a new business relationship, he might not be. Or, he might be very busy or introverted. Or, social skills and professional courtesy may not be his strong suit.
* After a few sincere attempts on your part to continue the dialogue, move on to someone else you just met. You can assume Tony has learned enough about you and your business to determine if he is interested in creating an on-going networking relationship. If he isn’t, you’ve just saved yourself some time and effort. His loss.
These simple yet very effective follow up strategies will definitely reinforce the positive first impression you make of uncommon courtesy and class and differentiate you from the pack of amateur networkers.
The inspiration for this article also came from a conversation with a MindSpring reader who responded to my last article.
See you at the COSE Small Business Conference 10/22 – 23, where you can all practice your networking skills.
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COSE MindSpring Networking Expert Phil Stella runs Effective Training & Communication, Inc. and is a resource for business people who want to communicate – and network - with more power and success. Contact him at (440) 449-0356, etcpjs@aol.com.
