I will be eternally grateful for your great gift of taking in to the fullest extent what it is that I
have to offer, living it, and then reflecting it back in terms of the potential experience of others.
You have given words to a process that defies words. And you’re constantly in a position to help
me continue to hone that, deeper and deeper and more and more resonantly, who I am and what I offer,
which is truly invaluable. — Jon Hansen, 
What you’ve sent me is so darn perfect it hurts! It’s a sheer pleasure to work with someone
who writes as beautifully as you do — and in “my” voice. — Ariane Goodwin, Ed.D,
You have a real gift for words. You’re really, really good at it. — Sherry Essig,
The second-hardest thing to do in networking
I went to a networking event last Wednesday evening. I spoke with various people I know, plus a few who were new to me.
Several of them said they’d be in touch with me about things I can help them with – things they need or want.
One of them has followed up. That’s actually a surprisingly high number. In the networking class I teach (and the networking workbook/audio program I offer), we talk about how only about 7% of people who say they’re going to follow up actually do.
Seven percent!
That’s crazy. And yet, it’s absolutely my experience.
I’ve met job-seekers whom I offered to introduce to someone who absolutely could help them. I’ve offered people free passes to events they wanted to go to. Friends have told me of saying, “Call me – I want to hire you!” to people they’ve met.
And none of those people ever followed up.
Following up is the second-hardest part of networking
It’s bad enough to have to show up, all perky and articulate, in a roomful of strangers. (Especially if you’re an introvert like me!)
But then you get home and you have to sort through a pile of business cards, remember which belonged to whom, and … follow up. Pick up the phone, write the email.
It’s a second round of vulnerability. And you’re not prepared for it.
You prepared yourself to get to the event. And then you relaxed. You didn’t prepare yourself for the second whammy of having to follow up with all those nice strangers you met.
In some ways, it’s even more vulnerable. Sure, walking into a roomful of strangers can feel just a tad nervewracking. But there’s something more at stake when you’re reaching out to a single individual, someone you don’t know, and asking them for something. (And you are asking – even if just for the courtesy of a reply, a few minutes of their time.)
At the risk of sounding like a certain athletic-shoe company … just do it.
You’ll stand out, because you’ll be one of that 7%.
And honestly, if you don’t follow up, you might just as well stay home in the first place.
In my next post, I’ll cover a couple of ways to make it easier to follow up. (You can find that post here.)
Between now and then – why not pick one person you meant to follow up with – and then pick up the phone?
Posted: October 30th, 2009 under Marketing, Networking.
Comments
Comment from
Grace
Time November 2, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Alistair – I think you’ve got an excellent point here. Yes, it’s not seeing it as a step in the process that trips people up. We’re all so wrapped up in getting through the event itself, we forget there’s something else that has to happen afterwards!
I’m glad it was timely for you – and thanks for your comment.
Comment from
Susan Fuller
Time November 3, 2009 at 4:17 pm
In my experience 7% sounds high and I agree you might as well not bother going to the networking event if you’re not going to do this.
Here’s something I did when I was doing a lot of networking events. I would just sent them an email saying how much I enjoyed meeting them and providing anything I had said I’d send (finding something makes contacting them easier). The signature on that email would have a link to my pink spoon offer (freebie for subscribing), and lots of them followed through and subscribed.
Susan
Susan Fuller´s last blog ..New Niche Finder on Stats & Tracking 
Comment from
Grace
Time November 3, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Susan – I tend to agree with you – I’d actually say more like three or four percent! But this was the consensus of several people, so I was overruled.
And yes – that’s a great example of how following up can be incredibly simple and get good results! Thank you!
Comment from Alistair
Time October 31, 2009 at 2:42 pm
That is very true. For lots of things, follow up seems to be where a lot of us fall down. I certainly do. Probably because we don’t identify it as a separate, and just as important, step in the process. Having had a few friends give me some leads on some things I’m interested in at the moment just recently, this is quite timely. At the very least, if I can’t properly follow up, I’ll let them know (but thank them for the lead)…
Thanks for the post.