Business Networking - following up
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This document provides a step-by-step guide for following up with contacts made at networking events. It recommends entering contact information into a CRM system, engaging with contacts on social media and through calls, creating an editorial calendar to share relevant content, emailing your contact list regularly, looking for signs that contacts may need your services on social media, providing small gifts with your contact information, and following up through calls to maintain relationships over time in order to be top of mind when contacts need services.
Business Networking - following up
- 1. Following up after networking events A short step by step guide to making sure that every networking contact is followed up - successfully by, Stef Thomas noredbraces.co.uk
- 2. You’ve gotta have a system As soon as you get back from a networking event, enter every card into your CRM system. Wait - you don’t have a CRM and you’re running a business? Get it sorted. I use Nimble, but there are plenty of alternatives. Applications such as Evernote Hello even allow you to scan the card using your phone, you don’t even have to do any typing.
- 3. Engage Start talking to people. In the olden days this would be with regular ‘phone calls. You can now use social media as well. AND REMEMBER - talk to them about what they’re interested in, don’t just try to sell.
- 4. Editorial calendar Produce and circulate interesting content about what you do. If you deal in technology, keep people up to date with tech stuff relevant to them, including letting them know if new viruses are out that need to be dealt with, or when new major updates are out there. Make an editorial calendar months in advance - just a simple spreadsheet broken down week by week.
- 5. Start farming your list Email content to people on your list. Keep those regular, automated updates going out to them as well as the personal ‘chat’ through social media and the ‘phone. Either learn to use Email newsltter software, or get someone on board to do it for you. Julian Wellings of Expertise on Tap is THE guy for this.
- 6. In between that useful information Make sure you let people know how you can help. As well as useful information keep them up to date with your products and services.
- 7. Look for buying signals on social Now you’re keeping in touch with people, you will become aware of what they are doing, as they will be talking about it on social media. When someone posts they’re moving office - do they need new PCs? Have you asked? Complaining that their laptop keeps dying - have you offered to help? They’re business is growing - do they need to upgrade their kit?
- 8. Give them something of little cost - and great value You’re the sort of service that people buy in an emergency, so you want your contact details to be right in front of them. In November, see about getting laminated or magnetic calendars for the next year, with your contact details on them. Major sporting events - can you supply personalised calendars? Anything to go on people’s desks with “PC says no, give me a go?” and your number on there?
- 9. And pick up the bloody phone When you’ve got nothing better to do, call the people you’ve met in the past and just chat. Ask them how they are doing. Ask them about new services you’re thinking of and get their advice. But take every opportunity to keep in touch.
- 10. Rinse and repeat Once you’ve done all of this, go back to the beginning and do it all again. Following up is a constant, relentless process of making sure that at the point at which people need you, they remember you.
- 11. DFS DFS spend all their time constantly reminding you that they sell cheap sofas. That way, when you want to buy a sofa, you will think of them. You have to do the same with your prospects.