Follow Up with New People

I have been actively networking now for almost a year. When I say actively, I mean going out to meet people with the intention of branding myself and getting my name propagated through the local community.  I usually engage one to three people at an event with meaningful conversation.  Not just the "Hi, my name is..." spiel, but actually find out a little about that person and tell that person a little bit about you.  The next key step is to ask for their business card, not hard to do at all.  Example, "Can I get your card?" does the trick.  And, since I knew I was going to meet at least one to three people, I always remember to take my cards.  I tell people, "let's swap cards, it'll be fun."  The humor people like and it makes me stick out in their minds more than the other guy.

Now you have their pertinent information and other people know more about you and what you are doing.  Go another step and reinforce what "you" do to then again.  Send a personalized email to your new contact and mention some of the things that the two of you discussed in the initial meeting.  That will reinforce who you are and again reinforce what you do. (That is because you talked about what you do in some form or fashion when the two of you first met, right!?!)  Go another step and look for that new contact on LinkedIn.  Connect with them via LinkedIn because this is the social site for professionals.  When sending over that "join my network" invite be sure to include some sort of personalized message.  Mention something from the conversation at the initial meeting and DO NOT just send the generic statement.  Just sending the generic message shows you are not truly looking to meet and interact with other people, but trying to grow a "friend" list.  Be sincere and it will go a long way to win the hearts and affection of others.

Lastly, networking is an on-going project that can take several years to see benefit from.  Be patient and enjoy meeting new people.  Sharing ideas and having a sounding board for new ideas will benefit a career and a business to no end.