How many times do you go to networking meetings each week? At each meeting you’re likely to see twenty people or more. Over the course of a month you might have made over a hundred contacts. But how do you know who will buy from you? Do you need a Focus Guru Power Hour to help build an efficient and effective follow up system?
It’s not as complicated as you might think. Some of the clients I’ve worked with are amazed how easy it is to connect with people from meetings they attended today, last week or even last year. It’s never too late to follow up.
If it’s that easy, why don’t more people do it?
If it’s that easy, why don’t more people follow up after a meeting? Have they sold a product or service to everyone in the room? Has everyone bought from them already? Are they too busy? Or are they procrastinating, thinking it’s too difficult, too complicated, or not going to make a difference?
With only a small percentage of people following up from a meeting I can guarantee it will make a difference. The simple act of sending a message, email or card to someone you met at a networking meeting shows your attention to detail and that you care about them as a person.
I explain more about this in my Focus Guru Power Hour, showing you efficient systems and software you can implement to simplify your follow up process and to make it much more effective.
These are three of my top tips to help you get started:
Follow up Tip 1 – Make a note of who was at the meeting
When you make a written record of who attended the networking meeting it’s much easier to remember who you have met. I recommend making a note of each person’s first and last name, their company name, email address, website and a summary of the products and services they offer.
If you can also collect any extra information, such as their location, dog’s name, favourite car, last holiday, or other detail, this can kickstart a conversation in the future.
Follow up Tip 2 – Connect with the attendees via social media
Don’t wait for other people to connect with you. Be proactive and send a greeting. Ask to connect with each person via LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If you don’t know what to write, try using these template messages (you can copy/paste or change the text):
“Hi, It was great to meet you today. I’m sorry we didn’t get to chat in the meeting, would you like to arrange a 121 to share more about what you do?”
Or, if you had a 121 and want to continue the conversation, try this instead:
“Hi, It was great to meet you today. I enjoyed our 121 chat during the meeting, and I would like to continue our conversation. Would you like to arrange another 121 with me this week?”
If you wish to personalise the message, include their name and the meeting you both attended.
Follow up Tip 3 – Be proactive and arrange the follow up call
After sending your connection requests and receiving the replies, now is the time to arrange those follow up calls. One of the popular methods for keeping control of your time whilst making yourself available for clients and prospective clients is to use an online calendar appointment booking app such as Calendly.
With Calendly you choose when you’re available and send a link for people to book your time. You may find this uncomfortable at first, but the app provides a structure to arrange your working hours. Booking specific timeslots helps you and the caller to focus on the call objectives, whether to get to know each other better, to arrange a future meeting, or to close a sale.
Bonus Tip
Remember, the follow up conversation isn’t supposed to be a sales call. The purpose is to get to know the other person and turn a stranger into a friend. If this sounds odd or unfamiliar remember the saying that “people buy from people they like, know and trust”.
If you’d like to find out more about follow up calls, how to record prospective customer details, how to set up Calendly, or any stage of the follow up process, please book a free 15 minute call let’s get started.
Rachael Chiverton, Focus Guru – Giving You Your Time, Your Way, with No Squirrels!