Posts Tagged ‘Follow up’

Automate Your Follow Up

Monday, May 7th, 2012

Isn’t being too busy to follow up a terrible problem to have?

Actually it is. When you’re too busy to follow up, you’re not on people’s radar screens and today’s busy turns into tomorrow’s slow down. I was meeting with a client recently who had fallen into that situation. She needed an easy way to stay “top of mind” with her referral partners, and she wasn’t interested in using social media or creating a newsletter. That was kind of too bad because both of those are good ways to “drip” on her contacts.

So we had to get more creative. I suggested SendOutCards, but not sending out just any cards. She’s a voracious reader, so I suggested she send out quarterly cards with books she’d read. Each card could have the book cover on the front, and the message would be a short review of the book. She loved the idea, and immediately started creating her card calendar for the rest of the week.

It’s different, fun and useful. (I told her I’d be delighted to get a card like that.) And the best part? She can automate it. Each quarter, she can sit down, create the card and schedule them to go out. She can stagger them throughout the quarter, if she’d like. And once they are scheduled, she can go back about her business, confident that she’s top of mind in her network.

The best follow up systems are the ones that don’t take too much time and effort and don’t rely on us remembering stuff when we’re busy. I think this system will work really well for her.

So get creative and have fun with your follow up!

Anyone else have a good follow up tip?

Oh, and feel free to steal the book review card idea. Just make sure you put me on your list!

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Referrals | Comments Off

Networking and Dating

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012

Yesterday being Valentine’s Day made me think about networking and dating. They really are very similar.

When you go out for your first date, you wonder if everything’s going to work out. Will you like each other? Will you have anything in common? Will you meet again?

Think about it. Kind of like your first networking meeting, right? You ask yourself very similar questions and have similar anxieties.

But where dating gets it right and networking generally gets it wrong is in the follow up. If you like someone on a first date, you want to see the person again, right?

Too often in networking, one meeting is all we get. We meet, we decide to refer each other, and that’s it. Maybe we’ll run into each other at a networking event, but most of the time, single one to one meeting is it.

And that’s wrong. One meeting isn’t enough to decide “I want to marry this person.” And it isn’t enough to create a foundation for a good networking relationship.

So what to do? Obviously, there aren’t enough hours in a week to meet with all our referral partners as often as we would meet a new significant other. But there are options.

1. Meet at networking events
2. Plan and implement co-branded marketing campaigns
3. Plan and schedule a presentation together
4. Schedule a dinner at your home for all your best referral partners.

Those are just a few ideas. Anyone want to share more great follow up ideas? Let’s learn from Valentine’s Day and romance. Follow up is ongoing! Just like dating.

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Tags: , ,
Posted in Networking | Comments Off

Customer Service and Referral Follow Up

Monday, November 7th, 2011

Yeah, they are sort of related.

If you’ve been reading this blog, you know that follow up is one of the most important elements of a good networking strategy. Customer service is another piece of following up. I had a couple of good experiences recently, and I wanted to share them as illustrations.

1. Referral Follow Up

I recently had the make the phone call you never want to make. I had to call a friend to tell her the referral she’d made for me had gone south. The person she referred completely dropped the ball, and I hated to tell her, but she needed to know.

Her response to me? “I’ll get on it right away, call him and see what I can do.”

Awesome! It’s exactly the right way to handle it. She didn’t make excuses for him. She did ask me a few questions to make sure she understood the situation, and off she went. Now, we’ll see if her butt kicking has any effect. ;)

2. Sales Follow Up

In another example, I was having trouble with logging in to my account for a particular service. Keep in mind that this is a network marketing type company, so my salesperson was just that, sales. He doesn’t know or get into the technical side. He wants me to order product so he gets his cut.

But he’s a good guy, and I thought maybe I was making a simple mistake, so I called him. He tried to troubleshoot. No good. Did he tell me to call customer service and see if they could help me? No, he went one better than that. He called customer service himself and set up a three-way call.

Awesome service! I felt special and cared for, and he learned valuable information in case another client calls with the same problem.

That’s how it’s done, folks.

When you pass a referral, do your best to make sure it all works out. You can’t make people do their jobs, but you can and should touch base with all parties to make sure everything went smoothly.

When you’ve sold a product, even if you’re not responsible for fulfillment, ordering and all that, it’s still good to maintain contact with the customer. Setting up a three-way call is an excellent way to ensure everything goes smoothly.

Anyone else have a good follow up story to share?

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Tags: , ,
Posted in Referrals | 3 Comments »

5 Tips For Making the Most From a Conference

Monday, March 21st, 2011

I taught a class last week to participants of the Veterans in Business Conference. I was giving them tips on how to prepare and get the most from an all-day conference. Here are some of the tips that resonated and might be useful for you when preparing for a conference or trade show.

1. Planning In Advance

I spent most of the class on this topic. Too many people pay money and spend a day (or days) at a conference and never plan their goals. No wonder they come back thinking it hadn’t been a good use of that time or money.

Before attending a conference, write down several specific goals. Do you want to meet a specific number of people? Perhaps a workshop will give you continuing education credits. Or maybe you are looking for ideas and best practices. Make sure you write them down and refer back to your goals periodically to ensure you are on track.

2. Business Cards

Bring lots. And I mean lots, like 50 for each each day of the conference. Then there’s no chance you’ll run out and look unprofessional.

3. Listen and Ask Questions

This is a common theme when I talk about networking, and it’s true here too. The more you listen when you talk to people, the more everyone will get from the interaction. Maybe you can help someone meet his conference goal. Or you can make some connections. Being a good listener will make you memorable and easier to follow up with in the future.

4. Introvert or Extrovert?

I got some laughs from this one, but it’s important. Introverts make better listeners, so you’ll do that piece well, but we introverts get tired easily in crowds, so we have to remember to schedule time to recharge alone.

Extroverts have plenty of energy and feed off being in a crowd. But you aren’t as good at listening, and you might flit from conversation to conversation, gathering cards but not starting any meaningful relationships. Remember to take a deep breath every so often and remind yourself to listen.

5. Follow Up

Of course you know you need to follow up, but do you schedule time to do it? I recommend you clear your calendar for the morning after the conference. Give yourself time to categorize business cards, prioritize follow up and then actually do it.

It will take longer than you think. At a minimum, I’d suggest blocking out two hours.

Anyone else have any good tips to add?

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Tags: , ,
Posted in Networking | 2 Comments »

Follow Up After Getting the Job

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

If you’ve been reading the posts in this series, you know about the importance of networking for your next job. I’ve given you some concrete steps you can follow to land that next perfect job.

But what about after you land? Many people stop networking then. If you read Chris Cook’s guest post from yesterday, you probably have some idea that stopping would be a mistake. He wrote about some good steps to follow and activities to engage in, but I want to go more in depth on follow up.

I talked to someone yesterday who’d been in HR for years. She told me that she, of all people, should have known about the importance of networking, but while she was on the job, she connected with the people in her circle and very few others. That’s the temptation you will face when you land your next job.

No, you don’t need to network with the same intensity, but you do need to keep in contact with your connections, and you should seek to add to them.

I send out a email each month about my upcoming Netmasters presentation. A (former) job seeker I met last year responds each month to tell me he can’t attend, but he’d like to stay on the list. It’s a simple thing, but I hear from him very regularly. If he needs a job in the future, he’ll always be fresh in my mind. I know what kinds of jobs he’s looking for, and if something comes my way, who do you think I’ll talk to first?

There’s no reason you can’t come up with a quarterly newsletter about yourself, what you are up to, new people you’ve met, etc. Send it to your contacts. It will keep your information fresh in their minds. Believe me, I’d rather get that newsletter rather than the endless “buy my product” or “sign up for my webinar” emails I delete daily.

Make a point of having lunch with two people a month. It’s not much time, but it will keep you out there. Alternate between someone you know and a new contact. Adding 12 new people to your network each year may not sound like much, but you’ll be surprised how much you’ll benefit when you need it.

Maintain the social networks you established on the search. Keep tweeting or answering questions on LinkedIn groups. Again, it keeps your profile fresh and your name in front of people.

No need to spend 30-40 hours a week networking while you have a job, but do your best to find, say 20 hours a month. It will significantly reduce the time you spend ramping up your next job search.

Anyone else have suggestions for ways to stay in touch while you’re working?

Thanks for reading this series. I hope it’s been helpful.

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Tags: ,
Posted in Networking | Comments Off

What Is Follow Up?

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

That may sound like too obvious a question, but it came up recently in an email exchange with a contact.

In the exchange, I was using “follow up” to mean touching base with anyone from a potential client to the guy I met at a networking event last night. The other person was using it just to mean staying in touch with clients and prospects.

Both are valid definitions. Depending on your business, follow up may even mean something slightly different. Understanding exactly what follow up means to you will help define your strategy.

If you are like me, you need to stay in touch with a lot of people, on a regular basis. I use lots of tools, including social media and an e-newsletter, to keep on top of it. I would hope that any of you reading this keep in touch with a variety of people.

But what if your primary follow up is with clients and prospects? Does that change your strategy?

I think it changes it a little bit. My follow up can be free form. When I think of someone, I can touch that person. I don’t necessarily require a schedule. I do try to create an action plan of follow up immediately after a one on one meeting, but once that’s accomplished, I don’t need a specific plan.

If you are following up with prospects, an action plan after each touch is extremely important. If you and the other party mutually agree on the next action, it makes it much easier on both of you. Each knows what to expect, and neither of you feel like the interaction is another way of saying “Ready to buy yet?”

Always keep your follow up goals clearly in mind. Let those goals guide your strategy, and it will feel more natural to all involved.

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Tags: ,
Posted in General | 1 Comment »

Top 10 Networking Mistakes

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

I saw a couple of really good ones last week, and I decided it was time to do a Top 10 post on them. I’m sure there are ones I’ve missed, so please add yours in the comments.

10. Being inconsistent in image

This is a tricky one because it covers a couple of areas. One is being one person in one place or with certain people and presenting a drastically different image somewhere else.

The other way this manifests itself is in representing multiple businesses and not doing it well. In fact, doing it in a way that people think “Who are you today?”

There are effective ways to network multiple businesses, and I’ll cover them in an upcoming post.

9. Hanging with your friends

In large part, networking is about meeting new people. Yes, you need to deepen existing relationships, and reconnecting with people at networking events is a good way to do that. But spending an entire event talking to people you already know isn’t going to get you in front of new people.

8. Not describing yourself well

I did a post on this a while back. Not much more to say here except that if you can’t tell us who you are and what you’re looking for, we can’t be much help to you.

7. Too absorbed with food

Kind of like hanging with your friends. If your hands are full of food, it’s hard to be inviting. Greasy hands do not make fun shaking. And fumbling with food and business cards does not impress anyone. I suggest eating before the event and having only one hand full, preferably with a drink, not food.

6. Not evaluating your venue

Some events are good for you. Some aren’t. You need to evaluate your venues on a regular basis to be certain you are networking in the right places to meet your goals. Don’t just keep going to an event because you feel you “should.” Go because it works for you in some meaningful way. I think I can write a good post on that one too. Look for it soon.

5. Not having business cards

Last week at an event, I was introduced to someone who was supposed to be a fabulous networker. Naturally, I wanted to follow up with him so I asked for his business card. He “ran out at an event that morning.” I met him at 7:00 in the evening. No cards in his car? Really, no time to run back to the office to restock? I wasn’t impressed.

4. Being a networking horror

The networking horror is the person who makes you want to run away when he or she sees you across the room. I did a complete post on this syndrome last year. Read it for more details.

This is my favorite, and so I thought about making it number 1. But it isn’t, quite.

3. Not listening

Another big one and a good contender for number 1. If you don’t listen, you can’t learn about the other person, and you may seriously put your foot in your mouth. Remember the guy with no business cards? Well, he lectured me for several minutes on ways to grow my business. Most of them involved strategies I coach my clients in. He might not have lectured if he’d asked first what I did. Or asked if I wanted a lecture. Because I realized I could use him in a blog post, I was amused instead of offended. But what part of being a “great networker” involved not listening first?

2. Not giving

This one can be tough. It’s a fine line between good giving and giving away the farm. But we remember most the people who helped us. So develop a giving mentality. Bob Burg says it better than me in Go-Givers Sell More. Read the book if you haven’t yet.

So what’s number 1? Glad you asked.

1. No follow up

You can do all the other ones right and still shoot yourself in the foot by not following up. Meeting new people, listening and being willing to give do you no good if you don’t follow up on your commitments or stay in touch with the new people you’ve met. Persistence and good follow up strategies are the key to success for all salespeople, business owners and job seekers.

Remember the guy with no business cards? He took mine and promised to follow up with me for coffee. Guess what? I’m still waiting.

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Networking | 3 Comments »

Verizon Gets Social Media

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

A couple of months ago, I blogged on my Battle With Verizon and trying to get DSL back. Today I want to do a follow up post about their response through social media to my recent FIOS install.

Our install was scheduled for last Friday, the first day of what came to be called Snowmageddon in the DC Metro area. I was not expecting our install tech to show up. But he did. On time, and he was in and out quickly.

By the way, if you’re going to be snowed in for a weekend, fast broadband is a very nice thing to have.

I tweeted about Verizon’s commitment to our install, even in bad weather. They responded promptly. Someone really pays attention to their mention stream.

Here was our exchange that day:

Me: @Verizon has my respect today. #snowmageddon and all, but our FIOS tech is here to install!

Verizon: @1to1Discovery That’s great news! Let us kno if u have any ?s after the install ^CP

Me: @VerizonSupport FIOS installed. Working great. The speed is amazing! Netflix has never loaded/buffered so fast.

Verizon: @1to1Discovery Gotta love it! Enjoy the service, and if u ever have any ?s let us know! ^CP

That was pretty cool, I thought. But it didn’t stop there.

Yesterday, they sent me another message

@1to1Discovery Hey Juli – how did the FiOS install go?

Very cool! They remembered and followed up several days later.

We finished the exchange thusly:

Me: @Verizon Install was very smooth. Took only 1 1/2 hours. Thanks for checking!

Verizon: @1to1Discovery Of course! Happy to have you as a FiOS customer.

Excellent use of Twitter to monitor and offer help if I needed it.

I had been very unhappy with the DSL experience. But lots of people had told me FIOS was better, so we decided to give Verizon one more chance. They have redeemed themselves in my eyes.

Anyone else have a good story of a company using social media for customer service? Good or bad, share in the comments.

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in social media | Comments Off

Social Media Follow Up After an Event

Friday, January 22nd, 2010

Yesterday we discussed methods to follow up after an event. I covered the standard, phone, email or snail mail.

But what about social media? It’s all the rage. Does it have a role in follow up?

Yes and no.

It can be used to schedule follow up meetings. I’ve used it that way before with someone who seems to prefer Twitter to email. When I got a response back from a direct message days ahead of an email response, I got the hint.

Follow up after a tweet-up or other social media event makes a lot of sense to be done through social media. But I would check first. Not everyone on Twitter or Facebook checks frequently enough throughout the day to make it useful.

Where social media excels is in researching the person you just met. Some basic research can make your follow up more targeted and personal.

I met someone last week at an event. We had agreed I would shoot him an email to schedule something. In the first exchange, his signature line showed he had published a book. I clicked through the link and poked around. Turned out the link to buy his book on Borders was a dead link. I made a point of telling him that in my next email.

Guess who just established herself as a thorough person who cares? And I found a good book to read. If only the darn thing was in e-format! Ah well, can’t have everything.

Checking someone’s website isn’t exactly using social media, but the same principles apply. Looking for a Facebook fan page or a Twitter account can give you some good information about the other person. It can give you an opening conversational topic that is more interesting than the weather.

I once used social media to check on someone I was going to meet at an event. I knew he was potentially a good contact, and I wanted to have more to say to him than “want to meet for coffee.” I really liked some of the things I found, and based on my research, I was able to give him a quick testimonial to someone else at the event.

Think he was willing to meet with me?

There’s a lot of information out there. Used wisely, it can shorten the time to build a “know, like and trust” relationship with a new contact.

By the way, this is my 100th post. I almost can’t believe I’ve had that much to write. And I still have lots of post ideas sitting in Evernote waiting to be written. Not running out of ideas any time soon!

Thanks to everyone who has read and commented. You’re the reason I’ll be writing 100 more. And another 100 after that!

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Tags: ,
Posted in social media | Comments Off

When and How to Follow Up After a Networking Event

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

Yesterday, I said I’d write more about effective follow up after an event.

Two questions I am frequently asked are:

1. How soon after an event should I follow up?
2. How should I follow up? Email, phone call, etc?

The answer to the first one is easy. As soon as possible, but no more than 24-48 hours afterward. I do make an exception for Friday events. I’m a big believer in setting work and personal boundaries, and I’ll never think less of someone if they wait until Monday or Tuesday to follow up after a Friday event.

Why so soon? The answer should be obvious, but considering how many people don’t follow up promptly, it must not be. The sooner you follow up, the more likely someone is to remember you and what you had talked about.

It also shows commitment and good organization. If I refer you to someone, I expect you’ll contact the referral as soon as possible. If you can’t contact me promptly after an event, you’ve already damaged your credibility.

So we are in agreement that sooner is better, right? Which brings us to the how. Should you email the new contact? Call him? Send a snail mail card?

All good questions. And the answer is, “It depends.” No really. It does.

I hear a lot of discussion around this one. Some people say you should always use email for convenience. Others say email is highly overused, and you should always pick up the phone. I don’t disagree that email is both convenient and overused, but people are individuals. What works for one won’t always work for someone else.

Take me. I prefer an email follow up. I’m not a slave to my phone. I spend a lot of time in meetings or writing (like now). I frequently can’t or don’t want to answer my phone. Calling me can lead to endless voice mail tag. Who wants that? So I always tell people it’s better to email me first. If we need to talk by phone, we can set a mutually convenient time.

Someone else may have an Inbox that is always overflowing and the thought of one more email to deal with is on par with getting a root canal. He wishes people would just call him.

See why one size doesn’t fit all?

So how do you know? Easy. Ask. When you exchange cards at an event, make a commitment as to how you will follow up. Ask if the other person prefers email or a phone call. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen the look of relief in the other person’s eyes when I’ve asked that. Whatever method they request I know is going to be the best one.

And if I use the preferred method, I’ve just about guaranteed I won’t get blown off.

What if someone says, “I’ll call you tomorrow,” and you’d rather get an email? Just say so. You both will appreciate it, and it starts the relationship off the right way.

What about snail mail? It’s good for a “glad to have met you” message if there was no specific commitment set to follow up later. It’s terrible for setting up a meeting. Handwritten cards, however, do get saved and displayed on my microwave for a couple of days. Just saying.

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Networking Events | 1 Comment »