It wasn't because I was bumping with my smartphone or using Google Glass to identify worthy prospects with face-recognition programming. It wasn't even because I wanted to save trees. I simply found a more effective way to engage with people I met. Often, when I meet with people, they ask me for a card. At this point, I know they have some interest in what I have to say or sell. I tell them I don't carry cards, but if they give me their email address, I will send them my contact info.
I also ask them if I can send them an interesting link as well. So far, I have never been refused. Either I take their card, write down the address , or have them email me from their smart phone on the spot.
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I always follow up with an email within a few days after the event. You have the opportunity to make a real, lasting impression and develop a relationship. Here are three ways to keep things moving forward:. Send something truly useful. Once you have started a relationship, the surest way to end it is by sending high-pressure sales material. Instead, send the person content you know will have real educational value. If you don't have any, create some. I usually send a popular column of mine , or a book link for an interesting author we may have discussed.
Regardless, I make sure the first communication gives someone a reason to communicate again. So many emails are boring and dry. Show some personality in your communication. This will help your new contact connect your correspondence with who you are. Give the person a reason to smile. People do business with people they like. Help him or her like you. For example, I used to host a networking and education event each week. It was always on the same day of the week at the same time.
We would arrange a speaker, go through the steps to qualify the presentation for continuing education credit, etc. We would serve wine and light refreshments. That way, whenever I met someone, I could tell them about the events and promise to send them an invitation. Doing this does a couple of important things. First, it creates an agenda for the relationship. Your follow-up communication can revolve around that purpose.
Also, it helps you triage your follow up. There will be times, for example, large conferences, when you meet so many people that it is impractical to follow-up with everyone at once. Then, when they show up to your event, you can target them for one-on-one follow up. Lastly, it gives you a way to stay connected with people who may not be an ideal fit. If your business model or budget makes it difficult to host an in-person event, you could still do the same thing through an online meetup, a conference call, or just about anything that brings people together in an interactive way.
6 Critical Steps for Collecting Business Cards
To make the point, this is not inviting someone to sign up for a newsletter or some other form of nurture campaign. It needs to be something that allows actual interaction so you can create a live human connection. Of course, you will meet some people you want to connect with immediately. There is some urgency or importance that suggests a one-to-one meeting is needed. Really, you just need to have some sort of short-format and long-format introductory meeting.
I recommend this approach because it lets you create a loose-format agenda that you can.
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In those cases, you might consider having some sort of premium you can send to people. Instead, this should be the most appropriate next step after a first meeting. It might be an e-book, a checklist, a guide, etc. Whatever you decide, it needs to be something you can work into a conversation naturally. But we met at a sporting event and had a great conversation about our mutual love for baseball.
In that context, it was just weird. Maybe have several different things you might send. You can use Tags to trigger your next step. But, I prefer and recommend that you use Templated Notes. That lets you add more information and store it in the contact record.
And you can still use Notes to trigger a campaign or follow-up sequence. Also, consider a post-meeting follow-up campaign. Have one for each potential outcome —e. You can trigger each of those follow-ups with a different Note Template, which could be applied at the conclusion of the meeting. Is there someone in your network that would be a good fit for this person? Do you have some resource they could benefit from?
Obviously, the range of options here is endless and depends on the individual. You always want to look for ways to take someone outside the ordinary, generic box and treat them as a unique human being. For example, my own list includes my religion, my sports interests, my hobbies, etc. When I meet someone who has one of these traits in common, I make a note of it on the back of their business card.
Dan Norris
That way, if I have something to share—e. Then, when you have something significant to say on a topic, you can do a quick search and send a broadcast email. Take the time at the event to get them into your system.
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If you are not already using the Infusionsoft app on your smartphone, get it right now. When you collect a new business card, use the Infusionsoft app to take a picture. When the card is ready for review, you can approve it, and then apply the tags from the steps above. That will kick off the appropriate marketing campaigns and sequences. If you collect a business card with information on both sides, ask for two cards.
Place the cards on a table so you can see both sides—e. Turn the camera sideways and capture both sides of the card at the same time. Make sure that you ask permission to send emails. By the way, step two is a great way to set up that question. When you meet someone new, you want to respond right away. Brevity and sincerity are the keys here. Just say it was a pleasure meeting him and that you look forward to getting to know him more in the future.
Working the room: how to network effectively
Make sure that you have a complete and up-to-date LinkedIn profile and invite the person to connect with you on social media. There is nothing wrong with sending this introductory email as part of an automated marketing campaign. However, use a plain template for your email.