Follow Up Etiquette
by Judy Austin
Someone
asked me recently, “When I’ve met a new contact at a networking event
that I wish to stay in touch with, what is the proper follow up
etiquette?” I live by the Golden Rule – “treat others as I would like to be treated”.
What this means to me is simply – be respectful of their time and intelligence. No one has time to read a three or four paragraph letter or email, or listen to a 5 minute voice mail. Nor, do they wish to immediately receive your sales and marketing materials without knowing that you remember meeting them. While
networking is a tool used by many salespeople to further their career,
leaving the sales pitch out of your initial follow up will help the
relationship go further, faster.
Follow up etiquette follows the same basic rules as business writing, with just a few specific nuances.
1. Use a notecard whenever possible. It only takes 3-5 minutes to handwrite a note and the impression will be deeper and last substantially longer. Four sentences should do it:
a. Thank them for their time and state that you enjoyed meeting them
b. Remind them where you met – this can be combined with #1 when appropriate
c. Reference your conversation – one element only
d. Wrap up with an offer to meet again or be of service
2. If a notecard is not available, or if the individual mentioned email being the best way to make contact, do so. Use the same format as #1.
3. It’s tempting with email to attach your company brochure or, to use your “prospecting letter”. We advise against this for the initial follow up. Keep the initial communiqué short, concise and focused on reconnecting with them.
4. If the person requested additional information about your business or company, send it under separate cover. Let the notecard or email stand on it’s own as a true “thank you”.
5. Timeliness is critical! If you meet someone and don’t follow up within 24-48 hours, they will likely have a hard time remembering you. Don’t waste your valuable networking efforts – follow up quickly to help solidify the relationship immediately.
6. Don’t forget the telephone! If you’ve made a strong connection with a new contact and they’ve agreed to begin the relationship quickly, make a phone call.
a. If you get voice mail – don’t be long-winded… use the same 4 points discussed in #1 to leave a short and concise “thank you” on their voice mail. Leave your name and phone number twice – at the beginning and, again, at the end.
b. If you speak directly to them… GREAT! Set a time to get together again. But, be mindful of their time.
As
you can see, etiquette for following up an initial meeting is quite
simple and doesn’t need to take a great deal of time; even to do it
right. A couple of good resources for business writing can be found at Amazon.com; they are:
1. Get to the Point, by Elizabeth Danziger
2. E-writing: 21st Century Tools for Effective Communication, by Dianna Booher (I’ve seen her speak – she’s amazingly talented!)
3.
The Business Style Handbook: An A-to-Z Guide for Writing on the Job
with Tips from Communications Experts at Fortune 500 Companies, by
Helen Cunningham
Copyright © 2005 Strategic
Business Network. All rights reserved. You may copy or distribute this article
or any of its contents providing this copyright notice and full information
about contacting the author are attached. Contact Judy by e-mail at
judy@strategicbusinessnetwork.com or by telephone at (615) 474-1952.
