If you are honest with yourself, you likely have a business card collection like the one in the photo here. How does this happen? It happens when we don’t have a strategy for what to do with the business cards that we receive at events that we attend for networking purposes. Without a strategy, the RUBBER BAND strategy gets put into play. Please don’t let this happen to you.
There are several strategies that you can put into play so that you can take proper Action with your follow up.
First, and most important, mark out time on your calendar for follow up. When you mark off time on your calendar for the event, let’s say 11AM to 1:30PM, then also mark off 4PM to 5PM for follow up.
2nd, keep an arsenal of greeting cards available either in your office, or your car and use those for a handwritten note to people that you have designated as the 2 or 3 that you want to follow up with following the event.
3rd, use a system like Card Scan or Neat Receipts to quickly scan the information off of the cards and into your data base so that you can manage your contacts well over time.
4th, remember to keep it simple and about them … not about you. Early follow up should always be in gratitude for the meeting and for the time that they shared with you. Early follow up is about building relationships not about sales.
5th, just go do it! A is for Action. Take action now to follow up with at least one person that you met this week.