There is no point attending any networking event if you don’t follow up on any of the contacts that you make. This is one frustration I have with fellow networkers when they don’t bother to follow up – why attend if you don’t want to build a relationship?

However, a lot of people don’t follow up with contacts for a number of reasons but this is something you need to get in the habit of doing so that you can become a great networker.

You must contact people as soon as possible after any event to be effective so a good rule is to contact within 24 hours.

If you really got on with the person you met and felt a connection, call them to reintroduce yourself.  If you don’t like using the phone, email them to say it was great to meet them.  This is your opportunity to do anything you said you were going to do e.g. send information, a contact etc so make sure you do it.

Making contact is one thing that will make you stand out from all the other people they met at the event and means you are now top of mind if they come across a contact who needs your services!

Another way to make contact is to arrange to meet up for what is known in networking circles as a 1 – 1 meeting.  This should be an informal chat, perhaps over coffee, where you learn about each other and start building a business relationship. 

1 – 1 meetings should not be about sales, so keep it relaxed and just ask questions to learn more about the person and the business.  This gets the best results

So, to maximise the results from your networking activities, make sure you contact people after each event and start getting together for informal 1 – 1 meetings.

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