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7.4. Networking - Don't Forget
To Follow-Up |
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Written by: KATHYE KOCHANOWSKI |
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So you’ve attended a networking event, and have come back with a stack
of business cards but now what? Now is the time for action! |
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| If you accumulate business cards and have no urgency, you will find yourself in a cold call situation where the prospect will not remember you or your conversation. That defeats the whole purpose of obtaining that business card in the first place! |
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Let’s start at the beginning. You receive information about a new prospect. This information
is obtained either from a referral source (see the Channel Partners article for more on this),
or directly from the prospect him/herself. In either case, be sure to gather as much
information about the prospect as possible, but at the very least, make sure you have a
way to reach out to that person againeither by phone or email. |
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If you received a business card from the prospect, following the conversation, make notes
on the card itself regarding what you discussed. If you didn’t obtain a business card, try to
jot down notes as soon after the conversation as possible so nothing is forgotten. |
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Try to discover how you can help the prospect in your initial conversation. Doing so will give
you a legitimate reason to follow up with them and
immediately establishes the usefulness
of your new relationship. |
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After that first follow up, don’t get lazy and forget to nurture the relationship. An excellent way
to stay on top of your follow ups is to utilize a Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Software. CRM Software will be discussed further in another article. |
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| Kathye Kochanowski |
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A degree in Economics with a focus in International Studies from Lawrence
University. She is a Marketing and Sales consultant for Clear Biz, focusing
on their expansion into the United States. |
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