Staying in Touch With Your Weak-tie Contacts

Our professional relationships are never built solely on business matters. We ask people about their day, they ask us about vacation plans. This inevitable small talk leads to strengthening the connection. However, like any other communication line, professional one needs fuel. If you stay in the shadows long enough, you risk being forgotten, and when the right opportunity comes, it might pass you by. So to have a successful relationship, you need to keep in touch.

Even if you meet in person, chances are, you’ve exchanged contact information. Sometimes it’s a phone number, other times — a twitter handle or permission to add someone on LinkedIn. And the rules for either of these occasions differ. How soon do you contact a person, why do you call them, do you send a holiday card?

Circumstances of the meeting

Most of the answers would depend on the circumstances of your meeting. If there is something in particular that you have discussed or something you promised to do, it would be polite to make contact asap. If the meeting happened during the weekend, the most appropriate time would be Monday morning.

In case no promises have been made, and there is no urgency, it’s still best to follow up within 24 hours. Job search expert Alison Doyle writes in her article

“By following up, you solidify your relationship with that person. Following up also gives you a chance to ask a particular question, or even arrange a time to meet one-on-one.”

She recommends mentioning a previous conversation so that the other person could recognize you, and offering help before asking for a favor.

Even if everything goes successfully, you still have to maintain the relationship, so a holiday card or a call is always a good way to go. Don’t be too persistent, but don’t disappear without a trace.

Phone etiquette

It used to be much easier to find an appropriate moment to call someone. But now, when the phone is your most usable device, timing issues have become more common.

According to an analysis of calling data made by Dr. James Oldroyd, the best time to make business calls is between 8 am and 10 am, or 4 pm and 6 pm on a weekday. The window between 11 am and 3 pm is the least acceptable one, as this time is normally associated with lunch.

If you decide to make a phone call, you always should ask if the other person can speak right now, and then keep the conversation quick and simple. If there is one thing efficient people dislike, it’s those who waste their valuable time.

In fact, it’s never a good idea to overstay your welcome, and distract someone from other matters. That’s why it’s more convenient to use social platforms, and messengers to build relationships and allow people to communicate at the most comfortable pace.

A few tips from customer service could be applied here as well:

• Introduce yourself right away
• Speak clearly
• Be mindful of your volume

Netiquette

Online relationships allow us to be quicker. You can add someone right after the meeting, and you don’t necessarily need an invitation to do so. Accepting online friendship doesn’t obligate you to do anything.

There are several forms of necessary online communications, that define a professional relationship between weak-ties.

• Event-related — i.e., congratulations or condolences.
• Comments and discussions in the comment section
• Personal messages and private conversations.

While the latter mostly depends on the communication style that’s been mutually accepted, the two more public ones have to be polite and respectful. Remember, that your behavior reflects not just on your image, but on how your acquaintance’s friends and colleagues perceive them. It also may help you get noticed by other people. So don’t be afraid to get involved in a conversation if you have something useful to contribute.

Communication is a powerful tool for learning how to be humble yet polite. Connect.Club allows users to meet new people in a comfortable atmosphere, and exchange knowledge on networking.