The Art of Intentional Business Follow-Ups

5 tips how to make business follow-ups more proactive, timely, and useful

“What a fantastic event! I met a lot of interesting female founders like me.”

“I connected with so many amazing women that I am excited to partner with in the future!”

“This woman I spoke with shared that she had also left her corporate job for freelance. Her understanding really lifted some weight off my shoulders. I hope we are able to stay connected as I move forward with the advice she gave me.”

Happy hours, GUILD meetups, workshops — each of these events lend well to connecting with like-minded women we may not cross paths with in our everyday lives. The more people we meet during a networking event, the more excited we feel about the potential partnerships, clients, and friends that could result from our conversations. The possibilities are endless!

How do you approach following up once the conference or mixer is over?

When you get home, you look at the business cards you have collected through the event to organize them. You know you want to continue your conversation with the woman you talked to about a potential branding project and the woman you bonded with over a shared love of Brené Brown books. Emails and LinkedIn connections along the lines of “Nice to meet you. I hope we can stay in touch in the future.” are a simple way of reconnecting, but ultimately these kinds of messages offer no context or call-to-action.

Other factors can also have an impact on our follow-ups. Many of us have failed to connect after networking due to busy schedules or unplanned circumstances. However, failing to follow-up thoughtfully runs the risk of losing a potentially meaningful connection or a business opportunity.

Intentional follow-ups are just as important as the initial conversation.

By making your follow-ups proactive, timely, and useful, your networking process will lead to more memorable conversations and stronger relationships built over time.

1. As you prepare for your next professional networking event, have a proactive plan for how you will remember the meaningful conversations that you hope to continue. Mark the business cards you collect with context clues including when and where you met the individual, what you spoke about, and why you are particularly excited you met them. These notes will help jog your memory as you are writing your emails or messages later on. Another creative memory trick I’ve come across is Tod Maffin’s card folding method. Take a moment to pull out a pen and mark these reminders down before moving onto your next conversation!
2. Block out an hour of time for follow-ups. Having a designated block of time set in your calendar within 24–48 hours of the event will help keep you accountable for writing all the great women you met and ensure your correspondence is timely. Be sure to add their contact information to your digital address book once you’re done!
3. In your email, frame your message with reminders and a call-to-action. Now is the time to put your notes to use! Remind the recipient who you are and what you spoke about. Even more, show that you appreciated the time they spent talking with you. Show gratitude for any advice they gave you or offer them encouragement in their current endeavor they mentioned. Additionally, include an ask in your message if it is specific and ties into why you are networking. Here you can ask to meet for a coffee to continue your previous conversation and provide potential times and places, but ensure that you are allowing your contact to decide what level of engagement they’d like to have with you.
4. Find creative opportunities to offer value in your message. In other words, follow through on your follow up. During your conversation, did your Brené Brown-loving friend share she was looking for a new co-working space to work out of? Did you hear of a workshop on Bitcoin that would be perfect for the financial analyst you met last week? Being resourceful is a simple way to show your value as a connection in their network. Some resources you can offer are connecting her with someone you talked about, inviting her to an event, or sharing an article with her.
5. Follow-ups do not end once you hit send. One message does not immediately begin a long-term business relationship. Keep in contact if you are committed to building the relationship and spread out your check-ins. Interact with LinkedIn posts, send your connections an email for updates on their ventures, or give a follow on Twitter! Having multiple avenues of information offers quick opportunities to reconnect and spark easy conversation.

Follow-ups shouldn’t feel time-consuming or like additional work.

These messages go hand-in-hand with effective networking and are crucial to relationship development. When we are proactive, timely, and offer value in our correspondence, you’ll find your connections and your resulting network will benefit greatly.

Looking for an opportunity to try your new intentional follow-up system? The GUILD offers one-to-one networking that skips the awkwardness by introducing you to like-minded women in your community. You can choose how frequently you receive the introductions and whether you meet at a local coffee-shop or champagne bar. The platform also offers opportunities to meet in-person at member meet-ups and workshops. For more information, sign up now!