27th Nov 2007
You met new business people.. now what?
You’ve had a successful business networking meeting. You’ve gathered dozens, maybe more, business cards. You remembered to make notes on the cards to remind you about the person you met. Now what?
In my early years in business I’d attend business meetings or events and happily gather up the business cards being handed out. When I got back to the office I’d follow up with a few people, who I’d spoken to specifically, but the rest of the cards were put to one side.
Because I went to so many gatherings I soon built up a huge pile of business cards - do you do that?
The problem was for the majority of them I hadn’t got a clue who had given it to me (the names didn’t really mean anything) or what the company did (I wasn’t very good at making notes on the cards then either 
).
Sound familiar?
Follow-up is important and before you do that… it helps to get organised… and that’s what this technique helps with - I can’t remember who told me about it - but it works really well.
1) Sort through your cards and split into 3 distinct piles; Hot, Warm and Cold…
HOT: These are the people who you have arranged to contact, either because they want information from you or you have thought of someone you can put them in touch with or you need something from them. They are the people you are probably more keen to create a business relationship with.
WARM: These are the people who you believe you could do business with, either selling or purchasing, in the future. But you have no strong reason to contact them immediately.
COLD: These are the people who have no direct connection with what you offer; cannot provide a service or product you need and do not easily bring to mind anyone you could connect them with.
2) Take action with the cards you’ve sorted:
HOT: Contact each person and arrange to meet for coffee or a more formal meeting. Or drop in with the information he/she has requested from you. Or ask for the information you need from them. Remember, if you are supplying information personal delivery makes a good impression.
WARM: Write a letter or email to each person, reminding him/her where you met and what you talked about (actually what THEY talked about is better). Make sure your message talks about him/her and, if you do mention what you offer, make sure you write from their point of view and highlight the benefits your service or product provides.
Have a look at the example letter I give out when I’m speaking on this subject at a business event. Feel free to download it and adopt it for your business.
By the way - because everyone uses email these days, you really stand out if you send a personally written letter. Plus you don’t have to be concerned about whether or not your email will get through their spam filtering system.
COLD: There is no reason to keep these business cards – so discard them.
3) Keep a close eye on the progress you make with the contacts whose details you’ve decided to keep… create a chart that shows how you are developing the relationship. (See my next post: Refer, Refer and Be Referred)
~ Carol Bentley
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