Networking for New Business Owners: Etiquette & Follow-Up Tips (Part 2)
Our previous post covered the first two components of networking: purpose and approach. Now, let’s work our way through how to handle and maintain the relationships we started.
Etiquette
What should we do after meeting a prospective client or professional? If you take a business card after an in-person meeting, be sure to ask if they are open to another conversation. If they respond favorably, take the initiative and communicate with them in their preferred manner. If they prefer email, however you send a connection request on LinkedIn, you may have a long wait, and the lead can go cold. When you follow up, reference the day and method of the initial meeting and the purpose of the follow up. That will help you keep track of your connections and clarify for them why they are receiving your communication. Causing them to play a guessing game will only prolong the next opportunity. If they don’t respond in a week to ten days, check in one more time. We can’t compel a response and hounding people is a bad professional look. Treat their inbox with respect, that is part of leaving a positive impression.
Maintenance
I’m going to say something that took me a while to learn. Not all networking connections will lead to amazing opportunities. They may not even lead to a follow-up meeting. When I started networking, I thought that every person I met was the exact person I needed to meet. As naïve as that sounds, in some ways, it’s partially true. I became more comfortable with talking about my business. Honing my active listening and understanding the complexities of other’s business. But I stopped thinking that every encounter was my next business break.
The other aspect no one mentioned is that once you meet the people, you must decide which opportunities to pursue. Months ago, I spoke with a business owner who set a goal to meet 100 people in September. She admitted to taking 5 – 7 calls every day to meet that goal. I thought, ‘cool, I will try to meet 50 people in October.’ One hundred sounded absurd and worst-case scenario for an introvert (yikes!). Fifty was akin to self-inflicted punishment, but I was willing to try for my business. I fell short of my goal and met 32 out of the 50. But instead of saying, I’m going to meet 50 more in November, I reviewed my networking tracker and opted to work on the relationships that I already started. The opportunities weren’t going to magically come about. I needed to put in the necessary work. At the end of each month, I review my networking tracker and list the folks that I’ve made meaningful relationships with and check in. Sure, I could go off the top of my head, but being intentional has proven beneficial. I’ve enjoyed taking part in other’s experience as a business owner and gaining new ideas and encouragement as well.
I’m still learning the role networking plays in my business, so we are in the boat together. I am only sharing what I have gleaned in my experience these last several months, and what I hope to gain from my efforts as well. The point is to start somewhere. Pick a room that sounds promising and give it a whirl! Download the StudioM Networking Tracker template here. I use it to track my relationships, subjects discussed and any action items I need to take. Perhaps it will be a starting point to organize your progress. Keep me updated! I want to cheer on your success and be a sounding board when challenges arise. Connect with us and subscribe to whatever social media platform makes sense for us to keep in touch. You can also subscribe to our MorpherLife newsletter. It’s a great way to gain wisdom and tips from other business owners I’ve met. If you want to ask questions in real time, our weekly StudioM Office Hours are available. Reserve your seat here. Until then, keep working on the change.