By Sabrina Risley

Here’s the scene: You are at a networking event, excited at the thought of meeting new prospects.  You connect with another professional who could possibly introduce you to a plethora of qualified leads.  You shake hands.  Exchange business cards.  Promise to call.  You breathe in a sigh of relief and think, “My work here is done… this is exactly what I came here for!”   As the event goes on, you meet a few more like-minded folks.  You can’t wait to get back to the office to schedule an appointment with them.

But the scene is anything but peaceful and serene when you return to your office.  There are voicemails to return, emails to answer, a proposal to complete, paperwork to file, and oh yeah, when was the last time you posted on Facebook?   Before you know it, a few hours go by and the day is done.  Two days are done, and then three days, and four.  Pretty soon, you can barely remember who you wanted to follow up with and why, let alone find where you put their business card! 

And just like that, it happens… time passes and urgency diminishes, losing the excitement as well as a golden opportunity for creating a collaborative partnership with a new connection.  You’ve lost the opportunity to capitalize on a meaningful encounter, and actually building your business through referrals.

You’ve likely heard it mentioned, “The fortune is in the follow up.”  Follow up and follow through is a necessity!  It’s like wanting to pitch a baseball, but dropping the ball during the windup.  Following through is critical if you want to pitch within the strike zone.  It’s absolutely crucial in building real and genuine connections that flourish into mutually beneficial relationships where referrals and contacts are safely shared between both parties.  It takes trust which you can build and earn through consistent and regular follow-up.

But who has time to follow up?  About 1% of the population actually makes it a priority to follow up with a new connection within 48 hours.  For the remaining 99% of the population, we have every intention of following up but don’t make the time to do so or don’t have a good follow up system. 

To be successful at following up, you need a plan, you need a system and you need to follow it!

Following up means people see you, hear from you and have the opportunity to talk to you on a regular basis.  The more often you have meaningful encounters with your contacts, the greater the opportunity to build trusting relationships.  Meaningful encounters can include such ideas as mailing or emailing a link to an article they might find of interest, acknowledging birthdays and special occasions, remembering and asking about previous conversations you’ve had, initiating introductions, sending referrals, inviting them to an event they might find interesting, and the list can go on.  Now, let me clarify that I’m not suggesting you “stalk” your contacts.  What I am suggesting is that take the time to get to know your contact, enabling you the ability to really add value, serve and give in a way that is meaningful to them. 

Regardless of how detailed and sensational your follow up plan is, be forewarned that relationship building doesn’t happen overnight.  For more information in establishing a plan that you can maintain on a consistent basis, check out BTM’s Service To Sensational page.

Keep in mind, it’s a little give, and it’s a little take and it’s a whole lot of follow through.

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Sabrina Risley founded Behind The Moon, Inc.® in 2003, a Colorado-based networking organization that sets itself apart with its motto “grow your business by helping others grow theirs.” Behind The Moon offers several networking events across Colorado’s Front Range that attract professionals who network to give rather than get. You will find Sabrina speaking to audiences about effective networking techniques, the power of partnerships, and principles of service and giving as a means to grow a business. Sign up for Sabrina’s free report, Networking For Success at http://www.behindthemooninc.com/index.php/free-report.