How To Follow Up…Effectively.

Posted on | September 25, 2008 | 4 Comments

I get invitations from people wanting to connect with me on Facebook, LinkedIN, and elsewhere all the time. I get social and professional invites out the wazoo. As a business owner, my time is limited and my patience even more so. I’ve seen a lot of bad follow-ups and invitations. In fact, I would guess that about 75% or more of the request to connect are poor and not very effective. There is room for improvement.

I want to show you how I use various social networking websites to follow up with people. Because there are various social networking sites and various intentions to follow up (usually on either a social or professional basis), I am going to limit this example to using LinkedIn to follow up with business professionals you just met or have been in contact with.

Before I show my example, I am going to show 2 examples that others typically use;

First, there is the standard cookie cutter invitation that people use from LinkedIn;

I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.

If I already know you, then I’ll just accept.

But there is no customization. There is no uniqueness in the approach. It’s almost like trying to court a girl- you have to show some uniqueness in your approach for her so that she may consider you. Consider this as sort of “business dating.” The above is fine if both sides know each other. But if you just met this person and wish to keep in touch, then something more customized is called for. You want to make an impression from all the other “courters.”

Then there is the somewhat customized version that I’ll get from time to time. It will look something like this;

“Hi Dean- it was great meeting you at XYZ Business event. I want to keep in touch with you. Thanks!”

Sometimes the invitation is a couple sentences or a couple of paragraphs. But the gist of the message is the above.

I give the individual above credit for just reaching out and following up. The majority of people will not even follow up. However, there is so much room for improvement in that invitation. Let’s use one of my invitation templates to compares the differences between the approach.

Here is one template that I use;

Hi John- I just wanted to follow up from XYZ Business function a few days ago.

I like to use LinkedIn as a way to keep in touch after the event is over. Even if there isn’t an immediate need for each of us to do business now or refer business in a reciprocal manner, it doesn’t mean that the opportunity won’t arise in the future. Networking is very serendipitous. No point in collecting business cards as a hobby

By the way, I know alot of professionals don’t know how to leverage LinkedIn effectively, so I compiled a list of links that can help you use it effectively. Here is the link; http://sachistudio.com/blog/2008/07/01/linkedin-resources/
————–
-Dean Hua | 301-538-DEAN
Sachi Studio | http://sachistudio.com
Web and Blog Design. Online Marketing Strategies. “Leverage The Web. Effectively.”

Let’s dissect this approach and show what I did to make this more effective. I am going to explain the pyschology and nuance behind every sentence that I use.

I listed the name of the business function that I met them at. Don’t assume that they’ll know where you met them. Here in Washington DC, there is a networking event every day for any vertical and industry. I know professionals who attend several events a week. You’d think they were being paid to attend networking events. People forget names and conversations all the time. Make it easier for them to recall who you are in seconds. Don’t make people think too hard.
“I like to use LinkedIn as a way to keep in touch after the event is over.” I state this so that they know that I take the platform seriously enough to invite them. I don’t want them to think that I just want to add them for the sake of adding them. For those who’ve been around LinkedIn long enough, you know there folks who have thousands of connections and just add people for the sake of it. I state that I value them as a person and not just as another number and really do want to keep in touch.
“Even if there isn’t an immediate need for each of us to do business or refer business in a reciprocal manner, it doesn’t mean that the opportunity won’t arise in the future.” There are many subtleties to this sentence that only a true veteran of this contact sport will understand. But I state this because I want them to know that I took the time to recognize that there is no immediate value between the two of us. You’d be surprised as to how many people won’t see immediate value but still shove their services down another person’s throat. There is no bigger turnoff than professionals who are oblivious to the business world around them. And even though, there is no immediate value, I still want to connect with them. None of us like it when professionals we haven’t heard from in years comes asking us for a favor. I am stating that I know there is inherit value in them but it may take months or years for me to truly discover that value. But if and when that time comes for us to add value to each other, then I want to be ready.
“Networking is very serendipitous. No point in collecting business cards as a hobby “ Anyone who’s been around the block knows this by now. We know that just keeping in touch and staying top of mind, good things will happen to us. I inject a little humor into this as well. While meant to bring a smile to the individual, it also shows where my priorities and values are. I don’t believe in collecting business cards for the sake of collecting business cards. That unto itself feels like a hobby with the majority of professionals out there. It shows that I am serious about follow up. Ask any professional who network constantly and they’ll tell you that at least 80% of people they meet, will never follow up with them. We all know how the Japanese receive and accept a business card. They truly show that they value the professional and the value that he brings by their gesture of acceptance. By my connecting and my words, I attempt to show the same core values that the Japanese show.
“By the way, I know alot of professionals don’t know how to leverage LinkedIn effectively, so I compiled a list of links that can help you use it effectively. Here is the link;” This is what I refer to as “value-added connecting.” Before you can receive value from others, you have to first show it to them. I know many people who don’t know how to use the platform properly, so I give them a link to my business blog, which has a lot of resources for them to glean over and learn from. I have had people read over the blog entry and thank me for taking the time to be of help to them. Be of help to others before asking for it yourself.
Tagline- Don’t take this for granted. Again, a lot of people forget who you are and what you do. I simply inserted my company address, tagline, and url as a convenient reminder.

As you can see, there is a world of difference between what I have and “Hey Dean- Nice meeting you. Let’s connect.”

This invitation is effective and more productive for several reasons;

I state my intentions. People don’t have time to read between the lines. Guys- ever try reading the lines with women? It’s a pain in the ass, isn’t it? Try not to make people think too hard. Be upfront with your intentions. Don’t force people to read between the lines.
I make it personal. Don’t treat them like another number. I treat them like a person and not just another contact.
Be succinct. My message is only 2 paragraphs long. Don’t go on and on and on about this and that. People don’t have time.

I have a couple of other templates that I use for very specific situations but the above is the basic gist of it. I have others that state more immediate business needs and how we can get together. I’ve done this long enough that I have anticipated most typical scenarios after an encounter.

I also have a very loose template for Facebook as well. Facebook is a bit more complex due to the hybrid of both professional and personal networking that occurs here. But a solid template can be used for it as well. If I find the time, I might write up an entry on that as well.

We spend a lot of time and money to attend events and meeting people. Talk to those closest to me and they’ll tell you that it drives me up the wall to see people spend so much time meeting people but never following up. And even when they follow up, the approach is not very effective. Follow up and follow through.

It’s not enough to just collect contact information. You have to learn to connect properly as well. Collect and connect.

You are welcome to use the template that I have above. I’d love to see yours if you have one. As a small gesture of appreciation, I would only ask that you give your connections a link to the blog entry of LinkedIn resources that I listed. It’s not necessary and I won’t hold anyone to it. But if you link to it, just say that your friend and colleague, Dean, wrote up a list of resources that might help them. I’d appreciate the link love. And they’ll appreciate you for adding value to them.

So we good? Great. Now get out there and collect then connect…effectively, that is.

Category: Professional

Comments

4 Responses to “How To Follow Up…Effectively.”

Pat Montgomery
September 25th, 2008 @ 2:19 pm

Thanks for this. Very good information!
Heidi Caswell
October 1st, 2008 @ 7:08 am

Thanks, I remember being quite impressed with your LinkedIn message, and the link is quite helpful. This step by step tutorial will be a great way to customize my own messages.
Beverly Mahone
October 1st, 2008 @ 7:18 am

Thank you for this article and the additional links. I use LinkedIn to connect with former colleagues–as a way to stay in touch. I know there is huge potential there. I just need to figure out how best to use it to my advantage. Reading your article gives me a jump start!
Jorge Echeverria
June 3rd, 2009 @ 12:21 pm

Thanks for this Dean, very effective and much appreciated.