Are you Effective in your Follow-Up System - Networking

Attending networking events is only the first step of the process of networking. It is important to attend events not to give your sale pitch to everybody you meet but to get exposure, to meet people, so you get to know them while they get to know you. You learn more about them and try to help them, so right on the spot you can show a sample of your expertise giving them some advice, instead of trying to sell them anything.

Doing so you attend various event a week and collected numbers of business cards. Now what do you do with those cards? How do you follow-up with people? Do you even follow-up with your contacts? Don't think that sending an email the next day is consider follow-up, because if you just stop there nothing will happen. Don't expect people to pick up the phone and call you just because you spoke for 5 minutes at the event and that you have a great product, because you will be very disappointed.

If you find that you forget to follow up, your 'fears' probably fall into one of these categories:

*Fear of rejection.

*Lack of confidence in themselves and or their products.

*Fear of competition.

*Expect people to call if they are interested.

*Don't know what to say.

*Don't know when to follow-up and how often.

*Don't even know what a follow-up system is.

Maybe you relate to one or more of those and the reason why you never follow-up with your contacts and permanently struggle to get new clients is hidden in those fears.

Think about this: Imagine you hiring a salesperson to sell your products. She attends 4 events a week, gets hundred of business cards a week, you think great she will get lots of clients in no time. Then your salesperson comes back to the office, sits at her deck and waits, waits, waits and waits. After a while you may ask "What are you waiting for?" and she answers "Well I met lots of people last week, so now I wait for them to call, to close the deal and make a sale." Would you pay this person to spend hours at the office waiting for the phone to ring. I don't think so. You will ask her to do her job as a salesperson and go after clients.

Now imagine that you are this salesperson for your own business, if you don't follow-up, and don't take action to communicate with people to close the deal, you are doing the exact same thing. You are wasting money on the table.

Again, making contact with a new people at networking events is just the first step. It is what you do to follow-up that will lead to make a sale, get more clients and success for your business. Having an effective follow-up system in place will help you grow your business without wondering what is the next step to connect with people.