Most of us are familiar with what networking is: Going to events, exchanging business cards, telling those around you your current business efforts and goals … and so on. The important point is to do this effectively, so you’re not a bother or pest — or doing what some may politely call “over networking.” On the flip side, you don’t want to “under network” either.
In other words, you don’t want to be an un-savvy networker who has no rhyme or reason to his or her efforts. A track record of weak results often highlights that this is the unfortunate path you are on.
So …
Our goal is to be a super-slick networker. Therefore, I have five rock solid steps for you to follow.
They are: Timing, tracking, organization, efficiency, and pulling it all together. These steps are really a “full marketing plan” in disguise.
Step 1: Timing
Being sporadic … this doesn’t work. How do you know if this is what you are doing? Often, it is weak to nonexistent results that are a reflection of this — a clue it is time to tighten up the self-marketing program.
Think about it from the other side of the fence. Imagine you are a Marketing Director at a company. You hear from Ted, a copywriter you met at a business event two weeks ago. He sent you a nice letter which catches your attention. But, he doesn’t follow-up until six months later.
Too bad … that white paper project you had two months back went to someone else.
In fact, the project went to Carl. Another copywriter who you also happened to meet at the same event where you met Ted. Carl is keenly aware of timing and therefore makes sure to follow-up monthly.
The takeaway: Following up at consistent times is critical to keep you top of mind.
This takes us to the next step … tracking.
Step 2: Tracking
Since we are talking about networking via business events, let’s look at a tracking method which is directly connected to that. The next day, after the event, you look at the pile of business cards you collected. You should go through the pile and organize them into groups. For example, you could divide them into the following three groups:
Group A: Contacts in my niche or just connected well with.
Group B: Contacts not in my niche, but I spoke with at length and connected well with.
Group C: Contacts who were interesting, but don’t require immediate follow-up.
You may even consider … Group D: People I wouldn’t follow-up with even if you paid me to do it.
(Sad but true, it happens and cutting these people out will save you time. I can instantly think of one individual who found himself in this group. This person insulted me … to my face … at the event, during our card exchange. Well, Mister … welcome to Group D.)
Now it is time to begin networking efforts with each specific group, one at a time starting with Group A. In doing so, try to keep your numbers in each group low — if necessary, have “sub-groups” within the group in order to achieve this. This way, results are manageable and easy to track. More on how to do this soon … first, let’s look at the next step.
Step 3: Organization
The secret here is to keep your networking (self-marketing) efforts intact and under control. And that means organization. A great way to do this is to keep files of your efforts, tracking both your contact attempts and follow-ups.
Keep it on your computer desktop. Be simple, no need for complex. Have a folder and call it “Networking Follow-ups.”
I like to keep it on my desktop, because that way it stays top of mind. Also, it is very easy to access. I remember when I started out and had all these files all over the place (both digital and hard copy) and I wasted SO MUCH time just trying to find everything. It didn’t take long for me to get smart and get organized. The key is to keep track of who you followed up with and when. Organizing this information will help you keep up timely communications!
Okay, moving along … next step, efficiency.
Step 4: Efficiency
For this step, there isn’t so much to say. The reason being that it is very clear-cut and simple. Being efficient is the result of having Steps 1-3 in order and following them as we have set them out. A bit of tweaking to match your own work patterns or testing new things is fine. If I could, I would shake your hand and commend you on doing so. But don’t test things and then ignore your findings. Run a tight ship, keep things simple, and adhere to the basics.
Go astray here and efficiency is EXACTLY what you will lack. In turn, you will have weak and sorry results.
Now that we have Step 4 in order, it is time to “tie it all together.”
Step 5: Pulling It All Together
Without “full implementation” and pulling it all into one smooth operation, you are still on unstable ground. That means your networking efforts might be good, but they won’t be GREAT. To be GREAT, we need to look at the “how-to” which was promised earlier when we discussed tracking. It is time to take a look at the big picture with “Power Tracking.”
The secret to this is to chart out everything in a “razor sharp” Word file or Excel document.
Here is an example:
| Contact Name | Company and Position | Follow-Up #1 with Date | Follow-Up #2
with Date |
Follow-Up #3
with Date |
| Mike D. | 2/5 Marketing Manager at Unit Forklifts | 2/5
Email: Nice meeting you at event. Offer to send samples. |
2/10 (after received reply on Follow-Up #1) Email with attached samples. | 3/7
Phone call: Re-introduced self briefly and just said hello. |
In addition, follow up for six months to a year and then reevaluate. Calculate if there is value in remaining in contact. You may also want to have a “Notes” section in your chart file. This being a place where you can briefly mention important side comments. Or, even a noteworthy reply that came from a specific follow-up. Doing this will show you where the strengths and weaknesses are in your follow-ups.
In Closing …
Be a “Networking Commando.” Follow these five steps to make your networking orderly, timely, and consistent. As I touched on before, when you apply these steps in your own efforts, don’t be afraid to make adjustments. That’s GREAT! Make it your own. Just keep these five points in mind as you do so. That way, you will avoid going off track — and instead you’ll reap positive results.
Now go and enjoy “Top-Level” networking success!
