Yet again I've been out networking quite a bit this week. Getting back, one of my priorities is to make sure I send a personal email out to everyone I met, following up on the initial brief discussion we might have had and reconnecting with people I've already met, sending them info they requested or that might be useful to them or passing on a useful contact.
Networking is a favoured marketing tactic for many small business owners but I'm always surprised by how few people follow up afterwards. This time, out of the 40 or so people I met, I received 3 emails that same afternoon and a couple the following day - mostly just adding me to their mailing list or sending me a list of the services they provide.
The rest of them ... nothing.
In all - I probably met nearly 60 people during the course of the week and less than 10% of them have taken the trouble to follow up.
What a waste of time and effort. So, not everyone is going to be a potential business prospect and not everyone will appreciate being 'spammed' as a new contact on your mailing list but you can at least start building a relationship that lasts more than a few minutes spent exchanging business cards.
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