The power of the follow-up

By Claire Baker

As a co-founder of a Small Business Vibes, I am constantly telling people to remember to follow up after meetings. I’m not going on about following up for the sake of it. It’s one of the best things you can do to boost your results from networking whether you’re looking for connections, community, clients or all three. 

It’s as simple as contacting the people you talked to, especially the people you felt you had shared interests with, and booking a call to get to know each other better. Don’t let the great conversations you had end in the room. You’ll miss out on opportunities for you and your business. 

5 reasons to follow up 

You might think “I’ll just see them at the next networking meeting” or “They’ll contact me if they want to work with me.” Firstly, that’s not always the case. Don’t leave it to chance. Secondly, the more you get to know people, the more likely it is they’ll think of you when opportunities come up and most importantly, tell you about them! What you do outside networking meetings is just as important to your business as going to them. 

1. Become a strong referrer

When you follow up with people you’ve met networking, you get a clearer picture of who they are and what they do. This makes it easier for you to refer business to them. You can confidently match your connections based on their personalities and offerings. I’ve been networking for a while and I’ve seen that strong referrers get more business from networking. They are the businesses people remember and are eager to promote to their own circle. The more you give, the more you get. 

2. Be remembered and referred to

On the other hand, having a follow-up conversation with people you meet at networking solidifies who you are and what you do in their minds. They’re more likely to remember you, trust you and be able to clearly communicate what you offer and what makes you so amazing to their contacts. This sets you up for great referrals from your fellow networkers. 

3. Collaborate

Following up doesn’t just help with referring each other. You could collaborate in some capacity. If you work in adjacent areas like copywriting and web development, you could collaborate on projects. Outside of direct business, you could run a workshop, start a podcast or get in front of each other’s audiences in some other mutually beneficial way. As business owners, we can support each other in more ways than one. Follow-up conversations give you the time to find opportunities to collaborate. 

4. Connect

Being your own boss is great but it can also feel lonely at times. Sometimes you need a good natter with other business owners who get what it’s like. You can share experiences, ideas and frustrations and encourage and support each other. That happens in the room at networking. Why not continue it outside of meetings too?

5. Grow your network

Everyone is important in our networking meetings. Each person brings their own skills, experience, offers and connections. When you put in the effort to make people feel welcome and show interest in their business, they’re more likely to come back to you. By following up with those you meet after networking meetings, you are creating a larger network to support you and your business.

How to approach follow-ups

As business owners, we have a million things to do and very little time for faffing. So here are some tips on making the most of follow-up conversations and how to keep on top of them. 

Do it ASAP

Strike while the iron is hot as they say. Don’t wait around to follow up with people after networking. You’ll forget who you met and what they do and get distracted with something else on your to-do list. Then it’ll never happen! Schedule some time after the meeting to find people’s contact details and reach out to them. 

Start with a call

Take it off email or Facebook and go straight for a video call. Or if they’re local to you, a cuppa at a café. It allows you to have a proper conversation and really get to know them. Messages just can’t beat calls when it comes to connecting. A call with a relative stranger might sound intimidating but you’ll be surprised how quickly 30 minutes goes between likeminded business owners. 

Create your contact book

Whether it’s actually a notebook, notes on your phone or just a Google doc, have one place where you keep track of all the people you’ve met networking and have followed up with. You’ll thank yourself when someone says “Do you know anyone who X?” and you met the perfect person at networking but can’t remember their name. 

It will also help you to keep in regular contact with your connections. Someone might not be ready to work with you or have someone to refer to you on the first follow-up call but they might a few months later. Each month have a look at your list and get in contact with people you haven’t had a chat with in a while. 

Connect on socials

Social media is a great way to keep up with networking connections. Every time they see one of your posts, they’re reminded of who you are and what you do. The same goes for liking, commenting and sharing their content. It builds the relationship, puts you top of mind and shows support to a fellow business owner - tick, tick and tick.

A networking meeting is really just the beginning. Most of the referrals, collaborations and business opportunities happen afterwards when people follow up with each other and build real relationships. A follow-up call is at least a natter with a fellow business owner and at best leads to business opportunities. I for one am willing to make the time investment. 

If you’re looking for women in business to network with, check out our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/smallbusinessvibes. We’re a lovely bunch of businesswomen for starters, if I do say so myself. We have in-person meetings across the country (and 8 every month online) and always encourage people to talk about their offers because let’s be honest we’re at networking to grow our businesses. I’d love to see you there!