9 steps to take Immediately After a Networking Event

I am forever amazed about the amount of time, effort and money people spend networking, meeting, chatting and greeting people there … and then that’s it. Nothing else happens, until the next event.

In my opinion, the value of any networking, comes after the event itself… the follow up emails and phone calls, the new connections established on social media and the ongoing relationship that get built.

So, here are 10 steps every networker should take immediately after attending an event…

1)  Send email. Send an email to everyone you took a card from. Do it on the day if possible. The sooner the better. Even if you don’t see an immediate connection with that person, just say thanks and how nice it was to meet them.

2)  Connect on Facebook. How would you like to know your prospect’s date of birth, occupation and their day to day activities? Well, guess what! It’s all on Facebook. All you have to do is connect with them

3)  Put one thing into action. Too many people walk away from networking events having promised a lot of things and doing nothing about it. Over-promising and under-delivering is a very dangerous strategy so set aside a few minutes to action on your promises.

4)  Introduce two people to each other. Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone was doing this? Find one person at each event and introduce them to someone else you think they should know. Now, where those two people take the relationship is up to them, but you will always be remembered as the person who made the introduction!

5)  Contact one PRP (Potential Referral Partner). One of the best ways to grow a business is through collaboration with others. Joint ventures can be amazingly powerful. Whenever I network, I try to seek out one referral partner. This can be someone that I can send business to or someone whose clients we can help. The best PRPs are those who can figure out a win-win situation. Example: A web designer sends a printer work, while a printer recommends the designer to their clients.

6)  Put your pictures up on Facebook and tag them whenever possible. (this gives you instant access to other attendees contact list). Pictures are best posted when the memory of the event is still fresh. If you follow #2, then you can also tag people you have added as friends. Pictures are a great way to attract people to your profile as well.

7)  Blog or write about your experience, post comments on social media. Don’t forget to mention / tag your hosts. Putting an event together is a lot of work and your feedback is what the host business will value the most. Chances are that if you mention them publicly, they will be very grateful to you and might return the favour!  

8)  Make sure your website is working well, your LinkedIn profile is up to date and there aren’t any dodgy photos of you on Facebook. If you met a lot of people, the chances are that they will check out your website, your LinkedIn profile and might ask you to be Facebook buddies. Make sure that it is all up to date and a good representation of who you are.

9)  Thank the host – if applicable. This especially applies to local events which are put together by one individual. A quick note thanking them will go a long way.

What is your best networking tip?