Making great connections is a huge beginning.  It may have taken a lot of courage and/or a well planned strategy to get that introduction.  You don’t want to waste it!  So after that initial meeting, what does an awesome follow up look like?

Having a follow up system is extremely critical to the success of a business.

1. Recognize the Value

Seeds to incredible business relationship opportunities come in the form of “contacts”.  Any one of those contacts could open doors for immediate or long term, lucrative revenue.  So if those seeds (contacts) get tossed onto your desk, put in a drawer out of site or lost, you are shooting yourself in the foot!  No new fruit will be there for you to pick!

One of the first questions you would be asked if you were selling your service industry based business would be, “Show me your data base of clients and contacts.” Huge value comes from your data base and client list.

2. A CRM program you will use.

This is the data base that will house your contacts. They go from very complex-ed to over simplified.  I’m currently using VIPOrbit.  It’s a Mac-based product that allows me to place my contacts into a variety of overlapping orbits (groups) and then track my conversations and details over time.

• Who are these people?
• Where did I meet them?
• What follow up have I already done?
• Where is the conversation going with them… over the last weeks, months and years?

It’s work.  It’s a new habit.  But it is imperative to managing my clients, prospects, strategic alliances and streams of revenue.

3. Follow Up NOW…and Follow Up LATER

A 48 hour follow up email of phone call to a new connection is imperative if you intend to take advantage of that warm conversation.  Get them some current info based on that conversation that happened yesterday.

But 3 or 6 or 9 months from now might be the right time to reconnect too!  Follow up IS NOT just about right now.  It’s about LATER too!

4. A Drip

Newsletters are a drip communication that keeps you casually in front of your data base over an extended period of time.  Newsletters do promote current activities and offerings and tips, but mostly they just keep your data base aware that you are “here when they need you.”

SendOutCards is a fantastic product that allows you to send a “campaign” of note cards over a span of time.  They have a 100% open rate!

5. Work Your Orbits

Have a strategy to review your groups of contacts and connect with them on a seasonal or regular interval time line.  By placing them into groups, you can go back and work a group that may have similar interest or needs a similar times.

The Fortune is in the Follow Up.  What’s your system look like?

Scott Carley