The Secret to Successful Networking is Following Up Part 1

All the networking in the world serves no purpose if you do not follow up effectively with the people you meet or who re referred to you. I’ve seen people who work hard at making contacts but whose follow-up was so bad that the contacts were lost. Its as if they networked halfway and completely lost sight of the potential to generate world-of-mouth business. Follow-up letteres and phone calls set the stage for further contact. All things being equal, the more you’re in contact with others, the more business you’ll generate. Today, more than ever, there’s no excuse for not following up. 

When I travel abroad, I plan to meet for coffee with people I met which helps me to stay in touch with people from different countries. 

Schedule “reconnection calls” regularly. Such calls enable you to remind the new contacts who you are, where you met them, and what you do, as well as help you stay in touch with your log-term contacts. If you don’t follow up with a phone call or letter, you will surely lose many business opportunities.

Networking– Who Do You Know Who…?

“It’s not what you know, or who you know – it’s how well you know them that makes the difference”

Have you ever attended a networking event, collected a bunch of business cards, and when you go through them the next day, you can't remember who many of them are?
      Well, you certainly don't want to be one of those that other people can't remember? It's ok to pass out business cards, but if people don't remember you well they would not keep you in mind for their future needs or possible referrals.
     But, what is networking and how do you learn important networking skills to meet more people and make better contacts?