| I go to a lot of networking events throughout the | | | | off the To Do List. |
| year. So I hand out a lot of business cards. Invariably | | | | So what should you do? |
| after an event, I will get an email from a connection I | | | | - Get Rid of the Guilt - Stop feeling guilty if you do |
| have made. It reads something like this: | | | | not send an email or other message to every |
| It was great meeting you at _____ event. Let me | | | | connection you have made at a networking event. |
| know how I can be of help to you. Visit my website | | | | This is what drives people to send, via carbon copy |
| at ____. | | | | no less, a mass follow-up email. The people you meet |
| Now I need to ask you, is this truly follow-up to a | | | | are not expecting such a message from you and |
| prospective sales or networking connection? My | | | | may even be annoyed at you loading up their inbox |
| answer is no. | | | | with a message two steps removed from being |
| Often, in the "To" portion of the email, the address is | | | | spam. |
| not personalized and usually is the email address of | | | | - Only Follow Up With the Most Promising Contacts - |
| the sender. What the sender has done is carbon | | | | Chances are that even at a large event, you will only |
| copy all recipients in Microsoft Outlook or other email | | | | make a few valuable connections. Those are the |
| program to avoid having to do a personalized email | | | | ones that should receive a personal message from |
| for each. The sender has also not invested in an | | | | you. Refer to something unique about your |
| email broadcast system which would have | | | | encounter with them to jog their memory and to |
| personalized the "To" address. This is a backhanded | | | | make them feel important because you were paying |
| attempt to cover all bases. However, it covers none | | | | attention. |
| other than to give the sender the emotional | | | | - Connect with New Contacts on Social Media - With |
| satisfaction that he has "followed up" with all his new | | | | email going the way of the dinosaur, connecting on |
| connections. | | | | social media is a low pressure way to keep in touch |
| What I find even more amusing is that I often get | | | | with valuable contacts. It may even get a |
| these emails from people I have met and may even | | | | conversation going that could lead to sales or |
| have known for many years. The impersonal touch | | | | referrals. |
| makes me feel like a number, another thing checked | | | | |