How Do You Follow Up?

  It is amazing to me how many people who I meet never follow-up with me. When I connect with someone, I make the effort and follow-up. If I waited for other people to follow up, then I would not be building nearly as many new relationships.

So, the next time you meet someone who you want to get to know, be proactive and make the first move.  You will stand out as someone who takes relationship building serious. Most importantly, the other person will appreciate that you took the initiative to take the relationship to the next level.

Every once in awhile, someone will follow-up with me first, which is great and a surprise. I am impressed with these folks because they get it.  Chances are very good that I will build a relationship with these people.

It is important that if you do the following up that you do it within a couple of days.  If you wait any longer, then you may be forgotten and it may show that you aren’t very serious about building a relationship.

So, what is your method for follow up? 

Email

Email is a very quick and non-intrusive way to reach out to people. A great aspect of email is that you can attach a document, include a Website link, or make an introduction. Also, the other person can read and respond at his/her convenience.  Email is by far the preferred method for keeping in touch with people these days. However, email is not as warm as a phone call or as easy to send a gift or article such as regular mail.

Phone Call

Phone calls are not only a quick way to connect with people, but also a way to show emotions.  By talking to someone live, you can get a sense of someone’s character by verbal cues, which is a great way to really connect with others. However, with phone calls you may have a difficult time connecting so you may leave several voicemails. In addition, someone may not have the time talk very long on the phone so your call may be intrusive of time.

Regular Mail

Sending a follow up via snail mail is not very widely used these days.  While that may be the case, it is actually the most personalized way to follow up because you can write handwritten notes.  Personalized notes have definitely been lost somewhat with the advent of email. It is always nice when I receive a handwritten note in the mail. I regular send these out and now use Send Out Cards, which automates the process for me.  The main problem with regular mail is that your message will not get to the other person as quick as you may want.

Text Messaging, Twitter, Etc.

More recently, technologies such as text messaging and Twitter have allowed people to instantly follow up and keep in touch with others.  These forms of communication are mobile and concise so you can get your points out quick.   The problem with these tools is that they are not as professional as the above methods. Use these techniques only if you know that people will respond favorably.

Regardless of your follow up technique, use the method that is most comfortable for you appropriate for others.  Also, make sure that you are timely in your follow up. Lastly, use several of these techniques because it is good to try new things. You never know what method will help you to build a new relationship.

If you like this blog post, then subscribe to RSS feed or via email.

Comments

[Send Out Cards]

I have been using Send Out Cards for over a year now - it's a great business tool - I am even building a residual income with the system.
send two cards right now on me:
http://www.sendoutcards.com/31467

[Don Antonucci]

As you indicate, just following up timely with any traditional method will make you stand out. That said, if you can follow-up with something of value (e.g., a web link, article, etc.) tied to that person's interests or background, then you may set the framework for making a true connection.

Best,

Don Antonucci

[Jason Jacobsohn]

Yes, great point Don. Providing something of value is very important. People will appreciate you thinking about them in this way.