In the last couple of years, I have networked with hundreds or even thousands of people the music industry and business in general. I’ve handed out so many business cards and shared contact with many people. Nevertheless, in my experience as a heavy networker, most are terrible at it (I don’t mean to bring people down it’s the truth. I myself have many areas I can improve on.)
Regardless, the most important thing in networking is following up. I want to reiterate, FOLLOW UP. Following up is always the start of most relationships, please remember this. Nevertheless, here are three quick tips I have for you when following up with new people:
Always follow up within 24-48 hours.
This is always important. Following up within 24-48 hours is critical because after the initial interaction, your name and face is fresh in someones mind. Don’t wait 2 months to connect with somebody -especially if the person isn’t really acquainted with you. The longer you wait, the least chance they’ll remember your name.
It’s been a week and you haven’t gotten a response? Follow up again.
Sometimes people you are going to come across are going to busy. Life comes with ups and downs, and the people that you’re trying to reach out is no exception to this rule. Sometimes I’ve tried reaching out to people after meeting up at an event, I send them an email or call them and they don’t respond. So I might do a second or third follow up just as a reminder. This shows them that you’re serious, and if they are serious themselves they will find the time to get back to you.
You’re going to meet bull*@*@ers
In life you’re going to meet people who aren’t serious and want to waste your time. There’s so many times where people have offered to help (without me even asking or approaching them for it) and I never ever hear from them again. No matter how many times you follow up with them, even if you agreed to meet after initially meeting, there will be always some people who aren’t worth connecting with. These are the types of people you want to stay clear and far away. If you come across a character like this, humble yourself and run.
