A client straight up said my follow-up game was weak. Fixed it.

I was doing my usual thing after a trade show, sending a generic 'nice to meet you' email to everyone. A guy I really wanted to work with, a manufacturing rep from Cleveland, wrote back. He said, 'Look, I get 50 of these a week. You talked about my new product line. Why not mention that?' It hit me hard. I was just checking a box. Now, I spend 5 minutes per contact right after the event. I jot down one specific thing we discussed, like a project timeline or a material they use. My follow-up email leads with that detail. My reply rate went from maybe 10% to over 40% in three months. It's more work, but it's actual networking, not just broadcasting. Anyone else have a simple trick to make follow-ups less of a chore?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor9293d ago

Totally get this. I started using a voice memo app on my phone right after I leave a meeting. I just say the person's name and the one thing we really talked about, like their dog's name or a problem they're having. Then when I sit down to email, I play it back. It makes the note personal without me having to scribble stuff down when I'm tired. It cut my follow-up time in half and people actually remember who I am.

palmer.henry3d ago

Yeah, I started doing something similar. I keep a small notebook and just write one line about the person right after we talk.

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