Powerful Women Rising - A Business Podcast for Female Entrepreneurs

Effective Follow Up Strategies: Turning Connections Into Collaborations

• Melissa Snow - Powerful Women Rising, LLC • Episode 77

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Do you feel overwhelmed by all the follow up required after a networking event?

Or maybe you just keep putting it off until you have a giant stack of business cards from people you don't even remember meetings?

I got you!  In this episode, I'm sharing some of the game-changing strategies I use to transform casual contacts into powerful, lasting business relationships.   

Standing out in the crowded world of networking is all about consistency, patience, a genuine interest in others and selflessly offering value.  I'll show you how to prioritize and personalize your follow-ups without feeling overwhelmed or like 1-1 coffee connects have become your new full time job.

Tune in and learn how to grow your business through the power of effective follow-up!

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Speaker 1:

Today we're diving into a topic that's going to transform the way you approach networking. We're talking effective follow-up strategies, how to turn connections into collaborations. We have all been there. You attend a networking event, hand out a bunch of business cards, maybe collect a few yourself and then, crickets, nothing happens. Because here's the thing networking is not about how many business cards you can hand out. The real magic happens after the event, in the follow-up. So today we're going to talk about why follow-up is so important, why it tends to get overwhelming and overlooked, and how you can turn that pile of contacts into real, meaningful business relationships. Sound good, let's dig in.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to Powerful Women Rising, the podcast where we ditch the rulebook and build businesses with authenticity, integrity and a whole lot of fun. Join host Melissa Snow, business relationship strategist and founder of the Powerful Women Rising community, as she interviews top experts and shares candid insights on business strategy, marketing, mindset and more. Let's get real, get inspired and rise together. This is Powerful Women Rising.

Speaker 1:

Ooh, you like how I mixed it up there, had the little intro, then the thing. Then me again man, I'm getting fancy over here on the Powerful Women Rising podcast. Hello friends, welcome back. This is your host, melissa Snow. I am the founder of Powerful Women Rising and I run a fabulous online community called the Powerful Women Rising Community. It is a fabulous group of female entrepreneurs who want to build their businesses in a way that feels good to them and in a way that is based on genuine connections and authentic relationships. We have all kinds of calls in the community networking calls, mastermind calls, content creation, co-working calls, all kinds of things and it is so much fun and such a great way for you to meet people and build really deep connections with some awesome women in business who want to shout your name out in all of the rooms that you are not in. So that is who I am, that is what I do, and today we are talking about one aspect of networking that I get asked about a lot the follow-up. People get so bogged down in the follow-up because it feels so overwhelming and confusing and you don't know who to follow up with or what to do or how to do it, and you don't want to sound like a salesy weirdo, and so you just don't do it. You go to the networking event and then you do nothing after that with the contacts that you made and the information that you've gotten, and nothing happens. And then you're like well, I networked. Why? Why did nothing happen? Networked, that's a word. Okay, we all networked yesterday, so today I am going to talk to you about how to up your follow-up game so that you are making the most out of the time and effort that you are putting into networking.

Speaker 1:

Here we go. Let's start first by revisiting quickly the real purpose of networking, because this is important to understand in order to understand why the follow-up is so important. There is a fundamental shift that I need everyone to wrap their heads around. Networking is not about getting clients. I know that sounds very counterintuitive, because that's what we want. We all want to get clients and make money. But stay with me here. The purpose of networking isn't to walk out of an event with a bunch of new clients or having made a bunch of sales. If you're going into networking events or meetings that way, you are almost guaranteed to be coming across as a salesy weirdo, and that is not going to work for you long-term. The purpose of networking is to build your network, and the reason that is so important and the reason we always hear that saying your network is your net worth is that every person you meet has the potential to become a connector, a collaborator, a mentor, a referral partner, a support person. There are all kinds of roles in your network that need to be filled, and when you are going to networking events, you are looking for the people to fill those roles.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so one of my favorite definitions of networking and if you've listened to this podcast for a while, you've heard me say it before there's a definition from a long time ago that basically says a network is a broadcasting system of multiple transmitters. And the reason that I love that definition so much and I bring it up all the time, is because that is truly the point of networking to create a system where there are a whole bunch of other people sharing your message for you and it's not just you sharing your message with your people over and over again. So if I've got 100 people in my network, I can share with those 100 people all day long, but if they've each got 100 people in their network. Now I have magnified my reach without having to do any more work, without having to post more on social media, create another podcast episode, do a webinar, whatever the thing is. I have just cultivated those relationships so carefully and closely and authentically that now those people are out sharing my message with their communities and their networks as well. My dog apparently agrees.

Speaker 1:

So just remember that when you focus on building your network rather than chasing those immediate sales, that's how you create a web of relationships that supports your business in ways that you probably can't even predict. The people that you meet today might not need your services today, but they might a year from now. They might not ever need your services, but they may be having a conversation next week with someone who does. They might know exactly who needs the thing that you have to offer. And building your network also gives you access to new ideas, resources, partnerships, opportunities that you never would have known about before. It's about expanding your reach and your influence, not just for sales, but for your overall growth as an entrepreneur. So, step one shift your mindset from how can I get clients to how can I grow my network and deepen my connections, because that's where the real return on investment is, and that is when the follow-up becomes so important, because the only way that you are going to deepen those connections with your network is through the follow-up. It's not enough to just attend an event, smile, shake hands, hand out some business cards. If you're not following up and you don't have a strategic plan for doing so, you are basically throwing all those potential connections in the trash. You might as well have not even gone, sorry, not sorry, it's true, because the follow-up is where you build the know like and trust factor that is absolutely essential to forming real business relationships.

Speaker 1:

If you've been listening to this podcast or following me for a while, you know that I used to be a dating and relationship coach before I moved into the business arena. I did that for about six years and I use a lot of dating analogies because there are really a lot of similarities between finding love and growing a business. It's kind of weird and funny, but I think of networking like this If you were to go to a speed dating event and go and meet all the people, do the things, fill out the form. Yes, I like this person. No, I don't like this person. Smile at that guy, leave your best impression like this person. No, I don't like this person. Smile at that guy, leave your best impression on this person, and then you get sent your matches, like all the people that were like, yeah, I like her. And you were also like, yeah, I like him. And then you do nothing with that. And then you're like why don't I have a relationship? Well, it's because you didn't do any follow-up. Right, same as if you went on a date with somebody and you were like, oh my gosh, that was such a great date. I really liked him, I hope to see him again. And then, like six months from now, you're like what happened? Where is he? I liked him so much, I really thought he liked me, but you never called him, you never reached out to him, you never did any kind of follow-up, and neither did he, and so the relationship never went.

Speaker 1:

Exactly what happens in networking as well. You meet someone at an event, you hit it off. Maybe the conversation is a little surface level, but they seemed interesting. If you don't follow up, what happens? Nothing, that's it. You're just another face in the crowd. They probably don't even remember that they met you. But if you take the time to follow up, whether it's with an email, a message on LinkedIn, a handwritten note. We're gonna talk about some strategies later on in the podcast. If you take the time to follow up in some way, you are immediately going to stand out and make yourself memorable.

Speaker 1:

And, as we know from previous episodes about know like and trust factor, people do business with people they know like and trust. You are not going to refer someone to your friend if you don't know like and trust that. You are not going to refer someone to your friend if you don't know like and trust that person. Unless you are in a transactional relationship with them. You are not going to hire someone who you don't know like and trust. Right, but following up is how you build that relationship over time. Just like in a romantic relationship, you don't get to know like and trust someone after the first date. You have to go out with them several times. You have to have a lot of different conversations and different experiences with them, see them in different settings, see how they react to different things, meet their family, whatever it is, before you get to a space where you feel like you truly know like and trust them. And business relationships are very similar. They're not about pitching your services. They are about nurturing the connections, showing genuine interest in the other person, in what they do, in what challenges they're experiencing, in their successes, and then finding ways to be of value to them.

Speaker 1:

The follow-up is where the relationship really begins. So if you're just handing out your business card and waiting for people to come to you, I hate to break it to you, but it's not going to work. It may once or twice, but over the long run and I always say that networking is the most sustainable marketing technique there is and if you want networking to be a sustainable method for you to grow your business, you have to be proactive, you have to take the initiative, and that is how you're going to get people to remember you, to know you, to like you and to trust you. Okay, so you say, melissa, that all sounds great, makes total sense, I'm on board. I agree with you. But how do I do it? What the hell do I even say? Do I have to follow up with everyone? This sounds like a lot of work.

Speaker 1:

The follow-up is where a lot of people get tripped up, and that is why it often falls by the wayside. You leave a networking event with a stack of business cards or a list of names and you're like, oh, these people were so cool, I can't wait to follow up with them. But then the overwhelm sets in and you start thinking this is a lot, I can't follow up with all of these people. I don't even know what to say. I don't wanna come off as a pushy, salesy weirdo. I hear you, I've been there. But here's the thing Follow-up doesn't have to be overwhelming. It doesn't have to be overwhelming, and there are a couple things to keep in mind in order to make it less so. First of all, I'm giving you permission right now you do not have to follow up with every single person you meet. In fact, you should not follow up with every single person you meet.

Speaker 1:

I'm going to go back to the dating analogy here for a second, because it works really well with this topic. So in the Powerful Women Rising community, I talk about these networking circles where you have different levels and different layers of people that you are connected with in different ways, and this is actually something that I brought over from my dating coaching business, where it basically looks like a funnel and so like on the outside of the funnel is everyone that you meet on the date, like everyone who's on the dating app, and then the next layer in is everyone that you swipe right on who also swipes right on you. Those of you who have been married for like 50 years are like I don't know what you're talking about, but just go with it. The next level is like, maybe people that you exchanged a few text messages with. Maybe the next level is people that you had phone calls with or video chats with. Then we get smaller and smaller and smaller to like the people you had a first date with or the second date with, and eventually to the person that you have a committed relationship with or whatever your goal is.

Speaker 1:

So I use the same example in networking to show that on the outside of the circles is everyone that you meet at a networking event, and inside each other layer are different criteria and different levels for those people. So there are people you are going to meet who are going to stay on the outside of that circle. You're not going to follow up with them, for whatever reason. There are going to be people that you are going to follow up with, maybe once or twice, and then decide yeah, I don't think this is somebody that I want to keep pursuing as part of my network. Maybe there are people that you are going to be following up with once or twice and then you decide, okay, let's have a video Zoom call.

Speaker 1:

Right, like one of my circles, is a 30-minute Zoom call, and that's what I offer to people who want to connect with me after I meet them at networking events or networking groups who I don't know, because that allows me to save the time from driving to coffee, driving home from coffee, ending up in a situation where 45 minutes of you just pitching your services, even though you said that you wanted to get to know me. So my first offer, my first layer, is always the 30 minute zoom. Beyond that is, maybe we meet in person, maybe you know, maybe you become different parts of my network, but not everyone moves through every layer of the circle, and that is the most important part for you. The other thing I want you to know is that you get to decide the criteria for each layer of the circle. So if somebody just doesn't have the vibe and you're like, thanks for wanting to connect with me after, but I'm not feeling it, that's also okay. You don't have to have like a solid, justifiable, documentable, proven reason for not wanting to follow up with the person further at any layer of your networking circles. So just know you don't have to follow up with everyone and you get to decide, based off of whatever criteria you want, who you follow up with, how much and what role they play in your network, if any.

Speaker 1:

My recommendation to start with is just look for the people that you feel you have a genuine connection with, the people who you feel aligned with, who you feel like have similar goals and values to you that's a big one and also people who have similar audiences to you, because maybe they do something similar to you, but not the same thing as you, right? So if you are a divorce attorney, maybe people who are good for you to follow up with are relationship coaches. Maybe financial advisors, right, people who are often dealing with people who are in the midst of ending a relationship. It might not be as productive for you to follow up with a photographer or someone who sells beauty products right, they might be great people and you might want to just connect with them just because you like their vibe, and that's totally fine. But I always like to try to narrow down based off of who has a similar audience to me, so that I know that we are going to be good power partners for each other.

Speaker 1:

The other thing that I often find is that people don't follow up because they just don't know where or how to start. Um, and personalize it. Send a message that references something specific from your conversation, like hey, this is so-and-so. We met at whatever thing. I really enjoyed our conversation about blah, blah blah. Or it was so interesting to find somebody else who's really into underwater basket weaving, because I've never found anybody else who loves it. Is that even a thing? I feel like that's such an eighties reference I just used. I don't even know where that came from, but I don't think people say it anymore. Anyway, if you can remind them where they met you and then remind them about your conversation, something that sparked in you from their conversation maybe it was a piece of advice they gave you or something you found interesting about their business reference that so they know that you are actually sending out a personal note, this isn't just something that you're copying, pasting, and it will also help them to remember who you are, because they also probably met a lot of people. And just keep it light. Don't sell anything, don't push anything. Just tell them it was great meeting you, I loved our chat about whatever. I'd love to stay in touch, boom done. That's a perfect follow-up for the first time.

Speaker 1:

The next thing that I recommend when you're following up with someone again is look for ways that you can provide value. This is the best and quickest way to endear someone to you and to create a connection with you is to provide value to them without expecting anything in return. So if you had a conversation about how overwhelming social media is, maybe one of your follow-ups to them is like hey, I just read this article about making social media less overwhelming and made me think of our conversation. Just wanted to share it with you, right? Maybe you had a conversation about how overwhelmed she was trying to keep track of her books and her taxes and her expenses and all of the things. And next week you meet a bookkeeper who is amazing and you just love her vibe, right? So then you just email this person you met before You're like hey, I just want to give you the information for so-and-so, I think she might really be able to help you and I loved her vibe and your vibe, so I think you guys will love each other's vibe. If this serves you, definitely reach out to her right.

Speaker 1:

Not connecting them, not pitching a hard sell, not saying, hey, I'm a bookkeeper, I could totally help you, but just providing value to them without anything in it for you. That is how you build a relationship. Remember, this is about building relationships. It's not about closing deals. It's about showing interest and continuing the conversation, coming from a place of curiosity and generosity. That is how you avoid coming across as salesy. Okay, so, before we wrap up, a few other tips I want to share with you about how to follow up effectively with people that you meet at networking events.

Speaker 1:

We talked about prioritizing your follow-up list, the fact that you don't need to follow up with everyone. So narrow it down based on certain criteria, even if that criteria is just who did you have the best conversations with? Who seems like they would be a good referral partner or collaborator or connector. Start with those people first and remember it's about quality, not quantity. It is much better for you to follow up with one awesome person that checks five of your boxes than to send a follow-up to everybody who attended the event, even if you don't even know if they check any of your boxes. We also talked about personalizing your follow-ups, mentioning something specific from your conversation to make it clear that you're not just sending a generic message. People appreciate it when you take the time to remember details about them and that makes you stand out. We also talked about offering value without expecting anything in return what they can do for me. But think about how can I be of value to them. Send them a helpful article, introduce them to someone in your network. If you approach it with generosity I was making genuineness and curiosity the same word in a very weird way If you approach it with generosity and curiosity, you will see the dynamic of those relationships really change.

Speaker 1:

The last couple tips I have for you are this Make sure that you have some kind of follow-up system. One of the reasons that follow-up feels overwhelming is because most people don't have a system for it, even if this is just setting aside time on your calendar to follow up after every event. I usually set aside 20, 30 minutes after a networking event or a networking meeting to go home and schedule follow-up emails to go out the next week, the next two weeks, the next three weeks, whatever it is, because I know I'm going to forget, and if I just do it right, then I know that it's done. I know also people like to keep spreadsheets. People like to use their CRM to keep track of people that they've met. Even just a simple notes app to track who you follow and when you follow up with them and how you follow up with them. Find what works for you and stick with it.

Speaker 1:

As long as you have some sort of system for keeping track, the last thing I recommend is be consistent. The last thing I recommend is be consistent, but don't overdo it A lot of times. We think be consistent means be constant. Do it all the time, do it every day, do it nonstop. You don't need to follow up with people every week. In fact, you shouldn't follow up with people every week. You will freak them out and it's a lot, but you also don't want to let months go by without the people in your network hearing from you. So a quick check-in every month or so is enough to stay on their radar. Make sure that you stay connected with them without being annoying.

Speaker 1:

Remember it is about building relationships, and relationships take time. You can't send five follow-up emails today and expect it to do the same thing as five follow-up emails sent over the next five months would do. Right, it's a long game and that's not sexy. That's not fun to sell. When I'm like, hey, come learn how to network and it will take a long time, we all want to sign up for the thing that's like, hey, pay me $10,000 and I'll teach you how to make 9 million in the next 90 seconds. But that's just not realistic and I know that I've been there and this is how it's done if you want your business to be sustainable in the long run.

Speaker 1:

So don't let the overwhelm stop you from building the network that is going to support you for years and years and years. Keep it simple, keep it years. Keep it simple, keep it personal, keep it genuine, keep it human. This is how you will build the know like and trust factor that makes people want to do business with you. All right, friends, thank you so much for tuning in to another episode of the Powerful Women Rising podcast. If you have tips for follow-up, you have things that have worked for you, something that maybe I left out, or something that sparked an aha for you, I would love to hear about it. So pop over to my Instagram at Powerful Women Rising and let's keep the conversation going, thanks for listening to Powerful Women Rising.

Speaker 2:

We hope today's episode inspired you to keep rising. If you love the podcast, please subscribe and leave a review. It's like giving us a virtual hug and helps more awesome women like you find the show. Click the link in the show notes to get your free list of top virtual networking events for female entrepreneurs. It's time to make real connections and grow your business with integrity and authenticity. Until next time, keep rising and stay powerful.

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Melissa Snow

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