Follow-up with New People

This is pretty simple. Call your potential customers or business partners and introduce them to your company, your upline or support team. Invite them to see your company up close. There are meetings, special events, calls, online tours, conferences, and other people with similar goals. Mix it up with online and offline touch points. Lead them to a decision.

Have a set process that you take a potential customer or distributor through. Take the guesswork out of the process. Use a simple checklist. Over time you will be able to see how much you have to do before your prospects are comfortable making decisions.

I created my follow-up system based on the genius of Casey Eberhart, The Ideal Networker; Tammy Stanley, Founder of The Sales Refinery; and Melissa Giovagnoli, co-author of  The One Minute Networlder.

Genius Points to Consider

1. Find People who have similar goals and values. Build a huge network. They might not all do business with you, but you are building a network that can help others, people who you just love knowing, people you might be able to tap one day if the situation fits.
2. Give First. How about giving them a referral or two. Get to know them. Buy them a cup of coffee. Networkers love to know the story behind the story.
3. Make a Connection. In our Brown Bag Lunch Networking Group we tell a little about our business, our personal lives, and who our power partners might be. I might not be in the market for a mortgage right now, but when I am I’ll call on John who invited the group to come over and see his Clark Griswald holiday decorations. I laugh every time I think of it.
4. Remove the Hype and just be real. “Hey Joan, I’m calling to thank you for the tip you gave me yesterday. It really got me thinking about my issue in a whole new light. Thanks for taking the weight off my shoulders. I solved the problem today.” Notice that I didn’t ask for business from her.

Doesn’t it make networking easier? You go in with the attitude of what can I do for these people I am about to meet. It just perks your ears right up. Your networking antenna is pointed outward instead of  in toward you.

What if I meet someone at a networking meeting and they are looking for a job, and I happen to have a contact in their field?

Step 1: I call them the next day. I’ll even leave a message. “Hi, Sue we met yesterday at our networking group and you said you were looking for a job. I wanted to discuss this a little more so I can make sure I can make a great connection for you.” Give me a call back at …”

Step 2: Set up a time to meet for coffee. Listen, listen, listen.

Step 3: Send her a card (physical card stamp and all) with a referral or two inside.

Step 4: Invite her to join your Facebook page so you can stay in touch.

Step 5: Do it all over again

There you have it. Short and sweet. Keep practicing the basics over and over. It’s your signature system. Pretty soon you’ll be able to teach it to others.

Happy follow-up and stay in touch.