So, you’ve gone to a networking event, (or like me, just gotten home from BlogHer ’09), and now you have a pile of business cards and new contacts. What do you do next? It can sometimes be a little overwhelming but follow up is a critical element in making the most of new connections you make.

Have you ever left a powerful event feeling all inspired and excited about the wonderful people you met? Then, you went home and absolutely nothing happened. Life got in the way, you were backlogged on emails from being out of town, or you suddenly had projects on deadline. Either way, the connections and event become a distant memory and opportunities go by the wayside. It is a sad reality for so many. As people we really do want to help one another and cherish the connections we’ve made but somehow it slips away.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Have a follow up strategy in place before you go to an event (and it helps to have one in place at all times for that matter) and then execute when you get home. Larina Kase calls this networking issue #3 in her post “Is Networking a Waste of Time?”. The solution she offers:

Only attend if you can commit to following up. Schedule follow-up time on your calendar before you even arrive at the event. Adopt a less is more mentality. It’s often better to meet fewer, higher-quality contacts than to leave with a stack of business cards. Don’t count on others to follow-up. Make it your responsibility.

Now remember I said strategy for follow up not cookie-cutter crapola. I can’t tell you how many times I have gotten an email from someone I met that either:

1) Was a total copy and paste boilerplate that had nothing to do with me or the connection we made.

or

2) Never included a personal email but instead automatically signed me up for their newsletter (yuck! – invite me personally to sign up and leave the decision to me, ok?).

Sure you may have some common language you use in your follow up emails but for goodness sake honor the person you connected with and re-activate that connection.

Ilise Benum at Freelance Switch has a good post with a simple formula for what to say when you follow up. It doesn’t have to be rocket science but it can’t be generic or insincere. The post “10 Networking Tips for Tweeters” has similar follow up advice. My golden rule is to think of what you would like to receive from someone else in a follow up email.

Networking is about momentum and you need to schedule time for it regularly. Again, this includes post-event as well. The Glass Hammer has some good tips on making time for networking and follow up in “Ask a Career Coach: How Do You Maintain Career Momentum?”.

While I am still of the physical business card ilk because I don’t have all the latest tech toys, there is more than one way to track your contacts. Whether you keep physical business cards, scan them into a database, or shun them altogether and instead swap contact information electronically, you need a system and a plan.

You need to follow up timely. Now timely means different things to different people. Personally I like to do all my follow ups within 24-48 hours (business days) of meeting someone. However, sometimes it isn’t practical. For instance I tacked on three days of vacation at the end of my trip to Chicago for BlogHer ’09, so my personal follow up goal of within 1-3 business days didn’t start until several days following the event. My personal advice is to take follow up seriously but don’t pressure yourself so much time-wise that you either freak out or give up. Pace yourself and make the follow up timely and relevant. In other words have a plan, be authentic, and cut yourself some slack. Building relationships is a distance run. Just make sure you get out of the starting blocks and keep putting one foot in front of the other.

What is your follow up strategy and system? How does it differ from attending say a small networking event versus a large multi-day conference? Would love to hear your experiences and suggestions.

Photo Credit: Flickr

Paula Gregorowicz, owner of The Paula G. Company, offers life and business coaching for lesbians to help you gain the clarity, confidence, and courage you need to succeed on your own terms. Get the free eCourse “5 Steps to Turn Fear Into Freedom” at her website