I don't have to tell you how important networking is to building your business.

I know you know the values of building relationships and how those connections can open up doors of opportunities that would not have otherwise been open.

But, are you are leaving money on the table?

You attend a variety of events to grow your business and to meet and network with new people, and that is great.

You have a bit of a conversation, get their card and chat about how it would be great to connect later.

Only to get back to your office, return to your hectic agenda and the cards end up getting set aside and later forgotten about. You may be able to send out a quick email reaching out, but that's where it ends.

The value of connecting with new people is not what happens at that event; although, I know of some major business that has happened at live events. I have even had that happen for me, but it is not the norm.

It is what happens AFTER the initial contact that is most valuable.

What I witness all too often is most entrepreneurs fail to follow up or they don't follow up enough.

Think about it. How many times have you attended an event, handed out your card and NO ONE connected with you afterwards?

Unfortunately, it happens all the time - even when you have asked someone to call you because you were interested in what they had to offer.

Some time ago, I met a gentleman who sold insurance. I gave him my card and told him that I was looking for business insurance and wanted him to call me the next day so we can talk about getting me into a policy.

He NEVER called.

There I was, ready to buy and he left the money on the table. So, my business went elsewhere.

What I want to give you are tips that you can use to make sure that you don't leave valuable opportunities and money on the table.

As I say often, "Success is in the System."

So, you need to create a follow-up system that you can consistently implement so that you don't have things fall through the gap.

Jot down notes immediately -

This is what you do AT the event.

If you are like me, sometime after speaking to several people, the conversations get muddled up in your head and you forget who said what.

When you are speaking to the individual and you exchange cards, have a pen ready to write key words that will help you remember specifics of the conversation.

Then, when you have that follow-up connection, you can easily recall the conversation and start building the relationship.

Plan follow-up time after your event -

You must intentionally set time aside to follow up. When you get back to your busy and hectic schedule, it is easy to push the follow up aside.

I recommend pre-scheduling follow up time be within 24-48 hours after attending an event. That way you are less likely to have the follow up fall by the waste side.

Recently I had 4 speaking events in 8 days, which is unusually crazy for me. There was not a lot of time to schedule the follow up with everyone right away.

So, I planned ahead to connected with the "hot" leads within the 24-48 hours, and continued to follow up with the rest of the individuals after a few days.

Try, try and try again -

You get someone's card. You even follow up with a call or an email.

And then…You stop.

So many people stop after the first try or two because they do not want to "bug" the other person.

I can see 20 or 30 times could be considered bugging, maybe even stalking, but one or two tries is NOT bugging them.

It sometimes takes a few, sometimes several, attempts to actually connect and have conversations with people you met at an event.

Keep in mind - we all live very busy lives. So, it takes time to get the paths to cross sometimes.

My rule of thumb is I attempt to connect about 4-5 times. Generally, most of my connections are made on the 3-4 try.

More often than not, the other person is very appreciative of my diligence to connect.
If after the 5th attempt, I do not receive any communication, I either send a final email or leave a final message stating that I have been attempting to connect and that I will be available to talk when it becomes convenient for them. I leave my information and wish them well.

I have received clients expectedly and unexpectedly, speaking engagements, joint ventures, interview requests, etc through the connections I make with my follow up.

The thing to remember is the value behind networking and connecting with people at events is not what happens AT the event, but more what happens AFTER the event.

Apply this to your online and offline relationship building and you will begin to be financially rewarded for your follow up.

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