After attending a networking event, following up with the contacts you made is vital. However often the follow up e-mail provides no value to the recipient and is quickly deleted or filed.
Here are two simple tips that will help you maximise the impact of your follow up e-mail.
1. It's a follow up e-mail, not a finish up e-mail.
This is beginning of a relationship. Don't kill it before it has even started. Don't close your e-mail without a potential to communicate again in the future. Otherwise it is one sales pitch to another and goodbye! Your goal should be to develop a new relationship. Put a call to action in the mail. Arrange to meet for a coffee. Find out what events you are both attending. Suggest connecting on LinkedIn. Do something that encourages the relationship to grow.
2. Your follow up e-mail is NOT about you.
Your follow up mail is not to reiterate what you do. It is about the person you are writing to. Can you do anything to support them and their business? Perhaps you could put them in touch with someone you know. Perhaps you have a cool idea that they could use. Perhaps you have come across an article that they may find of interest. Anyway you look at it, you are engaging the person in a genuine, them first way that is not just a sales pitch. How would you feel if you received an e-mail to that effect? Wouldn't you want to keep in contact and reciprocate the sentiment.
What follow up e-mail tips do you have? Please share.