You're done, right? All you have to do is repeat this process 120 more times and you'll have developed a spectacular network and succeeded in getting a lot of market exposure for yourself. Wait, though; there's more.
In your networking meetings, one of your main goals is to get each of your contacts "tuned to your frequency" so that they'll be sensitized to listen for and retain information that might be of value to you. Even if they aren't able to help right now, they may overhear some gossip next week or next month that may turn out to be the key to your next job.
The problem is in harvesting all of this information. You can't rely on every contact to call you each time he hears a juicy morsel that could be of use. If you've lodged the image of yourself firmly in his perceptual apparatus, he may think of you momentarily, file the data away somewhere in his head, and promptly forget about it the moment his mind turns to newer or more pressing matters.
If your contact learns of some really major news, like an incredible job opening that only he knows about, he might take the time to call. After all, the call could make him look really good and "prove" that he truly does know all there is to know. The potential for such rich gratification may prompt him to take time out from his busy life and give you a call.
But don't count on hearing from many of your contacts. They said they'd "keep their eyes and ears open" and get in touch if they "hear of anything interesting," but they were probably just being polite. All of their antennae are out there, sucking up information, but they aren’t necessarily doing anything with it.
The better your networking goes, the harder it will be to build systematic follow-up into your typical day. Say you expand your network to 100 contacts, and scheduling, calling, recalling, and finally chatting with each of them requires ten minutes per follow-up. If you're following up every two months, then, during a six-month job search, you'll have to expend about 3,000 minutes (50 hours) on follow-up activity alone.
Few networkers are disciplined enough to build that kind of effort into their planning, particularly when it's more exciting to make new contacts than to cultivate existing ones. Besides, the vast majority of follow-ups won't have anything new or earth-shattering to tell. Following up isn't fun, but it's essential.
Keeping Your Image Fresh:
Fortunately, effective follow-up doesn't require subjecting yourself and your contacts to more, full networking meetings. Follow-up is done most efficiently by phone, and the call needn't take more than a couple of minutes unless, of course, the contact has information to share or initiates a longer conversation.
Follow-up calls stand the best chance of getting through first thing in the business day or after 5:00 P.M., the times when people are most likely to pick up their own phones. This fact argues for planning your follow-up activity as a daily ritual, another component of the structured daily process of reviewing and answering ads, reading newspapers and periodicals, doing library or database research, updating your master networking list, prioritizing possible new contacts, writing meeting request letters, making meeting request calls, and keeping all of your meeting appointments.
People who have a natural sales aptitude find this a natural approach to following up. They are perfectly comfortable calling and talking to strangers, and they look forward to reestablishing contact with people they've already met. For them, cold calling is routine, and following up with some contacts daily is actually fun. According to one extrovert:
“Running a job search is simply selling a product, but, in this case, you're the product. And don't tell me you're not a natural salesperson. If you're running a job search, you've been in sales for the duration of the search, whether you like it or not. If you don't like it, then run a better search and make it end faster. Backing away from the tasks that every person in sales must master won't make the process more comfortable. It'll just make you feel guilty and keep you unemployed.”
This common-sense advice notwithstanding, many of us approach the phone with dread, and the thought of following up for 30 or 45 minutes each day is hugely daunting.
Instead of building daily follow-up into their regimen, some networkers prefer to set aside a major chunk of time and just wade in. "It's like medicine," says one net-worker. "I can tolerate it far better if I take it in large doses, all at once." In this approach, a list of perhaps 30 names is selected for follow-up and prioritized. A day is set aside, and the networker sees how many can be reached before terminal boredom sets in.
This approach is better than not following up at all, but it has its disadvantages. It will require calling at least some contacts during times in the business day when they're least likely to be available, and it can be hard to remain fresh and upbeat. Your inquiries may sound flat and automatic after the 10th or 15th call. "I feel like such a nag," says Margaret, a compensation and benefits specialist. "It's so transparent. It's like I'm calling to say, 'You didn't help me enough in the networking meeting, so can you do more for me now?"
Whether you make your follow-up calls once a week or once a year, you can take the edge off of the call if you start by giving help rather than asking for additional assistance. As you make your daily rounds, you too are gathering anecdotal information. In fact, because your networking involves systematically trafficking in information, you're probably more attuned to stray bits of gossip than the average person. A high percentage of the tidbits you hear will make you think of someone you've networked with. File that information somewhere, and use it as your opener when you make a follow-up call.
This technique of using information as your ice-breaker determines the priority of whom you call for follow-up. You have to call contacts while the information is still fresh ("Did you hear that the Titanic sank?" won't earn you many points), so part of your structured follow-up planning should be set aside for "current events calls."
In this same vein, you can take steps that have no immediate follow-up value but can pay huge dividends later on. Foremost among these is sending your contacts articles, press releases, periodicals or research information of interest to them. This tactic works best if you don't explicitly (or implicitly) request immediate help in return. Just clip out or copy the article and stick a note-tag on the front: "Don, this reminded me of our conversation about widgets. Thought you might find it interesting. Best, Dick Jones." Any business referral you can make to a contact will earn you considerable goodwill, even if it doesn't pan out. Everyone responds warmly to the idea that someone has their economic interests at heart.
Structuring the Follow-Up Call:
When it comes time to make follow-up telephone calls, you should at least have thought through the agenda for each call so that you don't meander aimlessly after connecting. Some reality checking is an essential part of this agenda. Just because you vividly remember your meeting with the contact doesn't mean that he recalls the meeting, you, what was discussed, or what he may have promised to do. You may have to quickly and adroitly refresh his memory.
Thank-you notes for telephone follow-ups probably aren't necessary and would be a logistical nightmare, unless someone has provided you with a piece of information that calls for immediate action on your part. If that information leads to something solid and promising, feedback to the contact is in order. Even here, however, the phone is probably an easier and more effective medium. The exception would be if the new information actually gets you a job offer.
A note announcing your success is the best way to cement what now will be a continuing relationship of a different sort. Unfortunately, the majority of follow-up calls aren't going to produce valuable new information or insights. They'll only succeed in re-energizing your antennae and making sure they're still tuned to your frequency. But you'll be gratified to see how often a follow-up call proves timely and serves to jog the contact's short term memory.
