I went to a property networking event – now what? (Part 1)

You did it!

You went to a networking event, followed our super tips, and now you’re wondering what to do next.

There is no magic wand (and we can’t promise you a miracle) for being a success at networking; it takes effort. You’ve done the hard part, which is getting out there and talking to people, now you need to knuckle down to your homework.
The most important part of networking is the follow-up. It’s how you take that pile of business cards and cement these new relationships. It’s qualifying these new contacts to determine if and how they can benefit your business, and/or how you could help them.

Everyone has the best intentions, but once we’re all out of that networking event, where we were buzzing with positivity and potential, real life kicks in. Thirty minutes later you’re in the car or on a train checking your emails or taking a call, and that buzzing subsides as other priorities seep back in.

It’s the same for everyone; it doesn’t matter how great the conversation was you can guarantee they’ll forget how impressed they were with your passion/drive/ideas unless you remind them.

After an event, your most important job is to make them remember you, and that means having a follow-up plan. If you want results from networking – following up will deliver them.

#1) Block out the time in your diary to do the follow-ups. If you don’t make time for it, it won’t happen.

#2) Get a system in place to record and manage all those b
usiness cards you collected. If you haven’t got a CRM, we recommend you get one (read this).

#3) Create two lists. The first is what is known as the Active follow-ups – these are people that have expressed an interest in your business. The second is for the Passive follow-ups – all those people you met who could be interested or useful in the future.

If you want some advice on how to make that follow-up contact Part 2 is here.

About the author

Steven Lai is a property investor, founder of Super Developments and creator of CRM for Property Success. He is a CRM expert with over 12 years commercial experience of managing sales teams.

Join the CRM for Property Success Facebook Group to ask him anything (about CRM, property or 80's trivia!).