5 steps to post-meeting success
Avoid the universal dilemma and follow through on what you learned.
By Bob Littell
A s you’re checking out of your hotel, you think over the last several days. You’ve had a really good meeting. You’ve met some interesting people, had some good conversations, and made some great connections. You exchanged more than a dozen business cards and made mutual promises with several people to connect soon afterwards. A wonderful inspirational speaker wrapped up the meeting, allowing all to leave on a real upbeat note.
But on the ride back to the airport, reality begins to set in. You left several problem items at the office when you flew out, which are probably going to be there when you return, based on e-mail exchanges during the meeting.
Monday arrives and, before you know it, you’re right back in your old routine. Several days later, you happen to come across the business cards that you collected at the meeting. You thumb through them. Not only can you barely recall what someone looked like-who at the time seemed like a great potential connection — but you haven’t the slightest recollection of what you talked about.
So where do people go wrong, or more importantly, what can people do to overcome the post-meeting letdown and follow-up failures?
1. Focus on following up and following through while you’re still at the meeting.
Follow up is a time-related concept. You have a conversation with someone and take some immediate actions within 24 hours (e.g., repeat the person’s name three times within the first several minutes; make notes on the back of his or her business card to trigger what you discussed, especially key points the other person made). Then, within that same time frame, send an e-mail or personal note. Follow through, however, is the real differentiator. The more elaborate and creative ways you use to follow up, the more memorable it will be — both to the person with whom you want to connect, as well as to yourself. For example, instead of just sending an e-mail or note, you might attach an article to the e-mail relating to the conversation you had, or go over the top and have a cheese-and-fruit tray delivered to their room.
2. It’s fine to collect 10 or more business cards, but narrow them down to three or four of the most important connections you’ve made.
By prioritizing the connections you make and narrowing them down to a manageable number, you can focus on following through with your best prospects for sales, referrals, and resources. And the most effective way to follow through — while you’re still at the meeting-is to introduce the person with whom you want to establish a relationship to someone he or she would benefit meeting. You also might offer some information or resources that you have at your disposal to the person.
3. If you really want to “wow” someone with your follow through, pursue these three important questions.
These steps go above and beyond the more traditional networking efforts, which focus on identifying prospects for yourself or some way this person might be of help to you. There’s nothing wrong with that — it’s part of doing business. But as you are talking with someone, you can train yourself to ask three additional questions:
1.) “Is there someone I know who would benefit from meeting this person?” 2.) “Could this person provide information or resources to someone else I know?” 3.) “Has this person impressed me so much in this short period I’ve known her or him that I need to find a way to stay in touch and possibly (after satisfactorily con firming the quality of their work and reliability) add them to my trusted resource network?”
So, to totally wow someone at the meeting, the day after you have your initial conversation leave a message on the person’s phone letting them know that you have someone you want to connect them with when they return home. But, you add that you would like to set up the meeting via cell phone and do so — while you’re still at the conference, if possible.
4. Review your notes and make an action plan to utilize what you learned at the sessions.
As soon as you return from the event, share information with other staff members and your supervisor. Include notes in a report and put them on your planning calendar to be sure that you do follow up.
5. Focus on the change you want to achieve.
You have attended the conference seeking new information or solutions to particular problems, hoping to make new contacts, and looking for professional or personal enrichment. So, make a point before you leave of defining what change you expect the meeting to help you make — in your own behavior or in particular aspects of your work.
The best way to prevent a post-meeting letdown is begin your follow-up and follow-through activities while you’re still at the event. By spending some of your time figuring ways to connect or help someone else, you will leave the meeting just as high or higher than by the closing speech from that motivational speaker.
Bob Littell is the creator of “NetWeaving,” a concept for developing more meaningful networks. His suggestions, above, are some key elements.
