Following Up After a Networking Event

So, today I got the following email.

Bloggable Question:
When I follow up with someone from a networking event, and they ask me to send some info about us, should I just laugh? Or should I try to ask a question before they hang up. The funny part is that I could probably really help them. But, they won’t really get the chance to find out about that.
There is no easy answer to this question. However, there are many questions.

Why are you calling them? Did they ask you to? Did they say something at the event that made you both agree to have a conversation? Why were they at the event? Are you calling everybody that registered or them specifically? What makes you think that you could help them? Do they have a problem?

Just because you have an awesome product doesn't mean that people are gonna be happy to hear from you. As soon as you say, "Hello, my name is Joe Blow from So & So Company." you are dead in the water. They stopped listening and they're trying to figure out how to get rid of you. They might try one of the following. "I'm not interested." or "Send me something." or "Do you have a website?" or "We're all set."

Prospects don't care about you, your company, your product, your benefits, your features. Stop telling. Start selling. It's all about them. It's all about them. It's all about them.

 
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Comments

  • 4/11/2007 6:02 AM peter caputa wrote:
    He did ask me to call. He does seminars. I didn't even tell him who my company was. But, I hear what you're saying. He has no reason to care.
    Reply to this
  • 4/12/2007 8:28 AM John Newland wrote:
    Peter, I assume you gave your positioning statement when you first called. When he asked for literature, I would have repeated the positioning statement and asked if that was a problem that he needed to solve. If the answer is no, there is no reason to send him anything. If the answer is yes, just set an appointment. Regards, JohnOnSales
    Reply to this
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