A thought about networking. After a networking event do you have people you met cold calling you to sell their services? When you call I may be in the middle of a project, feeding my children or picking up dog poo in the yard. I view such interruption as a nuisance telemarketer. I have your contact information and if I need your services I will call. Cold call me, go to voicemail and be deleted, and you will go to the bottom of my list (if not off the planet) as someone I want to do business with. It's so intrusive and unprofessional. Is it just me that finds cold callers/telemarketers so annoying?

Maybe I'm just getting old and cranky!

Lynne

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The Wordpro Wizard
www.wordprowizard.com

I haven't had anyone cold call me after meeting me at a networking event, but I wouldn't look too favorably on them if they did, unless they asked to set up a phone meeting sometime. Typically, I have found that emailing a note to say "it was nice to meet you" is common courtesy and something I do after getting to know someone at a meeting.

I agree, a simple and quick email is fine and I often appreciate that they bothered. This also allows for me to easily save their info in my Outlook.

As far cold calling, although I feel bad for them, knowing that no one really enjoys cold calling and they are doing it because they are looking for business, I still think the same along Lynne's line of thinking. If I need something, I'll call.

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Vivi Gonzalez
www.VirtualBusinessPartners.com

I have had that quick e-mail turn into a relationship and we are now "friends". At least with the e-mail you can read it at your leisure and follow up however you'd like.

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Bernice
Energy Virtual Assistant

Exactly! Emails are just more time-polite, I guess I would call them. It allows the reciever to respond when they have a chance, not when you call. I think it's a great and convenient way of communication.

With that said, I do see though that more and more people are going this route. Almost setting a slightly anti-social trend. I know that i'm guilty of it. I usually prefer using emails over talking and sometimes even find myself without much patience regarding phone calls.

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Vivi Gonzalez
www.VirtualBusinessPartners.com

I'm sorry but I have to disagree. These people are doing what they're taught to do 'follow up'. This is one of the most important rules of networking.

Follow up can be done via email, letter, card or phone call. Since they've already met you it is reasonable to expect they feel they are continuing on a conversation started with you at a networking event. It would not be classed as a 'cold call' because they're already met you - more like a 'warm call'.

It would be nice if they actually asked if now is a convenient time to call? Or perhaps clarified at their initial meeting with you at the networking event that they will be calling. Or perhaps you can take the initiative when passing a business card that your first preference for contact is via email. I've had to have this discussion with new clients as often we have different ways of working - I prefer email but some prefer voice by phone.

As VAs we tend to live through and with email but we have to remember that others conduct their businesses quite differently and need to accommodate that.

To add to my comments above, it is most important that you are doing the same - following up anyone you meet or have contact with. It's how my business was first established many years ago before the internet and networking today (and follow up) is still just as important, although if potential clients belong to forums then we have an excuse for regular contact but that doesn't apply to everyone we meet.

I totally agree with respect to follow up. What prompted me to start this thread was a cold call from someone (who sells advertising for a local rag) I'd never met but who picked up my business card from the card/brochure table at an event. She left me a voicemail "name, company, call me at xxx". During the afternoon I returned the call 4 times, getting voicemail each time. At call #4 I left a message "name, company, tried to reach you, if you're selling advertising thanks but I'm not interested at this time".

At 8 p.m. (having been running since 5.30 a.m. and just sank into an armchair) she called me back wanting to know who I was, what company and what I wanted. "I dunno, you called me". She rambled for a minute or two trying to figure out why she'd called me, then said she thought I might be interested in joining another group (which was way out of my field and market). Needless to say by this time I was totally unamused .

Lynne

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