Yesterday I had a great meeting with Emma Broom from Opulence Bespoke Wine Experiences. We had previously met at a networking event, done the obligatory swapping of business cards and said “let’s organise a meeting and talk about possible business synergies and opportunities”.
Well, we did just that, we had a great meeting at The Goudhurst Inn, talked about both of our businesses, our professional history, who our ideal clients were and how we can refer to each other, then finally the opportunity to work together as alliance partners and hold business seminars and networking events. We then left that meeting and did a couple of e-introductions to people, that are either great contacts or share similar types of clients or workspaces. Phew, so an hour’s meeting with loads of input, output, and exciting opportunities, who as a business owner doesn’t want that?
But how many times have we all attended an event, collected business cards like Pokémon cards and then dutifully filed them away (maybe in a bag!) with no concise way of making sure that the time we invested in attending the meeting was worthwhile?
It’s interesting how many business owners I speak to that don’t have an effective way of following up on those all-important networking connections. So, I would say, have a look in the mirror and ask yourself. “Do I do that; do I have a way every time I meet new people that I can effectively then follow up with them? If not, maybe it’s time, as those connections could be vital to you and your business.
