I’m thinking it’s Thom Singer. How do I know?
He showed me. Twice.
First, he gave me an example in his networking session at sxsw. For the record, it was the most helpful session I went to during the entire conference. Meaning, the most immediately useful. As in, I walked out of that room, and used what I had just learned to have one of the best conversations I’ve ever had. Networking. Go figure.
And a bit of reference: I’m someone that’s…
-Old at marketing, but new to business.
-Living in a town of about 600 people.
-An introvert.
(A quick note on that last point. Introverts aren’t shy, or anti-social, or loners at all, though it’s a popular misconception. We just thrive when the company of others is on our own terms, at our own volume, and on our own time frame, to the extent that that’s ever possible. And actually, with a lot of Thom’s networking ideas, it is.)
So, even though I can tell great stories and I’m a really personable guy, I have a lot to learn about networking. And the art of the follow up was just one of the points in Thom’s session (there were 9 others).
The other way Thom showed me he’s the king of follow ups is by walking the walk. He sent a handwritten, personalized card to our office. Just like he said he would. Thom wins.
Pat Strader here at Matterhorn wins, too. He’s been doing the same thing as Thom does for years. Handwritten follow ups have opened up some great connections for him, and brought Matterhorn business and exposure time after time. Pat was once called to give some input on a blog post two years after sending a handwritten card. Why? The person who got it said that it was so unusual to get a handwritten note that she kept it.
Who else? Phil Haussler from Marblespark. He sent me a postcard a few weeks ago, even though I’ve never met him face to face. But I have been getting involved in a very cool project he’s been leading called Openbook with the goal of funding girls’ education in the Himalaya. I’ve been sick, and he was wishing me well, and thanking me for contributing to Openbook, too.
Think you’d remember something like that?
The advice, the examples, they’re not new. But not many people are doing it, still and yet.
And if you’re in doubt, ask yourself this: All other things being equal, who would you work with? The person that sent you a handwritten note about your meeting? Or the person that didn’t?
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Tags: business relationships, business trust, content, networking