Earning Trust with the 24 Hour NEXT STEP

The final step to Cracking the Networking CODE is to Earn Trust. You may not believe this, but meeting people and making a solid first impression is the easy part. Earning their trust is hard. Earning their trust takes a series of Progress -based Impressions.

 

So keep it up. Keep on keeping on being progress. Keep making great impressions.   This is why getting to know people and their interests during the first conversation is so important. The more you know about them – their lives, their goals – the more ways you can help them progress and earn their trust. 

 

Find ways to help them progress based on their needs – not on your services. People want to be in relationships with people who bring progress into their lives. They trust people who continually bring progress into their lives. 

People must trust that you care and offer value. There must be benefits gained from being in a relationship with you, or there will be no relationship. As relationships blossom, continue to look for ways to establish yourself as a Progress Agent™ in their lives.

Follow up by e -mail, snail mail, or phone within 24 hours. You want to get the second progress-based impression in quick to build on the momentum of the first. The longer you wait, the harder it is and the more likelihood that the buzz of meeting you will have waned. It is vital that you include in your follow-up something specific to the initial conversation you had with the contact. 

 

Most people do not follow up because they have nothing to say that builds on the conversation – because there was no real conversation! They did not learn anything that they can use to build on. They did not find the NEXT STEP.  A good fast follow-up that builds on the first conversation and offers progress sets you apart from the rest. It is strategic communication that begins to solidify your relationship.    

 

Here are the three major follow-up methods for solid progress-based second impressions:

 

Making follow -up phone calls is good, but you will probably end up in voice mail. When you do (and you will), start and end your message with your name and phone number. If you are given the opportunity to listen to your voice message and redo it, take it. 

 

Say your name and number slowly and distinctly, without “swallowing” any words or syllables. Assume that the person listening remembers you, enjoyed your time together, and wants to write your number down and get in contact with you. Include a compliment or a statement that refers back to the conversation you shared. 

There is no doubt that e -mail is a powerful, inexpensive, and widely used means of communication today. I like e -mail.   It provides you with access that the phone and snail mail do not. The same people who ignore phone messages may well respond to e -mail. The secret is to create e -mails that are personal and focus on the relationship you have started with them – not on what your company does. 

 

And make sure all your e -mails include the address to your own or your company’s Web site. Don’t have one? Get one, a good one. People often will check out your Web site just because you make it easy for them by including it in your correspondence. Most people are curious and your Web presence can serve as another positive impression that builds trust. 

 

Sending a follow-up note is a solid way to build a new relationship. Short, upbeat, and handwritten would be ideal (as long as your writing is legible!). It would also be ideal to send one to everyone you meet (tough to pull off, but ideal). 

 

Again, begin with a compliment or a statement that refers back to the conversation you shared. Keep the tone upbeat and end by suggesting that the two of you get together for breakfast or lunch. 

 

Many feel that a follow-up written thank-you note is better than a follow-up e-mail. A real signature in ink on real notepaper may take a couple of days to get to them, but it has the potential of being much more memorable than an e-mail. 

 

To meet the 24 -hour follow-up timeline, try taking some thank-you stationery or note cards with stamps to networking events. Write, address, and mail the notes directly following the event to the people you just met. 

 

Crack the Networking CODE.

 

Be Progress.