Here’s another one from my visit to the World Business Dialogue 2014 last week: After my entrepreneurship workshop I put up a slide with my email address and told the hundred or so students in attendance that they should feel free to connect with me. Actually I told them my number one rule of meeting someone: Always follow up. And if it’s only a short “Great to meet you. Thanks for the discussion and would love to stay in touch.”
To drive this point home I mentioned my “10% Rule” — regardless of audience, regardless of how much I emphasize this point, regardless if I hand out business cards, write my email on the last slide in 100 point font or plaster it on each and every slide: I can nearly guarantee you that less than 10% of the audience will actually follow up. And every single time the audience tells me: Not this time.
Guess what? I won my bet once again.
The good news: IF you are part of the 10% you stand out. Quite a bit actually. So — always follow up, it’s the best way to build a wide and strong network and ultimately make your own luck. And it’s all about luck, isn’t it? ;)