WEBVTT - Strike while the iron is hot

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to follow up right away when you

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<v Speaker 1>meet somebody. In a few days, the moment may have passed.

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<v Speaker 1>Nobody likes cold calling, so strike while the iron is hot.

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<v Speaker 1>While many things are still in flux with the pandemic,

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<v Speaker 1>it does seem like this fall. There may finally be

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<v Speaker 1>in person conferences, seminars, and networking events. Even if these

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<v Speaker 1>are small or have various restrictions, you will have opportunities

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<v Speaker 1>to reconnect with people in your field whom you haven't

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<v Speaker 1>seen in a while. You'll have opportunities to grow your

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<v Speaker 1>network as well. I don't don't have to tell you

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<v Speaker 1>that building an active professional network is important, But if

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<v Speaker 1>you are building new networking habits after some time away

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<v Speaker 1>from in person events, here's a good one. Make sure

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<v Speaker 1>to follow up right away. If you run into your

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<v Speaker 1>old boss and he suggests getting together for lunch, don't

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<v Speaker 1>say sure, that sounds great, Let's do it sometime. Get

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<v Speaker 1>a date on the calendar. Maybe you attend to talk

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<v Speaker 1>by a leader in your field whom you've followed for

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<v Speaker 1>a while. Introduce yourself after the talk, if that's doable,

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<v Speaker 1>and then follow up that afternoon with a thank you

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<v Speaker 1>email identifying the points in her talk that you found

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<v Speaker 1>most helpful. That will lay the groundwork for reaching out

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<v Speaker 1>in the future if you see an opportunity, and in

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<v Speaker 1>the meantime she'll appreciate your immediate feedback. Or perhaps you

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<v Speaker 1>talk to a potential client who says he would welcome

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<v Speaker 1>a proposal from your company, follow up as soon as

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<v Speaker 1>you can. He may have had a similar conversation with

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<v Speaker 1>your competitors too, so you don't want to doddle. And

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<v Speaker 1>if you meet someone that you just genuinely enjoy talking to,

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<v Speaker 1>email her an announcement about another event in your field.

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<v Speaker 1>She might be interested in suggest you to go to

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<v Speaker 1>gather to continue the learning and fun. This is all

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<v Speaker 1>common sense, but what often happens is that we go

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<v Speaker 1>to events and then the travel home takes time and effort,

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<v Speaker 1>and we immediately find ourselves immersed in whatever crises we

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<v Speaker 1>were going through before we left. Next thing, we know,

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<v Speaker 1>a few days have passed before we pull our heads up,

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<v Speaker 1>and then things can start to feel a little weird.

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<v Speaker 1>The email that comes a month after, for instance, always

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<v Speaker 1>less productive than the one that comes soon after, So

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<v Speaker 1>don't let time get away from you. When you plan

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<v Speaker 1>to go to a conference or other professional event. Also

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<v Speaker 1>block off an hour in the day or two after

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<v Speaker 1>your return for your follow ups. By setting aside the time,

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<v Speaker 1>you will prompt yourself to go through your connections, or

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<v Speaker 1>at least think about what you've learned and how you

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<v Speaker 1>might implement it, rather than just shoving those notes in

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<v Speaker 1>the drawer along with everything else. This rule to strike

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<v Speaker 1>while the iron is hot goes for anything. Really. If

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<v Speaker 1>you have an informational interview with someone, follow up right

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<v Speaker 1>away to thank the person, and then take any next

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<v Speaker 1>steps the person has suggested you take. For instance, if

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<v Speaker 1>he offered to provide feedback on your resume, send it

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<v Speaker 1>to him right away and express your appreciation for offered

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<v Speaker 1>to review it. Or maybe he says he will introduce

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<v Speaker 1>you to a member of his team who has a

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<v Speaker 1>job like the one you hope to land someday. Thank

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<v Speaker 1>him for offering to introduce you to this person, to

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<v Speaker 1>confirm that you do indeed want to be introduced sooner

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<v Speaker 1>rather than later. In any case, all sorts of opportunities

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<v Speaker 1>don't happen when we don't follow up. The best time

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<v Speaker 1>to follow up is when people are still thinking about

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<v Speaker 1>what we are following up about. We are all busy

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<v Speaker 1>these days. Actually making time to follow up puts you

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<v Speaker 1>ahead of the game in the meantime. This is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Hey everybody, I'd love to hear from you.

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<v Speaker 1>You can send me tips, your questions, or anything else.

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<v Speaker 1>Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast pod that's b E the number four, then

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<v Speaker 1>Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me an

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<v Speaker 1>email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot

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<v Speaker 1>com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. For

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<v Speaker 1>more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart

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