Kevin Willett talks about the importance of not letting connections fall by the wayside.

Yesterday I was having coffee with a friend and she asked me for a referral for a service she needed. I smiled and said yes I have the perfect person for you, let me check with her to make sure it’s a match and I will introduce you by email.

When I called this person to offer her the referral, I realized I hadn’t spoken to her in three years. She hadn’t kept in touch. Now luckily for her I like her and know she does great work, so I had no trouble referring her, but it made me think about how often we take our networking connections for granted. Most of us have said something like ‘he knows me; he will call me if he needs me’. Really are you sure? In most cases this simply isn’t true. If you don’t take the time to nurture the relationship then sadly they are probably sending their referrals to someone else, someone who spent the time getting to know them better, someone who kept in touch.

Today I want you to take the time to follow up with the people that you met at the last networking event you attended. Connect with them on social media and if it makes sense, schedule a call or coffee meeting. You may be surprised by the impact it has on your networking activities and your referral rate.

Watch my YouTube Channel for more on this Business Networking Tip

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events.