The buzz of the 2022 BSM Summit is now over. You attended the event, met your people, and gathered business cards.
Now what?
It’s time to make those introductions pay off. Don’t wait! Make sure you schedule a few hours to follow up with the connections you just created within the next 24 hours. Or less. Go back to the BSM website to research what was said by the panelists from day one and day two. You can use this to add personalization to your emails or LinkedIn connections.
If you had a meaningful convo with somebody, send them a LI connect request. If you only said hello, took their card, and made small talk, don’t hit them up on LI. They aren’t a genuine connection just yet. Wait. If you had a long conversation with them, though, about a specific idea, connect on LI. And, add a note about what you discussed at the Summit and the next action step you would like to take. Congrats, you have made a connection.
I hope you said you would stay in touch for any business card you grabbed or send them an email. And if they said that’s great, they will be looking for it. Make the email short and personal to something you both experienced at the Summit. Like maybe you both saw when Carton and Francesa crossed paths in the hallway. Don’t fire emails to random people you never met. It’s called spam.
However, if it is a person who you wanted to see but were stuck in another conversation, go for it. Make sure you state the business purpose of your relationship and remember to tell them what’s in it for them. Ask to schedule a call or Zoom. Do some digging, find out their background or company direction, and be clear about what they do or who they work for. Make sure you send follow-up emails today!
If you don’t get to it til over the weekend, wait till Monday morning to send the email. Weekend emails get buried, and the open rate is poor. Go here for more follow-up email ideas. You have created some momentum with a new relationship, so keep it going if you are working on a new job or idea you want to pursue with the other person.
Make sure your email has links at the bottom to your Twitter, Instagram, or, most importantly, LinkedIn accounts. Put your website on there as well. If you have a good photo of yourself, use it.
Follow your new contact on social media or like their business pages. See if they follow you back. If you want to approach them on Twitter or Facebook for a meeting, do so in private messages, not feeds where everybody can read.
At the end of the day, if it is a connection that both parties see the value of, emails will get returned, and calls answered. If your first outreach isn’t responded to, try one more time. It is not uncommon for busy people to struggle with correspondence after a conference, and then a weekend hits them. If it’s meant to be, it will happen.
If they don’t answer your outreach, consider other ways to get their attention, get in front of them again, or move on. And, please, if you enjoyed your experience, email JBarrett@sportsradiopd.com and give him the benefits you received. He will appreciate your feedback and maybe even help your networking efforts.
Jeff Caves is a sales columnist for BSM working in radio and digital sales for Cumulus Media in Dallas, Texas and Boise, Idaho. He is credited with helping launch, build, and develop Sports Radio The Ticket in Boise, into the market’s top sports radio station. During his 26 year stay at KTIK, Caves hosted drive time, programmed the station, and excelled as a top seller. You can reach him by email at jeffcaves54@gmail.com or find him on LinkedIn.
