How long do you wait before you next contact a prospect, business partner or acquaintance and how?
Sounds like the question, "how long do you wait to call after the first date?" In a way, it's the same question, although if you're properly controlling the process, before you leave the meeting, you agree to a specific next step and never a "think about it."
More specifically, when is the optimal time to communicate, "thank you"?
10 minutes after you meet.
Yep, 10 minutes. It's especially important after you've met with prospects or clients. The fact is, right after you meet with a service provider is when you have questions or concerns. Doubt it? Pay attention to what you're thinking about just after a meeting and write down the questions you're asking. This is happening with your customers, too.
The good news is you have a few ways to communicate this. The best way to know the best and easiest way to say thank you is to ask during your consultation, "which communication medium do you prefer; email, telephone, mail?" Make sure you have their cell phone, text them if they prefer email; call them if they like the telephone.
Bonus practice:
During your consultation assure your prospect that, "there's no dumb questions." Now, when you call within 10 minutes of parting, you can say, "Just a quick call to thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I'm looking forward to working with you. Is there any question I can answer which you may have just thought of since we left each other? Remember, there's no dumb questions."
This is especially important if you've met with more than one person. There's always a conversation just after a meeting. There's always questions.
An immediate, "thank you," impresses new networking partners, too. And don't forget the power of the hand addressed, hand written, personal note card. It always gets opened and read.
What's your best practice on follow-up?
Photo credit: Todd Hryckowian
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