Professional Excellence: What You Need to Know to Develop Skills for Success, Work with Others, and Network Successfully

Episode 11. Exchanging Business Cards, Following Up, and Generally Ensuring Your Networking Event Was Worth Attending

So, you’ve gone to all this trouble to network with people. You’ve listened to some boring stories, and you’ve laughed at crappy jokes. Now it’s time to get to the point of all that – solidifying the connections that you were hoping to make in the first place.

First, only give business cards to people who ask for them or with whom you are definitely planning to follow up. I know business cards are literally cheaper than dirt (seriously, have you bought dirt lately? It’s expensive!) but you still shouldn’t fling them at everyone you see. Also, try to follow up with everyone you meet at a given networking event within 48 hours. ...