Monday Morning Move: Outbox in Overdrive

In case you were wondering, I’m still utilizing exercise and clean eating to help jump-start my week. But for this week’s Monday Morning Move, I’ve moved on from health and wellness to the business side of things. Working in both the legal and start-up industries, I do a LOT of networking, actually more than I’d like to most weeks. It feels like someone is constantly shoving a business card in my hand while giving me that “what can you do for ME?” hard stare. Although I don’t always enjoy the schmoozing and laughing at jokes that aren’t funny, I recognize the importance of building an influential Rolodex over time.

I will not lie to you. Networking can be exhausting, and you may make only one worthwhile connection after standing in uncomfortable shoes for three hours. But, you never know how many other important people that one connection may introduce you to. Long story short, it doesn’t matter what your interests or goals are. Networking WILL produce opportunities. Most of my “wins” in life all started with someone I met via networking. Also, it is worth noting that a large number of my clients met me at networking events or were referred by people who met me at networking events.

So what does this have to do with my Monday Morning Move? I can’t possibly be networking at 7:00 AM…except I can, thanks to the almighty follow-up email. Email is one of the greatest things to ever happen to networking. It is a non-intrusive way to keep the conversation going and build on the initial encounter. I will admit – despite knowing all of the benefits, I do not always follow up with people in a timely fashion. With countless other action items on my to-do list daily and three email accounts that I can barely keep up with as it is, sometimes networking emails get pushed off the radar completely. This week, I decided to put my email outbox at the top of the list and get to drafting.

My networking event calendar was jam packed last week. This probably seems like the most logical reason why I chose follow-up email as this week’s MMM. Confession – my greatest motivation was actually the fact that it required very little Sunday prep. I was out of town again this past weekend, and by the time I got home, I had a one track mind: “Couch. Now.” Needless to say, I wasn’t really feeling some elaborate preparation for Monday morning. Thankfully, the only prep this MMM required was gathering all the business cards that I’ve collected recently and leaving them next to my computer. Done.

I was in bed by 10:00 PM once again, and this time slept a full  6 hours  (*fist pump*). This may seem awful for some, but if you know my sleep struggles,  you know it’s a win for me. This morning, I was in front of the computer bright and early. While I did not get all of the emails out as planned, I did make significant progress. I’ll take it. Remember – the MMM does not have to be done perfectly. It just has to be done. Now, I get to focus on this week’s tasks, knowing that next week’s big opportunity may already be in the works.

If you’re thinking of sending some networking emails of your own, here are a few tips:

1. Email is not only good for follow-up networking. It also works for introducing yourself. Don’t hesitate to email someone you’ve never met. You’ll be surprised by how often you  get a response.

2. Studies show that people open the most email between 8:00 and 9:00 AM and 3:00 and 4:00 PM. So, make sure your message lands in their inbox early morning or mid-afternoon.

3. If it is impossible to send email at the ideal times listed above, draft the emails when you can and schedule delivery for later! Most email platforms have this functionality. For Outlook, see here. If you’re a Gmail user, check out Boomerang. Boomerang not only allows you to schedule an email to be sent later, but also will remind you if the email recipient has not responded after a specified time period.

4. Be intentional in your follow-up. In the email, indicate that you enjoyed meeting the person and make it clear why it’s beneficial to keep the conversation going. If it makes sense (and it almost always does, by the way), request an in-person meeting over coffee or lunch. Connect with them on LinkedIn, Twitter etc. The more they see your name pop up, the greater the probability that they will respond.

5. Store their contact information! There are a number of phone apps that can capture a photo of a business card and convert it to a contact. I’ve been using CardMunch for this purpose.

Feel free to steal my MMM and dust off those business cards you’ve collected over time.  Or, come up with your own MMM. Whatever you decide, just get started!