What are the best ways to follow up with contacts after a Manufacturing Engineering networking event?

3 Arrange a face-to-face meeting

If possible, try to arrange a face-to-face meeting with your contacts, either in person or online. This can help you deepen the connection and rapport, and also give you a chance to discuss your goals, challenges, and opportunities in more detail. You can invite them for a coffee, a lunch, or a casual chat, or you can suggest a more formal meeting, such as a presentation, a workshop, or a consultation. Make sure to prepare well for the meeting, have a clear agenda, and follow up with a thank you note and feedback.

4 Offer your help and value

One of the best ways to follow up with your contacts is to offer your help and value. This means that you should look for ways to assist them with their problems, needs, or goals, and also demonstrate your expertise and skills. For example, you can introduce them to someone who can help them with a project, send them a useful article or tool, or offer to review their work or give them advice. By doing this, you can show your generosity, credibility, and reliability, and also create opportunities for future collaboration or referrals.

5 Keep in touch regularly

Finally, you should keep in touch with your contacts regularly, but not too frequently. You don't want to be annoying or intrusive, but you also don't want to be forgotten or ignored. You should aim to contact them at least once every few months, or more often if you have a specific reason or occasion. You can use different methods, such as emails, phone calls, social media messages, or cards, to check in on them, congratulate them, update them, or invite them. The key is to be genuine, respectful, and relevant, and to maintain the relationship over time.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?