Fast Company: Keeping connections fresh is entirely about giving. You are giving someone attention, and you are not asking for anything. It is a pleasant contact for them. And it makes a huge difference. If someone hears from you, even once a year in an email when you don’t need anything, then when you ultimately do need something, it is very comfortable for both parties. But if you haven’t connected with them at all in five years and suddenly, out of nowhere, ask them for something, it becomes very uncomfortable for you and potentially annoying or easy to ignore for them. You may recognize this situation from having been on one or both sides of the exchange.
Sunday, May 06, 2012
10 Tips For Keeping Your LinkedIn And Business Connections Fresh
Fast Company: Keeping connections fresh is entirely about giving. You are giving someone attention, and you are not asking for anything. It is a pleasant contact for them. And it makes a huge difference. If someone hears from you, even once a year in an email when you don’t need anything, then when you ultimately do need something, it is very comfortable for both parties. But if you haven’t connected with them at all in five years and suddenly, out of nowhere, ask them for something, it becomes very uncomfortable for you and potentially annoying or easy to ignore for them. You may recognize this situation from having been on one or both sides of the exchange.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
These are all good tips. I think the positive feedback and the follow up are most important. I can imagine that it would be a little irritating to spend time recommending someone for something, as a favor, and then never hearing from them, not knowing if they got the job, not receiving a thanks, etc.
I think another good way to keep a contact is through blogging, especially for small companies. For example, I used to work at a vet's office, and they have a blog that I check now and then. Because it's small, they notice when I leave a comment. You can also use information from a blog in the same way this article encourages you to remember facts (like a child of your contact trying to get a black belt) and ask about them.
Post a Comment