Tipster

6 Ways to Maintain a New Relationship After an Event

Networking is so event-based, it often begins and ends with an event. Creating an ongoing relationship can be difficult.

SOLUTION

In Perfect Pairings: The Art of Connecting People, Jessica Leigh Levin, CMP, CAE, president of Seven Degrees Communications, makes the distinction between networking and bringing people together for their professional benefit. She offers a list of common-sense — but frequently overlooked — ways you can thank someone who has made a connection on your behalf:

1. Send a thank-you note. Put it on nice stationery. Everyone loves to sort through bills and junk mail and see a handwritten card that reminds them that they made a difference.

2. Make a donation to their favorite charity or organization.
People who are connectors are often involved in nonprofits. Supporting a cause that is near and dear to them says that you understand what is important to them.

3. Send a meaningful gift. Listening to others and knowing what they like is an important component of being a connector.

4. Take them out. If someone is local, an excuse to get together in person is always a good thing.

5. Help them. Offer to make an introduction for them, find a resource, or work on a project.

6. Say thank you. It doesn’t matter how or when or where. It doesn’t matter how much or how little it costs. Say thanks and say it often.

Michelle Russell

Michelle Russell is editor in chief of Convene.