Yesterday was the last day of school for my son, so I want to get my work done so we can do something fun later.
I woke up early and went right to the computer. I have a couple of client projects to work on, but I started with something else. Follow ups. I’ve decided that today is Follow Up Friday.
First, I reviewed a few business cards I received at a networking event on Wednesday. I had already scanned them into my iPhone using an app called CardMunch, which adds the information from the card to my Address Book on both phone and computer. I add a note to each contact stating where I met the person, then use Smart Groups in Address Book to automatically sort the cards. That made it easy to send each new contact a short email to say hello and remind them what we spoke about, and in a couple of cases, set up a meeting.
Since it is before 9am, I’m not actually sending these emails yet. I’m writing them and then saving as drafts. I’ll send them a bit later this morning. No reason to teach clients that I am available before regular business hours!
Then I looked at my projects list. I have a few projects that have been hanging on for a while: I’m waiting for some info, or the client is still deciding where to print. I sent those clients friendly Follow Up Friday emails, just to remind them that the project is still out there. In one case, I sent some emails to a new client this week and haven’t back. I sent her a note to confirm that she received the first emails, which is my polite way of saying, “Please let me know you aren’t ignoring me!”
Then it was financial follow up time. I have one late payment on the books. Follow up sent.
It’s 9:05 and I’ve reintroduced myself to several potential new clients, touched base with several current clients, and sent out an invoice reminder. Not bad for my first Follow Up Friday!
How about you: do you do regular follow ups after networking or with clients?