I have to admit, I can be bad at following up after a networking event. Kind of dumb really. I invested, at the very least, the time and gas to go there, but don't follow up. Now sure, I may have been the most interesting person there, but probably not! It's very likely I'll have made some connections - now what? File those cards and wait for the phone to ring, right? Wrong! Now it's time to start work.

Firstly, you should have jotted some notes on the cards you received so you can follow up intelligently. It doesn't make a good impression if you get their spouse's name wrong in your follow-up. So, secretly, write notes on the backs of their cards so you can accurately remember details.

Prior to the event, plan your follow-up. Diarize your follow-up schedule so you'll have no excuse to procrastinate in taking action. Your follow-up period should be no more than a week for your first contact. Start off with a simple email. Thank them for their time and try to find something interesting to share with them. It could be a white paper, or an article which is relevant to them.

Depending

In the classic, but alas, factually incorrect film "Braveheart", on the eve of his execution William Wallace utters a very stirring line, "Every man dies. Not every man really lives." And Mark Twain said, "Sing like no one's listening. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching. And live like it's heaven on earth!"

But do we? Do we truly live or are we just going through the motions of life? Do we fail to act because we're concerned about what others might think? Life should be full of adventures, love and laughter, and here are some ways to make it so.

1. Learn the value of everything and also learn that they will never be with you throughout your lifetime.

2. Do things now. Is there something you've always wanted to do, but haven't. Don't make the mistake of waking one day and realizing that there's no time left to do it.

3. Always tell your family members and friends that they are important to you and you love them. Never leave a loved one after an argument without reconciliation - there may be no time to do it later.

4. Do random acts of kindness. It

Ever had this situation... You meet a prospect, who we'll call (very novel!!), John, and it seems your pitch went well. Then you ring back a few days later and they say, "Yeah, I'm probably going to sign with another company later today." What's your response? "Ummm, OK, thanks for the opportunity to quote anyway." Do you think there's a better response?

Let's stop and think. They HAVEN'T signed yet. In fact, from their response, they may not be totally sold on "the other company". They haven't signed yet, and their use of "probably" likely means they're resigned to choosing that company because it's the best the found, not necessarily THE best. So, here's how you should answer this. It's all done with questions.

1. "Hey John. Is it OK if I ask a few questions?" Invariably, unless you did a really bad pitch, they'll say yes.

2. Let's explore fit. "So, John, why did you decide to go with the other company? What was your buying criteria?"

3. Next, find out about functionality. "John, did the other company's offering include everything you needed, or were there some things missing?"

4. Then a big one - cost. "Tell me about