Affiliate Summit West 2013 just wrapped up last Tuesday, and now it’s time to follow up with all of those people I met during the conference.
Like most conference attendees, I collected many business cards.
And like many people, I’ve sometimes strapped them up in rubber bands and stuck them on far corners of my desk.
But this time around I simplified my follow-up process by using the LinkedIn CardMunch app for my iPhone.
I used to neglect some cards in the past, because I didn’t feel like keying them all into a spreadsheet.
But with CardMunch, you just take a picture with the app and the business card is converted to a contact automatically.
The app will also show you LinkedIn profile information and connections you have in common.
So that’s all cool to be more efficient than I used to be, but how about the actual follow-ups.
Well, I’d suggest you do what practically nobody else is going to do and get some thank you cards from Office Depot or whatever office supplies store or drugstore near you.
Then scratch out a one or two sentence thank you to each of the people who you met and got a business card from during your trip.
Seems like a hassle, you say? Well yes, it’s more work than a mail merge, but it has a way bigger impact, too.
If you think you have too many business cards… re-think.
You can write out a short card in 60-90 seconds to each person you met. If they were worth getting to the point where you took their card, you must have an interest in doing business with them.
If you took their card just to be nice, go and throw it out now. It’s getting in the way of your more important contacts.
And if we exchanged business cards, look out for a note in the mail from me.