Excuses to Reconnect with your Network (that actually work!)

Excuses to reconnect with your network!

It is easy to fall behind with your business networking. You might realise that you haven’t been networking in a while, or realise that you have attended events, but not been following up.

Quite often, the longer we leave it to reconnect with a contact the harder it becomes.

The solution is to simply “check-in” or “reach out” to a contact on a regular basis. Even to just say “Hello”.

So if it has been a long time – you simply need an excuse to make the first move to reconnect.

Why not try one of the following easy ways to reconnect:

1. • Update them with your current contact details. -A change in job, email, office address or phone number can be a great way to connect. Don’t send a blanket update – use the opportunity to make it more personal.

1. • Think about where you originally met a contact that you are looking to reconnect with and use this to re-establish a personal connection. E.g. If you met at a networking event that occurs regularly but you haven’t seen them in while why not attend the next one and invite them to join you. If you met through a particular interest why not use this as the basis of your email to them.
2. • Hosting or organising a relevant event? Why not extend an invite to your wider network and include people who you are looking to reconnect with.

1. • If you are not hosting any upcoming events but you are planning on attending a conference or local networking event – why not reach out to ask if they are attending or extend an invite to join you.

1. • Be honest – simply say that you are looking to re-connect and ask for a catch-up.

1. • Celebrate their successes –  if you have seen on LinkedIn that your contact recently got a promotion, changed jobs or a nomination for an award etc – reach out and send them a personalised email of congratulations.

1. • Reach out to share your personal news or a new service offering that you think they might be interested in. Again make sure that you keep it personal.
2. • Connect online through Social media. If you are not already connected on LinkedIn – reach out and connect with a personalised invitation. If the relationship has grown stale and want a low-key way to reach out why not follow them instead and simply keep up to date with what they are doing before connecting. Twitter is also a particularly useful way to connect without asking for committment – if they use twitter professionally/publicly – just reach out and say hello.

Feel free to share more easy excuses to connect in the comments!