The Recipe For Disaster: What Not To Do In Post-Conference Follow-Ups

Ed note: This is the eighth in a series. Read the previous installment here.

Picture yourself as a chef in the grand kitchen of networking. The conference has ended, but the ingredients you’ve gathered — the contacts, the conversations — are fresh and ready to be transformed into something delectable.

Like a culinary artist, your task is to take these raw interactions and craft them into memorable, long-lasting relationships

By avoiding these culinary-inspired catastrophes, you ensure your post-conference follow-ups are as delectable as a signature dish.

1. The Overcooked Email: Flooding their inbox with lengthy, rambling messages. Think less is more; your email isn’t a novel.
2. The Underseasoned Approach: Sending generic, uninspired follow-ups. “Dear Sir/Madam” belongs in the trash can of networking.
3. The Burnt Bridge: Arguing or being confrontational in follow-up interactions. Keep the heat for the kitchen, not your emails.
4. The Forgotten Ingredient: Not remembering key details about the person or conversation. Imagine serving a peanut butter sandwich without the peanut butter.
5. The Half-Baked Promise: Offering help or resources and not following through. It’s like promising a gourmet meal and delivering fast food.
6. The Recipe Thief: Taking credit for others’ ideas or insights shared in confidence. Respect is key.
7. The Excessive Garnish: Overwhelming with too much flattery or unnecessary compliments. A sprinkle of praise is good, a bucketful is overkill.

By embracing the role of a Networking Chef in the post-conference phase, you turn simple contacts into rich, fulfilling professional relationships, much like turning basic ingredients into a gourmet meal.

The key is in how you mix, marinate, and present your follow-up efforts. So, tie your apron, sharpen your knives, and let’s cook up some unforgettable networking dishes!

The Recipe for Disaster: What Not to Do

 Sending overwhelming, generic, or confrontational follow-ups.
 Forgetting key details and failing to follow through on promises.
 Ending conversations negatively.
 Engaging in excessive flattery.

Sejal Patel is a Rainmaking Consultant and the Founder of Sage Ivy, a New York-based consultancy dedicated to helping attorneys turn relationships into clients. With over 20 years of experience, Sejal strategically analyzes attorneys’ networks to uncover revenue and relationship opportunities, crafting individualized approaches that align with their unique strengths and styles. Learn more at www.sageivyconsulting.com.