Over the years, I’ve never been particularly good at keeping in touch with people, particularly when I’m busy. It’s not a trait I’m at all proud of, but I have been getting better in recent years.
What’s made the difference for me is the technology and to me it demonstrates one of the great values of the internet.
Nowadays, I’m a bit of a connection junkie and occasionally get the chance to spend time looking for old colleagues, clients and friends on sites like LinkedIn, FaceBook, and Twitter. These have led to meetings, although I got a roasting from my younger daughter the other day, who told me I shouldn’t be having lunch with people I’d met on the internet! I guess she did listen after all…
But it’s not only social media. I am working our client list harder than ever with email campaigns – sending out regular, interesting and relevant content, which it seems is being of some use.
The result of this activity is not only the fact of reestablishing contact with people I may have worked furiously with for a few weeks or months, before we drifted apart once the project was over, but it’s the reaction I get. Without exception, I’ve had great responses from people, some great meetings, and some great lunches. I am working up ideas that have come out of those meetings and some of them will, no doubt, turn into work.
So, if you’re not bothering, I would suggest that maybe you should, and here’s a story to demonstrate why…
Last week, shortly after sending out a mail shot to current and lapsed clients I had a call from a client who is a director of a mid-sized agency. They’ve given us small duplication projects and editing jobs over the last few years but, before that, I hadn’t worked with him for maybe 20 years and I think that was a photographic job, so for those that know me, that was a very long time ago. You can guess the rest. He was calling to offer us a large video project his agency had just won.
Coincidence or connecting? Who knows, but my faith in keeping in touch, getting back in touch and generally being better at staying in touch, is confirmed.
