Follow Up!
If there’s one sure
way of losing an opportunity, it’s through not following it up.
We all attend meetings, or meet people unexpectedly and an
opportunity comes up at that exact moment to make something happen. Five minutes later, as we part company, we’ve
already forgotten what is was that we agreed to do, or remember it too late a
week later by which time the lead/opportunity/chance has disappeared.
One of the phrases I dread hearing is, “We’ll call you back,”
(I’ve written about this in previous articles).
It’s happened to all of us, but how many times as that person actually
done what they said they would?
In the end, it’s a matter of personal perception: do we want
to be known as someone who doesn't follow up?
How will that affect our ability to develop new business, close a deal
or get things done?
Now for the hard part: to do this we need discipline. In my case, it’s usually writing down what I
need to do, and then scheduling time to do it.
I find the best time, for example, to write minutes of meetings is to do
it as soon as possible after the meeting when details are still fresh in my
mind. I schedule an hour after the
meeting (if possible) to get this done.
The sooner I do it, the clearer my recall of events is and the faster I
can get it done.
If I attend a meeting, I will note down action items
delegated to me (or which I agree to undertake) and get on with them as soon as
I can after the meeting. They go into my
“ToDo” list on my PC (which also links to my smartphone and tablet) so I can
keep them in sight until they're done.
I’ve waited up to three weeks for minutes detailing the same items, so
that time is lost unless I’m proactive.
Good business people don't sit still – they’re always moving
forward. A bit of discipline and
planning means any of us can do the same.
Labels: Career, Customer Care, Leadership, Productivity, Teamwork
posted by William Martin @ 14:03
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