PART TWO: The Simple Two-Minute Trick That’s A GAME-CHANGER for your Business Or Career [includes templates]

June 20, 2014

Now that I’ve told you why always sending a “nice to meet you” email is the KEY to easy, fun and effective networking (click HERE to read that!), let me show you what one actually looks like.

Let’s go back to the example from the previous explanation blog – you meet Janet at a conference in Sudbury and learn that she works for Google and has a new pug dog. Let’s say you discuss her dog, and the fish sandwiches.

I’ll write out how the email could look, then break it down for you. At the bottom, I’ll put a template that you can copy, paste and then fill in the blanks.

Subject: Sudbury conference / Obama Pug

Hi Janet!

It was lovely to meet you on Thursday at the conference in Sudbury. I still can’t get over how good those fish sandwiches were!

Thought you might be into this – ’10 pugs Who Look Like Things’. I think the Obama one is *particularly charming.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/freddiecampion/10-pugs-who-look-like-things-5vii

Hope you got home safely (and Bella didn’t miss you too much!).

Warmly,

[Your name] [Your email address] [Your phone number] [Your website if you have one. LinkedIn if not]

Ok, let’s break it down:

Subject: Sudbury conference / Obama Pug

This is your ‘factual/mystery’ subject line. Full explanation of that here: YesYesMarsha.com/subjectlines

Hi Janet!

It was lovely to meet you on Thursday at the conference in Sudbury. I still can’t get over how good those fish sandwiches were!

Here, you’re putting yourself in context. If you were with someone else when you met, then mention them too (“lovely to meet you with Marsha at..”).

People LOVE when you put yourself in context. We receive so many introductions at events like this that we often forget most people’s names (and if you’re particularly bad at names – I have the answer for you. Click here: YesYesMarsha.com/names).

Thought you might be into this – ’10 pugs Who Look Like Things’. I think the Obama one is *particularly charming.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/freddiecampion/10-pugs-who-look-like-things-5vii

This is you adding value. Note that your adding value doesn’t have to be related to their job. For more on how to add value – even to big-shots in your industry, see HERE: YesYesMarsha.com/addvalue

Hope you got home safely (and Bella didn’t miss you too much!).

If the idea that you’d have remembered her dog’s name seems unlikely, it’s not. I have a fail-safe trick for remembering names – even dog names – that you can find out about HERE: YesYesMarsha.com/names

Warmly,

This is you smiling through your email. For more on that – and how to get a repsonse to any email if you need one, see HERE: YesYesMarsha.com/mindcontrol

[Your name] [Your email address] [Your phone number] [Your website if you have one. LinkedIn if not]

You may not want everyone to have these details, but if it’s anyone you would love to collaborate – or even just be industry friends with, you want to make it as EASY as possible for them to contact you. Don’t forget to include your email address – you never know when an email might get forwarded and the address at the top get lost.

Please note that this did not include any questions like, “How was the rest of your conference?” or “Have you had a good week since?”. Everybody is VERY busy and has too many emails. If you don’t have something you need to know the answer to, don’t make them stressed with a question.

Over to you

Do you send emails like this? Or have you received one recently? How do you keep in touch with new friends and contacts after you meet them?

Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks so much for reading. If you know someone who’s going to a conference or an event soon, you can share this post with them by clicking on one of the round buttons below or to the left.

You rule!

xx (Yes Yes) Marsha

PS want to know my best-ever client secret – and get even more advice, tips, plus stories that I won’t put on the internet? Come and join the Yes Yes Family – it’s free! Just pop your details in below:

Photo Credits: CarbonNYC, lindsayloveshermac and wickenden, all via Compfight cc

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Nathalie Lesage
Reply June 21, 2014

Good day my dear! I think your template is totally spot-on… My biz doesn’t really take me to such events (at this time), but if I met someone and I received this email, I would totally love it and be happy to connect further. I love it!
- Marsha Shandur
  Reply June 22, 2014
  
  So glad you like it, Nathalie!
  
  I think it can be good in MANY situations, not just business ones, so hope you find it useful somewhere! Thanks for the lovely words.
Monicka
Reply June 28, 2014

Marsha, I suspect that you are doing two things for me (without even knowing!): 1. you are putting the idea of networking on the map for me. 2. you are actually making me developing sincere interest in it. That’s A LOT! ;-) Thank you!
- Marsha Shandur
  Reply June 28, 2014
  
  Monicka – 1 and 2 make me SO HAPPY! Thanks for letting me know.
carolynmessere
Reply January 14, 2015

This is a brilliant idea! I have such a bad habit of taking business cards and then they just sit in my purse or on my nightstand until they’re beat up and dusty and I did nothing with them. This is a much better idea!! Plus, I’m a big pug lover! Mine’s name is Bruno, and he’s a snorty, smelly, lovey little thing!
- Marsha Shandur
  Reply January 14, 2015
  
  Carolyn! Pugs = THE BEST.
  Also, YES a good thing to do with business cards. (and in my mind, I put all mine into Evernote. But only currently in my mind)
  Thanks for stopping by!
Sandra
Reply June 15, 2015

Thank you, Marsha! Your site has been so, so, so useful…and today, this post especially. Confession: I went to an event a couple weeks ago – okay, three weeks ago…and haven’t sent those emails yet. And then I said, “I know…I bet ‘Yes, Yes, Marsha’ will have some insights and how-to’s” and lo and behold, you do – and you even have a template! …so off I go to write these emails (once I find the rest of those cards), and thanks to you, I have a lovely, handy dandy email template. I’ll let you know how it goes!

p.s. Is there anything special I should say if I am a little late contacting peeps with a “nice to meet you”? It really was nice to meet them…not sure why I drag my feet on sending these kinds of emails (awful at thank you notes and mailing packages, too).

Thanks again!
- Marsha Shandur
  Reply June 16, 2015
  
  SO glad you found it helpful!
  
  No need to apologise for the tardiness – it’ll only draw attention to it. The truth is, 99% of people don’t follow up AT ALL, so it’ll make you stand out. Just make sure you put yourself in context (“nice to meet you standing in the coat line on Saturday at XXX event” or “nice to speak to you about kittens in outfits!”).
  
  Nice work!