Leaving a breakfast meeting earlier this week, I passed the office of a gentleman I had seen just over one week ago. We had spent extensive time together visiting with each other and our spouses over meals on the Thanksgiving Day holiday, as we were guests at the same duck hunting camp (in case you missed last week’s message).
As I passed by his office, I was struck by the fact that as much time as we had spent together, and as enjoyable a time we had, I would have not thought about him, his wife or our visit without the visual cue of his office building. Thanksgiving weekend was just a mere 11 days past.
While our time together was social, it reminded me of two important factors key to growing a successful business. First is the ability to stay top of mind. In the brief 10 days since our visit, I had not reflected back on our conversations. For such a pleasant interchange, you would think it might get some repeat attention in my mind.
The second factor is a call to action or a reason to stay in touch. In this circumstance, our interaction is strictly social, so unless I need a different dental care arrangement, our next encounter will be fortunate happenstance at the duck hunting camp.
If your business development efforts do not create a truly memorable experience for the prospect and do not include a call to action or reason for future contact, then you have just enjoyed a nice social exchange and a conversation quickly forgotten by your prospective client. How do you know if you are having productive prospect meetings? Track your results. If you are still not sure or are wondering what to do about it, contact me.