Following Up With Stakeholders After Meetings

How many times have you come back from a conference or event and thought, “I should’ve done more to maximize that experience”? Not just attending the sessions or showing up at the dinners, but turning it into something meaningful for your visibility, your relationships and your business development efforts. Me too 🙋🏼♀️ It’s easy to get caught up in the travel, the meetings, the panels and then move on to the next thing without following up. But the days after the event are when you can actually turn conversations into relationships and visibility into opportunity. Here are some ways to make the most of it: ✔️ Add new contacts to your LinkedIn network with a brief personal message ✔️ Follow up with a quick note or article relevant to what you discussed ✔️ Set up a coffee or Zoom with someone you want to get to know better ✔️ Thank the organizers and tag them in a post that shares why the event was valuable ✔️ Share a thoughtful takeaway from a session or speaker and connect it back to your work ✔️ Turn a question you were asked at the event into a LinkedIn post ✔️ Make a short list of people you want to stay in touch with and schedule reminders to check in ✔️ Look at the attendee list and identify one or two people you didn’t meet but want to and reach out to them saying that ✔️ Update your contacts or tracking sheet so you don’t lose momentum ✔️ Review your notes and pull out insights or trends that could spark future content or outreach You already invested time and energy to be there, and a few intentional steps afterward can help that investment pay off. Which of these tips are you going to do first? #LegalMarketing #ClientDevelopment #LinkedInTips #BusinessDevelopment

Want to build trust faster in business? 🤝 It’s simple… ✅ Close the loop. Unanswered questions and unresolved tasks create doubt. In business, "closing the loop" is about: ✔ Ensuring accountability 🔄 ✔ Preventing confusion 🤔 ✔ Building trust 🏗 It means making sure that every conversation, project, or task reaches a clear resolution and that all relevant parties are informed. But here’s the challenge… When you’re constantly juggling multiple priorities, it’s easy to leave loops open. 🔄 An employee shares a concern—but did we circle back with a solution? 🔄 A customer raises an issue—but did we confirm that they were satisfied with the resolution? 🔄 A project is assigned—but did we check if it was completed, or did we just assume someone handled it? 💡 The reality? ❌ Assumed communication is not the same as completed communication. Failing to close the loop can have real consequences: 🚩 Lost trust – Employees feel unheard, customers feel ignored, and teams feel disconnected. 🚩 Missed opportunities – When follow-ups don’t happen, good ideas and initiatives fade into the background. 🚩 Inefficiencies – Time is wasted revisiting the same issues over and over again. When you’re managing multiple conversations, projects, and priorities… Having a system to track follow-ups is crucial. 🛠 Here are some ways to keep everything organized: ✅ Use a Task Management System – Tools like Trello, Asana, or Notion can help track conversations and tasks that need follow-up. ✅ Set Follow-Up Reminders – Schedule reminders in your calendar or use a CRM to ensure you revisit important conversations. ✅ Summarize & Confirm – After meetings, send a quick recap email outlining next steps and who is responsible for what. ✅ Develop a "Close the Loop" Habit – Before moving on to the next task, ask: Did I follow up? Did I get confirmation? Is this fully resolved? ✅ Delegate and Check-in – If you’re leading a team, ensure accountability for every task that needs to be followed through. 🔑 Closing the loop shows that you: ✔ Value people’s time ⏳ ✔ Are committed to results 🎯 ✔ Run a business (or a team) where things don’t just get discussed—they get done. ✅ 🚀 How do you keep track of your commitments and ensure you close the loop on important conversations? Image Desc.: Closing the Loop Content Copyright: Davy Shi #ClosingTheLoop #Trust #Business #Accountability #Responsibility #Communication #Commitment

You got the meeting. Congratulations. Now the real work begins. The high from a great first meeting is a familiar feeling. The conversation flowed, you connected on shared interests, and the potential for a significant gift felt within reach. But a week later, that energy often dissipates into uncertainty. That's because the most successful fundraisers know the first meeting isn't the finish line. It's the starting gun. The 90 days after that meeting are what separate a transformative gift from a dead end. It’s not about just "checking in." It's about a disciplined, value-driven cultivation plan. The 24-Hour Rule: Your follow-up email should be sent within 24 hours. It should thank them, briefly summarize what you heard, and confirm the next steps. This isn't just polite; it's professional. Go Beyond another "Meeting": Instead of asking for a second meeting, offer a custom engagement. An introduction to a board member with a shared background. A behind-the-scenes tour of a program they showed interest in. The 90-Day Cadence: Map out a series of high-value touchpoints. Think personalized impact reports, invitations to exclusive (small) events, or even a handwritten note referencing a topic from your conversation. One Head of Development I worked with secured a meeting with a retired tech executive. Her 24-hour follow-up was perfect. But she didn't stop there. Over the next two months, she introduced him via email to a program director who shared his passion for data, sent him a short, personalized video from a student in that program, and mailed him a copy of a book on philanthropy she had mentioned. She never asked for another meeting. He called her to proactively schedule one, and their conversation shifted from "if" he would give to "how" he would give. The first meeting gets their attention. The follow-up earns their trust. What's your most effective follow-up strategy after a great first meeting?

I landed back in Los Angeles after a 4-day legal convention in Vegas and realized something: People are great at networking in the moment, but struggle to follow-up and keep relationships after an event like a major convention. To make sure all of the connections you made are sustained long-term, here's a step-by-step guide to effectively follow up post-convention: 📝 Personalized Note Writing: Always begin with a personalized note. Thank your new contacts for their time and highlight specific topics or moments you shared. A handwritten note can make a deep impression in today's digital world, signaling thoughtfulness and genuine interest. 📲 Organize Contact Details: Compile a database of the addresses, emails, and other contact details you've gathered. Tools like Microsoft Excel or CRM platforms like Salesforce or HubSpot can be great for this. This not only helps with immediate follow-up but aids in long-term relationship management. 🤳🏻 Engage on Social Media:   Connect with your new contacts on platforms like LinkedIn, YouTube, IG, Facebook and TikTok. Engage with their posts to foster online rapport, but ensure your interactions are meaningful. 📩 Newsletters:   If you have a newsletter, consider adding your new contacts to the mailing list (with their consent). This keeps them updated on your activities, insights, and the latest happenings in the legal field. 🔄 Share Your Work: If you've written books, articles, or other publications, share them. It not only positions you as an expert but provides value to your contacts. ✅ Regular Check-ins:   Set reminders to touch base periodically. You could share relevant articles, wish them on holidays, or update them about significant milestones in your career. 👏🏼 Tips and Insights: Offer helpful tips or insights from the convention or from your experience. It’s a non-invasive way to remind them of the value you bring to the table. 🤝 Long-Term Relationship Building Relationships are not about transactions but genuine connections. Ensure your interactions are not always business-focused. Learn about their interests, congratulate them on personal achievements, and be there during challenging times. 📚 Recommend Books: If you've come across insightful books (including ones you've written), recommend them. It's a subtle way to showcase your expertise and share knowledge. 🎉 Events and Reunions: Consider organizing or attending reunion events for convention attendees. It's a way to rekindle connections and stay updated on each other’s progress. Remember: post-convention networking is an art. It requires genuine interest, persistence, and patience. By investing time and effort into nurturing these relationships, you'll not only grow your network but also enrich your professional journey. Remember, it's not about how many contacts you have, but the depth and quality of those connections. #networking #lawyer #success #relationshipbuilding

You just crushed that discovery call. Your prospect already forgot it happened. And you're about to send a follow-up that won't fix that. Your prospects forget 90% of your meeting within six hours. That's just brain science. - 100% recall immediately after your brilliant discovery call.  - 60% after 20 minutes.  - 50% after one hour. - 10% after six hours. So when it comes to your follow ups, your prospects aren't necessarily ignoring them. They literally forgot what you agreed on. That brilliant discovery call where they admitted their current system is costing $50K in manual processes? Gone. The stakeholder mapping session where you identified three key decision makers? Vanished. The demo where they said "This solves our biggest problem"? Doesn't exist in their memory. But you have reps out there that send follow-ups like this: "Hi Sarah, great connecting yesterday! Per our conversation, I'm attaching the proposal we discussed. Looking forward to your thoughts." - What Sarah remembers: Some vendor called about something. Maybe software? - What she needs: A reminder of why she cared in the first place. The fix, per the gangster herself Kemyell Rieves from one of our Sales Assembly sessions the other week, is bullets rather than books: "Hi Sarah, Quick recap from yesterday: - Manual processing costs you $50K annually. - Implementation would save 15 hours/week for your team. - You need approval from finance and IT before moving forward. Next steps: - I'll send pricing for the 200-user package by Thursday. - You'll loop in David from finance by Friday. - We'll reconvene Monday to review questions. Anything I missed?" Scannable. Specific. Memorable. Your buyers are drowning in forgettable information. Send them life rafts.

Event ROI doesn’t break at the booth. It breaks on Monday. Because by Monday, the context is gone. The rep remembers: - the company name - a vague pain point - and that the conversation “felt good” So the follow-up turns into: “Great meeting you at the event…” Which is basically saying: “I have nothing specific to say.” Here’s the simplest post-event operating system I’ve found that actually produces pipeline. The 48-hour event follow-up OS 1) Before anyone leaves the venue, capture context (15 minutes) Do a debrief while it’s still fresh. 3 Rules: 1.) everyone stays 2.) no laptops 3.) no “we’ll do it later” For each priority conversation, capture 5 things: - What problem did they actually say out loud? - What’s broken in their current process? - What do they care about personally? (risk, time, reputation, budget) - Who else is involved? (names and roles) - What’s the next step they agreed to? If you don’t have those 5, you don’t have a lead. You have a badge scan. 2) Turn that context into something delegatable (30 minutes) This is the move most teams miss. Have reps record a 30–60 second voice note per priority account. Raw. Ugly. Specific. Now anyone can write the follow-up. Because the “why” is preserved. 3) 24 hours later: send the follow-up that proves you were listening One email. Short. No fluff. Structure: 1 line: what you heard 1 line: what you’re sending (resource / recap / next step) 1 line: the ask (calendar link or two times) If the follow-up doesn’t reference their world, it’s spam. 4) 48 hours later: score the event like an operator, not a marketer Don’t report “leads.” Report: 1.) ICP accounts engaged 2.) meetings booked within 14 days 3.) influenced pipeline 4.) one thing to change next time That’s it. Everything else is whatever. What’s your team’s biggest follow-up failure mode today: no context capture, no ownership, or no SLA?

A few weeks ago, I was in a board meeting where the CFO challenged a capital allocation decision, and the Chair said, “let’s take this offline.” The room moved on. But that phrase is never about time management. Most execs hear ‘let’s take this offline’ and think → we’ve run out of time. Boards mean → this just crossed into escalation. 🎯 Here’s what’s usually underneath it: 1️⃣ This matters more than we’re ready to debate publicly. If the challenge touches strategic priorities or CEO credibility, directors want a tighter conversation before positions harden. 2️⃣ There's misalignment no one wants to surface yet. Same data, different conclusions. Offline gives space to align before disagreement becomes visible. 3️⃣ This is a relationship conversation, not a data one. - Is management being transparent? - Is the board aligned with the CEO? - Is someone signaling concern without wanting to trigger defensiveness? That conversation doesn’t belong in a 12-person room with minutes being recorded. Most CFOs learn this the hard way. They hear "let's take this offline" and wait for someone else to schedule the follow-up. No one does. The conversation resurfaces two quarters later, with momentum you didn't shape and conclusions you couldn't influence. So you need to follow up fast. → Who actually needs to be in the conversation? → What decision is really being made? → What trade-offs need to be named explicitly? If you don’t drive the offline conversation, it doesn’t disappear. It just comes back later with someone else's framing. That’s the difference between presenting finance and governing the company. P.S. After 15 years in the C-suite and four board seats, I now advise finance leaders on the skills that matter most: partnering with CEOs, communicating with boards, and leading at the executive level. If you’re sharpening those muscles, reach out.

The Follow-up Dance Everyone wants the contract. Few master the follow-up. Here's what most do: Send the proposal. Wait three days. Send "Just checking in..." Repeat until ghosted. It's the dance of desperation, and your prospect can hear the music. But what if we've got it backwards? McDonald's follows up with "want fries with that?" Amazon follows up with "others also bought..." But you? You're following up with "did you see my proposal?" See the difference? One adds value. The other adds pressure. Your proposal isn't sitting unopened because they forgot about it. It's sitting unopened because you haven't given them a reason to open it. The real follow-up isn't about the contract at all. It's about continuing to be useful. To be interesting. To be worth paying attention to. Share an insight about their industry. Point out a competitor's misstep. Send an article that makes them think. Because the best follow-up isn't a follow-up at all. It's leadership. Formula for Contract Follow-Up: 1. Acknowledge the pain of change: Empathize with the challenges or effort involved. 2. Contextualize the cost of inaction (COI): Connect the delay to tangible consequences, framed in the present. 3. Reframe the obstacle: Make the “enemy” external (e.g., a roadblock, not them). 4. Invite honesty: Create a safe space to hear the real status, including bad news. 3 Messaging Formats 1. Concise & Direct Subject: Are we hitting a roadblock? Hi [Name], You’ve been instrumental in getting this proposal to the finish line, and I truly appreciate the effort. I know [specific COI, e.g., “every week of delay keeps X revenue off the table”]. Has something unexpected come up that’s holding back the final signature? I’d rather know where we stand so we can adapt as needed. Let me know. [Your Name] 2. Empathetic & Collaborative Subject: Checking in on the proposal Hi [Name], I know this process isn’t easy—you’ve been a champion working through the details, and I appreciate it. That said, we’re seeing [specific COI, e.g., “the impact of [X issue] creeping into next quarter”]. Is there an unexpected roadblock we need to address together to move things forward? Or has something else shifted? Happy to adjust if needed—just let me know where we stand. Best, [Your Name] 3. Narrative & Storytelling Subject: Getting ahead of status quo losses Hi [Name], I can imagine how grueling contract reviews can be—it's one of the least glamorous but most critical steps. It got me thinking about [specific COI, e.g., “how $2M slipped through the cracks last year due to the status quo”]. Have we run into an unexpected roadblock that might risk a similar outcome this time around? It’s okay if we’re stuck—I just want to make sure we can keep the momentum toward solving [specific pain point or goal]. [Your Name] ___________ When was the last time your follow-up made someone smarter?

>>>𝗡𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝘂𝗽? 𝗡𝗼 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽. That’s the rule I’ve set for myself after too many missed connections at great events. You know the drill: → You leave a room buzzing with ideas, names, and conversations. → You promise to stay in touch. → Then real life kicks in—and the momentum disappears. I’ve learned this the hard way. Now, I don’t attend unless I’m ready to do the follow-up work too. Now I'm trying something new: → I teamed up with an accountability partner to debrief post-event. (Thanks Elina!) → We share notes, fill in gaps, and add next steps. → That accountability makes a huge difference. I’ve also added two tactics that make a real impact: → Book follow-up meetings on the spot. If the convo’s going well, lock in a next step before you part ways. → Post your takeaways publicly. Share a few insights or reflections from the event. It signals value and helps people reconnect. If you're not using a CRM, here’s my simple follow-up playbook: → Input all the people you've met in a spreadsheet. → Use LinkedIn as your mini-CRM. Be very specific in a DM how and when you met. → Personalize your connection requests or your 1st DM. Mention the event. Reference your chat. Two lines are enough. → Follow up while it’s still fresh. Send the article, make the intro, or just say “great meeting you.” → Engage publicly. Comment on their latest post. Like something they shared. Stay visible. → Make your profile do the heavy lifting. Clear headline. Updated summary. Recent post. Your profile should reinforce the connection. IRL is just the spark. What you do after—that’s what turns a name tag into a relationship. What’s your follow-up system look like? Photos from Tuesday event at Technology Park Ljubljana where we talked about dos and don'ts of opening new markets.

You are wasting your time with discovery calls, if you don't follow up with an email. The re-cap email is very important, especially after an executive meeting. You need to capture the conversation so both parties are on the same page and can be held accountable. Take your time with these. It’s common to spend an hour to write, edit, and proof-read the note. Status and other general business meetings can be a simple email re-capping next steps.  Important meetings, like discovery, need more effort. Why spend time on the email follow up? 1. Shows that you are listening = trust 2. Helps the seller synthesize the information  3. It will get forwarded to people on both sides 4. You can forward it as a reminder of what they agreed to Email format: - Current Situation - Desired Situation - Value Drivers - Business Areas Impacted - People that need to be involved - Next Steps YOU CAN PUT THIS ON A SEPARATE DOCUMENT THAT IS ATTACHED TO THE EMAIL ------------------------- EXAMPLE EMAIL: Mark,   It was great meeting you on Thursday. Thanks for taking the time to explain your role, responsibilities, priorities. We appreciate the work you have done to evaluate the partnership.   From our discussion, I gathered the following notes. Please let me know if I missed anything.   𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 - [Company] has an initiative to reduce operational expenses by $2B - Pressure from Amazon continue to drive down margin - New acquisition has created integration challenges - Top initiatives: Consolidate vendors, reduce cost, re-org design - Current process for X is manual and is impacting the business by Y - Delays in delivery, rising processing costs, and unhappy customers 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 - Digital transaction that is automated using Ai - Set up a central service across the enterprise - Flexible deployment options - Integration with Oracle, Ariba, Salesforce - Conduct a value assessment to determine the cost/benefit analysis   𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 - Reduce [use case] from 2 weeks to 2 days - Reduce processing costs by 80% - Improve customer experience NPS by 10pts - Improve compliance through better visibility and tracking 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝: - Real Estate - Sales - Marketing 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝: - Chris Pine, VP Real Estate - Leo Barley, VP Sales - Jay Johnson, VP Marketing - Rob Smith, Exec Sponsor - John McConnell, VP IT Architecture 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐬 - Mark will be the exec sponsor for the assessment project - Meet with Mike Green, IT Operations to assign IT owner - Complete the revised assessment in the next 1-2 months - If the value is high, then Rob and Alan will mandate the solution I will work with your EA to set up a check-point meeting in 2 weeks. We look forward to partnering with you.   Best,   Mike