Last week at the Women2.0 City Meetup in NYC, I asked Fran Hauser a question:
What was the worst thing that a startup could do when working with her?
Fran thought about it for a second, and replied:
Not follow-up.
She went on to talk about how if someone is supposed to send her something after they meet, that forgetting to is not going to help build the relationship. Fran added that sometimes people spend so much time making sure the deliverable is perfect and end up missing their opportunity to stay front of mind.
A great follow-up can set you apart, especially if it’s timely.
I remember, when I was a Cornerstone on Demand, that one of our PM candidates found a way to have hand written thank you notes delivered to each person who had interviewed her… THE VERY NEXT MORNING! We hired her for a variety of reasons, but that was something each of us remembered for years.
Follow-ups are a great way to continue a conversation and stay relevant.
Camp Interactive, which visited Pivotal Labs a month or so ago before they spent a week building apps, sent me the most adorable thank you note today.
Here’s what I love about it:
- It has great photos of the students learning and having fun during their week at camp.
- It was hand written by one of the participants who wrote why she personally enjoyed visiting.
- It was in addition to the emails I had already received immediately after their visit, so it wasn’t delayed but more of a “we’re still thinking about you” reminder.
Things like this make me want to help Camp Interactive out in the future, and may have encouraged one of my coworkers to run a marathon for them. Now that’s an impactful follow-up.
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