How to follow up after a networking event
You come home from a meetup with a dozen new names and a vague memory of who needed what. A week later they are just names. Here is a simple method to turn the people you meet at events into real relationships, with a follow-up email template you can copy.
Why most event contacts go cold
The problem is not meeting people, it is context. Within a couple of days you forget what someone does, what they were looking for and why the conversation mattered. A follow-up without that context sounds generic, and generic messages get ignored.
The fix is small and has to happen early: one detail per person, written down the same day.
During the event: 30 seconds per person
In Salesgram you can snap their business card or add someone from their LinkedIn link, and dictate what you talked about from your phone's browser. You see a preview of what gets saved before anything changes.
- Save the person right away: a photo of their business card, or their LinkedIn profile link, so you know exactly who they are later.
- Write one line on what they do and one thing they need or offer.
- If typing is awkward, dictate it. Speaking a note between two conversations takes less time than finding a pen.
The same evening: mark where you met
- Mark everyone you met with the event, in one go, so months later you still know where each person comes from.
- Add one or two tags per person: their field, their role, what they are looking for.
- Note any promise you made (an intro, a link, a call) with a date.
Within 48 hours: follow up with a reason
Send the follow-up while they still remember the conversation. Mention one specific thing you talked about and bring something useful. Keep the next step small.
Subject: Great to meet you at [event]
Hi [name],
It was good to talk at [event] about [the specific thing you discussed].
You mentioned [their need or project]. [One useful thing: a link, a name, an idea.]
If it helps, happy to [small next step: a 20-minute call, an intro to someone].
[Your name]A few weeks later: let your network do the work
The biggest value of an event is rarely one follow-up. It is noticing that someone you met last night should meet someone you met six months ago, and knowing who could introduce them.
Salesgram surfaces those matches from your tags and conversations: two specific people who share what matters, the reason they should talk, and who in your network can make the intro. Follow-ups with a date stay on a list, so promises do not slip.
The business card, and what happens after
You take a photo of the card and Salesgram reads the name, role, company, email and phone. You review the fields before saving, and type where you met only once: it carries over to the next cards.
If the person is already in your network, say imported from LinkedIn without an email, Salesgram recognizes them and adds only what was missing, without overwriting anything. Either way it links the company; for a new contact it then asks you to confirm the right LinkedIn profile, the company website and the tags. The photo is not kept.
FAQ
How soon should you follow up after a networking event?
Within 24 to 48 hours, while the other person still remembers the conversation. Mention one specific thing you talked about.
What should a networking follow-up email say?
Where you met, one specific detail from your conversation, something useful for them (a link, a name, an idea) and a small next step, such as a short call or an introduction.
How do I remember the people I meet at events?
Write down one detail per person the same day: what they do and what they need or offer. Mark where you met, so you can find them again months later.
Is there an app to keep track of people you meet?
Salesgram is built for that: add people from a business card, their LinkedIn link or by hand, note where you met, dictate what you talked about and keep follow-ups with a date. It works from your phone's browser.
Can Salesgram scan business cards?
Yes. You take a photo of the card, review what was read and save. If the person is already there, it updates their profile instead of creating a copy. The photo is not kept.
Next event coming up? Start free and add the first people you meet.