A fundamental rule in your biz dev is: The goal of an interaction with a target is to negotiate the next interaction.
When you meet a new prospect and want to follow up, a good strategy is to make an offer. This first follow-up offer should be something of value that allows you to spend more time together so you can guide her/him through the selling process. (There's more information about the Selling Process in the section on Target Worksheet).
It is common to offer a free consultation as a first follow-up offer. Unfortunately, prospects often view that offer as a transparent strategy to sell services and may hesitate accepting it.
A first follow-up offer needs to be immediately appealing and not feel like an overwhelming commitment. A good first follow-up offer could be a checklist of best practices in a particular area. It could also be a seminar or some other event that you are planning. The goal is to make it valuable and easy to accept.
An important time to make a first follow-up offer is when you are giving a speech. Your goal in giving a speech is to motivate the targets in the audience to reach out to you. If you offer something of value and ask them to give your their business card, there is a good chance they will comply. That will give you the ability to communicate in the future.
A common mistake that people make when giving a speech is to provide too many handouts. You should provide a minimum of handouts and make offers to provide the additional information if people give your their card.
If you don't acquire the contact information of the people in the audience, you will dramatically reduce the likelihood of communicating with them later. Even if you get the roster of the attendees, it is unlikely that you will maintain the momentum of the moment or have the willingness to contact them later.
You will find more information about other kinds of offers throughout the Tutorial.
