As opposed to the rom-com Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. Cute movie!
There may be very good reasons to leave your past girlfriends (or boyfriends) in the past, but the same may not be true for many in our network.
In business networking, the tendency is to focus on meeting new people, which is important (and fun!), but we often forget about many important existing relationships simply because life goes on and we’re on to the next thing. For no good reason, these relationships get left in the past.
Who knows what opportunities you can create by simply having a system to reconnect and stay in closer touch. Here are some fun ideas!
Practice Your ABCs
Go to your contacts in your phone and pick a random letter, maybe A. Scroll through the names and pick a name and simply call or text – at the moment! Yes, you will see other A-listers that you will also want to reconnect with and that’s the point. Consider all the opportunities sitting right there in your contacts. And now the B’s!
Social Media
When you’re connecting with someone on your favorite social media platform, LinkedIn for example, see who your mutual connections are and invite at least one of them to meet with you.
Past Clients
Pick one that you liked and send them a note. Remember, you’ve already worked with them so you’re familiar with each other. You can ask what they’re focused on and how you can support them. Sometimes, your past client is with another company or in a different role which might present an opportunity for both of you.
Past Prospects
Again, things change. Your past prospect might be in a different position with better timing, budget, support, bandwidth, and a greater need and appreciation of what you have to offer. Without reconnecting with them, you’ll never know.
Past Centers of Influence
COIs are the geese that lay the golden eggs. I’m not sure we collaborate with our COIs enough. Who do you know that are in professions that force them to meet the same types of prospects that you want to meet?
Past Networking Contacts
Consider those you met when you were part of a past business networking group, association or board. If you had a good relationship then, why not re-establish it now?
Past Friends
Who did you lose touch with that you wish you didn’t? Time to make a new friend!
I challenge you to reconnect with at least ONE past contact from your network today and see what happens!
Once you catch the vibe, you may want to incorporate these ideas into your daily routine, so you have a system to reconnect, stay in touch, leverage your network, and bring your ghosts of the past into the future.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WAY OF RECONNECTING WITH YOUR GHOSTS OF NETWORKING PAST? 🥊
