The first 3 steps after someone makes an introduction to your business

The foundation of all business is connecting with people. Be it with a journalist, investor, potential partner or whoever. The best way to meet people is through introductions. You can always call someone, but promoting a trusted mutual connection is always more effective.

We’ve already talked about how to ask for an introduction and how to do it, but what should you do once you receive an email from a friend introducing you to someone?

Here are the first three things you should do:

Currently, I have come to the conclusion that common sense and common sense are not very common, unfortunately.

Let’s just call the person who introduced you David, let’s call that person Jennifer, thanks David for the introduction, but it’s more than that.

Let me tell you a short story. A friend of mine came to visit Tel Aviv from New York. He asked me to do some introductions, which of course he was happy to do.

Over the next few days, I started looking at pictures from all of my friend’s food gatherings, all as a result of my login.

All they had to do was thank me after each meeting to let me know how happy they were that I headed to that meeting.

A thank you goes a long way and don’t forget to say thank you when someone goes out of their way to help you with an introduction.

Again, somewhat obvious and perhaps simple, but this is rarely done correctly.

That first email response after receiving the introduction from David, your response should not be something like “Thanks David and Hi Jennifer. See you later.”

Instead, say something like, “David, you’re the best. You make great introductions. Hey Jennifer, I’ve heard wonderful things. I’d love to call and jump in or grab coffee. Would that work for you, and if so, when? Is it great?”

Let’s break down that reaction.

First, you compliment David, which both makes you look good to Jennifer, but David wants to make more introductions to you.

Another important part of that email is that you don’t leave it abstract and that you have a specific question to connect with.

You also make it easy for Jennifer to respond by asking if she wants to meet and when.

People don’t have time to answer long emails, so keep it short, to the point, and end with a specific question that’s easy to answer.

This is a major pet peeve of mine. If we’re talking about a situation where Jennifer asks to meet you, she should be the one to offer flexibility in meeting and send out calendar invitations, even if it sounds simple.

Alternatively, if you ask David to introduce you to Jennifer because you want to pick her brain or press her for something, you should give her flexibility and extend the invitation.

Again, this may sound simple, but sometimes a good sign can go a long way and vice versa. I feel a little weird if you ask me to meet you and then put me to work by asking me to set up a calendar event.