SUMMARY POINTS

  • Don’t let old valuable business relationships die off
  • Use a mix of tech and old-fashioned in-person methods to stay in touch
  • Keeping up old key business contacts will benefit you 
Early on in your career, when you were just a newbie just getting started, you only had a few dozen business contacts. As the years went by and you got more experience under your belt, your reach expanded beyond your colleagues and coworkers.

Today, you’ve got a much bigger list of business contacts not only within your company but also externally from your networking efforts from business meetings, events, conferences, etc. Having a large network of business contacts is a good thing especially when you need to tap into that network when you are preparing for layoffs.

However, the tough part is that it’s so hard to maintain these relationships. And we all know that the quality and effectiveness of your network of business contacts are only as good as the current state of the relationships.

Like any relationship, what you put in is what you’ll get out of it. And the relationships that have the most to offer (and lose) are the old long-standing ones. This is why it’s important to stay in touch with your old business contacts. 

Tips For Staying In Touch With Key Business Contacts

As a desk warrior, staying in touch with your business contacts is crucial for maintaining a strong professional network. However, with the hustle and bustle of daily grunt work, it’s easy to lose touch with old connections and let valuable relationships fade away.

In today's fast-paced world, we often focus on building new connections while neglecting the ones we have already established. But the truth is, reconnecting with old business contacts can bring a shitload of bennies – from potential job leads and career advice on changing industries to partnership opportunities or even great friendships.

So if you have been meaning to get back in touch with some old colleagues or clients but don't know where to begin, here are some tips and strategies for successfully reconnecting with them.

These methods all have a common thread. They are not from a position of getting but rather from a position of giving. It’s all about building positive karma.

Send Them Birthday Wishes

If you know someone’s birthday, mark it on your work calendar with an auto-reminder. Some people’s social media profiles may already have it automatically displayed. Whatever and however it is shown or known, create a reminder for it.

When their birthday arrives, take one minute and send them a quick email or even better, a text message with a funny birthday meme to stand out. Make them laugh and smile on their birthday and you’ll be remembered positively for giving them good vibes to start their day.

Comment On Their LinkedIn Posts

Some people don’t post anything on social media while others seem to live on publishing everything about their lives. Most likely, your business contacts are somewhere in the middle of that spectrum.

If and when they do post, give it a quick thumbs up. Or ideally, read through the post and reply that their info was insightful and provide another supporting tidbit. Just don’t be dorky about it. Keep it professional. This will validate the value of their contribution.

Email Them On Press Coverage

Some of your business contacts may be in positions where they receive press coverage about their achievements, product launches, promotions, milestones, etc. Don’t worry - you’ll be getting the recognition you fucking deserve at some point too.

In the meantime, you gotta put out the good karma. Set up a Google alert so that if and when these announcements are made, you’ll get an automated heads-up via email notifications. Then, give them props for their successes. This way, they will always associate you with positive events.

Congratulate Them On Work Anniversaries

Everyone celebrates marriage anniversaries but less attention is paid to work anniversaries. Not everyone knows their coworker's marriage anniversaries. It usually comes up during casual conversations about planning a weekend trip or a special night out.

The easy anniversary to celebrate and recognize is someone’s work anniversary. It’s not personal so it’s less awkward. It’s much more fun and casual to give someone a thumbs-up recognition for surviving another year of putting out fires.

Offer Research Or Insights That Can Help Them

During your project research efforts, if you happen to come across some interesting research that could be helpful for any of your key business contacts, then grab it and send them the report or web link. This shows that you are looking out for them and offering market data that may help their business in one way or another.

Obviously, don’t share any proprietary research that belongs to your company. You don’t want to be written up at work. Focus on sharing what’s publicly available. It doesn’t have to be some 500-page report. Sometimes, a small data point or visual chart can be just as useful.

Share Fun Stuff On Common Hobbies

If you know your business contact's personal hobbies and/or interests, then key in on that. Nobody wants to talk business all the time. We’re not robots, even though it feels like it. Everyone has fun stuff to do in their free time.

If you and your contact share a common interest, this is a fantastic platform to exchange and share stuff. It could be the latest on the sports team, shopping deals, vacation destinations, trendy cafes, gaming, furry friends, outdoor activities, etc. 

Grab Lunch Together

There’s nothing that can substitute real in-person face time. It’s the most impactful and enriching way to maintain bonds. Digital relationships will never be as strong as in-person ones.

Now, because this requires a bit more planning and effort, you’ll want to reserve these only for your top five to ten business contacts that are local to you. Having lunch together is not only a great midday habit to unplug and recharge but it’s also the best bang for your relationship buck. And if you travel for work, always scan through your list of business contacts and if any top contacts live in the area, drop them a note and see if you can carve out a lunch with them.

Keep Up Valuable Old Business Contacts For A Better Future

Your older business contacts are sometimes the most valuable ones. This is simply due to the fact that you know each other longer than any of the latest shallow single introductions.

However, having a long history with a business contact is only as good as the current state of the relationship. We all have old business contacts from decades ago that we never interact with. There’s no value in that.

The real value for both sides is in keeping the relationship fresh and updated. This doesn’t mean that you need to actively meet and hang out every week. Nope. It can be something that’s done a few times a year with simple communications and even an in-person sesh every now and then.

With each little positive email, message and meet up, you’ll be making old bonds even stronger and building up some good vibes and positive mojo, which always helps you get through a rough day.

So, don’t let your old valuable business contacts wither away into the digital archive. Reach out to them. Send a short message. Keep the flame alive.

Feel Better,
[Cubicle|Therapy]

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