Once upon a time obtaining a phone number was the key to the castle. A simple phone number could lead to a Friday night date, a new friend or the beginning of a business connection. Now the castle has about 20 different passwords just to say hi. Where do you even begin with communication? “Friend me on Facebook” “Connect with me on LinkedIn” “Text me” “Here’s my email”. AHHH OVERLOAD.
Wishing you had a magical letter delivering owl? I certainly am right now. Let’s dissect communication among new professional contacts and not let anyone sneak in your DM’s.
Just say no. Facebook has a time and a place. But not for professional conversations, kick Facebook to the curb. It’s a difficult platform to use for a conversation and puts all of your personal info up for grabs.
Text
“Nice 2 meet u”. Okay it’s not 2009, abbreviations are passé. But you get the idea. Texting is informal and lacks the professional angle. If you get a number, make a phone call and skip debating the appropriateness of texting.
Alright, we are getting closer. LinkedIn means business (haha functionality jokes). You can connect on LinkedIn and learn about an individual’s company, previous experience and more. LinkedIn should not be the main point of contact, but it’s a great supplementary resource.
Modern day necessity. We all have email and most of us check our emails at least once a day. It is a great point communication technique for your newest contact. Just keep in mind what part of your life this connection should reside in. Are they a potential client? Company email. Could they help you change careers? Personal email.
Phone
Always and forever the love/hate relationship toward picking of the phone. It’s instant gratification and makes a conversation flow without having to try and translate inflection. Although it can be intimidating when you don’t want to intrude on someone’s day or get trapped in a never ending game of phone tag. Stay focused, if you want to further this connection make it happen. A phone calls says I am genuinely interested and confident enough to reach out.
Set the tone. That very first point of contact can say a lot about you and your company. Be open to email and phone calls to see how a potential client wants to initiate the conversation. Then ASK! You never know a person’s preference for communication unless you ask, “What’s the best way to reach you?”
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