Followup on every single thing
When every email gets a response, every gift gets a thank you, every guidance or help gets an acknowledgment, you’re building basic human capital, putting money in the bank.
You never know what's going to come from it, even if the answer is “no,” because by continuing the conversation, you’re creating opportunity, opening doors, showing respect, and saying that the other person matters to you.
When you leave a meeting that didn’t go your way, by following up, you have an opportunity to regroup. You can take your time and you can craft the perfect email.
Tell them you received their request and are working on it
Give them a delivery date, even if they didn’t tell you when they wanted it
Request feedback
Clarify misunderstandings
Revise and try again
Propose something new
Check back later
Simply thank them for their time
Etc.
By following up, you’re signaling you’re reliable, dedicated, collaborative.
