I'm finally caught up on my emails from networking in the last two weeks (well, more like last month). I've been feeling terribly guilty about it, as I try to respond to every email within 48 hours normally. My excuse has been the end of the project I'm working on, looking for new gig(s), developing two workshops and an online portfolio.  Plus other personal stuff.

I think that constitutes as busy, don't you?

I think it's really important to follow up for so many reasons, primarily because it's good manners. But it the more mercenary reason is it helps cement you in the mind of people you've just met, as well as keeps you in the mind of those you already know.

Or, in the case of speakers, letting them know you appreciated their efforts, and that they helped you.   I like to do that anyway, but at February's McCombs Women in Business Leadership Conference, one of the speakers lamented about how few people say thank you to speakers.  So I've been even more diligent about that... until this last week. 

I posted in this blog about it, and got a comment from the speaker, Carl Pritchard, but I didn't actually write the thank you note until this morning.  I also noticed how few people thanked him at the end of the seminar last week.  Not that people didn't enjoy it; from conversations during breaks, people were getting a lot out of it. 

I think they were focused on beating rush hour traffic; after all, we have the two worst traffic bottlenecks in texas, and they both ran in the top 100 in the nation. And MoPac between 4-6pm is downright evil.  But help the guy out, take a minute to say, hey, thanks for coming,  I enjoyed it so he knows he hit the mark, and his work is appreciated.  A little appreciation goes a long way. 

When did you last thank someone for a job well done?