Follow-up Headaches

"Now comes the boring bit," said a friend of mine. "The follow-up stuff." He'd just got through over 55 meetings at the two conferences this week and was tired, croaky and mentally fried. I knew what he meant. The follow-ups - that necessary bit of closure which slides onto your desk in the form of a pile of business cards, the day after the big event.

I've done it loads of times before and in lots of different ways. I've even read a book about the psychology of follow-ups. And yes, it really was like watching paint dry.

Nowadays, I resist the temptation to get it all done the day after. Wait a week... maybe two. Why? Because everyone will be doing it now. And that means agents and schools will have dozens of oily messages pinging into their inboxes every other second. Not good. You need to stand out from the rest. Delay a bit. Let the masses have their say... and be forgotten. Then sashay into an empty inbox ten days later with all your happy, enthusiastic messages. That's best.

Or is it? I mean, you could miss the boat... lose your chance. Be beaten to the punch by a competitor who got there first. And now the budget's been spent. Gone. The coffers are empty. Nothing for you. Disaster.

Maybe wait 5 days. A compromise.

OK , let's take a deep breath. Be calm. Break it down sensibly. It's different depending on where you are coming from - if you are from a school, or if you are an agent. Isn't it?

Well, yes. For schools it's just a matter of making sure the agents keep you at the front of their tired, frazzled and stressed minds. Maybe an email every Monday for three months after the workshop reminding them that your English courses are the dog's..... and your accommodation is the best in the land. A nice email every week asking them about their pet cat, or if they won their recent tennis match. Make it personal. After all, you're their friend. Too much? Nooooo, they're going to love your attention. They're even going to look forward to your emails every other day. Perhaps a telephone call as well just to hear your delightful voice - twice a week I think - between email reminders. Easy-peasy being a school sales person. Just hit the send button or pick up that phone every other second and then take an early lunch.

For agents, it's a bit tricky. First, you don't get much time to do anything, what with schools emailing or ringing you every other second after a workshop. And then, when you finally do get a free moment, the lift door opens and they march into your office, bold as brass, with briefcases full of stuff you already know about, demanding an hour of your time to talk about your pet cat and your tennis matches, face-to-face. And then they expect dozens of students! It's a hard time being an agent. Best demand 40% commission and see what that does to the pet cat conversation.

But I digress. The follow up email....

Get off to a the bouncy start. Vital to get happy from the outset. Great to see you... Lovely to meet up... Pleased you're still in business... Wow, you've still got a job... So, who is it you're working for this year? Bouncy, nice stuff.

After the jolly start, you get down to the nitty-gritty - the businessy stuff.

What about that group you promised? Just to confirm that amazing, incredible, unbelievable net price we offered at the workshop... for a minimum of 50 students. Sorry, you didn't remember that? The minimum bit, I mean. It was so noisy, wasn't it? Didn't you hear me? It doesn't really matter, does it? You'll find 50 of the little treasures easily. You're so good. You're the best. We love working with you. Anyway, must dash. Got to get my socks ironed and underpants dry cleaned. Off on my travels soon, you'll be delighted to hear. Coming to see you. I just love walking the wide, breezy streets of Seoul in January, wandering the scenic back alleys of Rio, or taking an evening stroll in the Beijing industrial area, where my hotel always is.

On my way. Already got my discounted, cheap air tickets on Air Mongolia from Expedia, because I'm an obsidian, first-class, bakelite, platinum, miles-of-smiles, gold-plated member. Simple pimple.

Just can't wait! Life is great. Business is fantastic. Just need to finish all my follow-ups...