You’re not “bad at follow-up” — you just don’t have a system
After an event, work resumes, inbox explodes, and follow-up becomes “later”. Two weeks pass, the context is gone, and reaching out feels awkward. So nothing happens.
5 field reasons follow-up doesn’t happen
- No context: you don’t remember where you met or what you discussed.
- Incomplete contact: missing email or unclear role.
- No prioritization: everything feels equally important, so you do nothing.
- Fear of sounding salesy: you delay the message.
- No time slot: follow-up never gets a calendar spot.
3 rules that fix it
- 1 context line per contact (where/why/next step).
- Hot / warm / keep sorting.
- Two weekly 20-min sessions instead of “one big catch-up”.
Example email (professional, not pushy)
Subject: Great meeting you at [event]
Hi [First name],
Great meeting you at [event]. We discussed [topic/context].
If it makes sense, I’d suggest a quick 15-minute call this week to see what the next step could be. What time works for you?
Best,
[Signature]