As entrepreneurs, We spend a considerable amount of time connecting with others through networking, meetings, social media, and email. Before long, a month has passed, then three, then six. How do you stay in front of influencers, prospects and important connections you've made throughout the year to stay relevant and fresh in their minds? Though touchpoints.
What are Touchpoints?
A touchpoint is an action you take to maintain a relationship with someone that you find value in. If it were running a marathon, it would be akin to seeing the water station every mile. Sometimes it's needed, sometimes it's not, but you know it's there for you like clockwork, it's a reliable source, and you know to expect it. In the same way, touchpoints show influencers that you're consistent, reliable, and available.
Types of Touchpoints
How you create your touchpoints depends on your personality and creativity. It can be as simple as periodic phone calls, emails, and pop-bys to their office, or it can be a letter or small token mailed. The trick is to be consistent.
Here are a few ways, including the ones aforementioned, that I like to you that you can start trying immediately:
- Send an email: Don't overwhelm their inboxes, but send timely messages as you provide new services, have story ideas, are in the area and would like to connect, or periodically to offer praise (maybe they were featured in a publication or online, won and award, or did something notable).
When to Make a Touchpoint
I like to perform my first touchpoint the day I meet an influencer. I email them from my car using my iPhone usually thanking them for talking to me and I set up a meeting, if I feel that this is a connection that warrants a deeper conversation. Depending on the connection, I then reach out a week after the connection, then a month, then every three months if we haven't become more regular by then.
Harvey Mackay, the author of the best-selling book "How to Swim with the Sharks without Being Eaten Alive" developed a system called the Mackay 66 for his company Mackay Envelope. He created a 66 point checklist for knowing his customers. He used this to win their loyalty through relationships. You can read the Mackay 66 here. It's a great system to adopt, one I recommend.
Ready to Deepen Your Connections?
Zig Ziglar said it best when he said, "You get what you want by giving enough people what they want." Touchpoints are a powerful too for building great relationships. Take care of your prized connections and they'll remember you and eventually will give you the opportunities you're seeking.
What methods do you use? Please comment below to share them.