You meet someone at a conference and have a great conversation. You connect on LinkedIn, exchange a few messages and fully intend to stay in touch. Then you get busy, they get busy and six months go by. By the time you think about reaching out, you feel like you need a reason. The same thing happens with former colleagues, past clients and people you’ve known for years.
I hear this from lawyers and other business professionals all the time. They care about their relationships, but keeping up with people gets pushed aside when client work picks up. They put off sending a message or scheduling lunch, and eventually feel awkward about how much time has passed.
What helps is building small opportunities to reconnect into your week. That could be inviting someone to coffee, making an introduction, sending an article related to a past conversation or checking in about something they mentioned. Here are some practical ways to stay in touch with your network, including during the weeks when you have very little extra time.
Link to Start With People You Already Know Start With People You Already Know
When people talk about growing their networks, they often focus on meeting new people. I always encourage them to spend some time reconnecting with the people they already know, including former colleagues, classmates, clients and people they’ve met through professional organizations.
Think about the people you’ve enjoyed working with or talking to but haven’t heard from recently. Some may have changed jobs, taken on new responsibilities or started businesses. Others may be doing work that overlaps with yours in ways you haven’t explored.
Choose a few people and look at what they’re doing now before you reach out. That little bit of preparation can give you something specific to mention and help you pick up the conversation naturally.
Link to Follow Up on Something They Told You Follow Up on Something They Told You
One of the most useful things you can do after a meeting or event is write down a few details from the conversation. What were they working on? Was there something they wanted to learn more about? Did you promise to send them something or introduce them to someone?
Those details give you a starting point for your next interaction. If someone mentioned they were planning their first client event, you could send them a resource you found helpful. If they were preparing for a speaking engagement, you could check in afterward and ask how it went.
You can keep these notes in your contacts, your firm’s relationship management system or a private document. Use whatever you’ll actually maintain, and be thoughtful about what information you record. A short reminder can help you follow through on something you would otherwise forget during a busy week.
Link to Use LinkedIn to Notice What’s Happening Use LinkedIn to Notice What’s Happening
There’s a lot you can learn by spending a few minutes looking at what your contacts are sharing. Someone may have published an article, joined a board, spoken on a panel or celebrated a milestone. Each gives you an opportunity to acknowledge their work and reconnect.
Take the time to read before you respond. If they’ve shared an article, comment on a point you found useful. If they’re speaking at a conference, share the program with someone who might want to attend. A specific response gives the person more to engage with than a generic congratulatory message.
You can also send a private message when you have something more personal to say. For example, “I saw your post about the new role. I remember how much you enjoyed working with healthcare companies, so this sounds like a great fit.” That message reflects an existing relationship and gives you somewhere to go with the conversation.
Link to Share Things With Specific People in Mind Share Things With Specific People in Mind
When you read an interesting article or hear about an event, think about who in your network would find it useful. You may know someone working through that issue or trying to meet people in that industry.
Add a sentence explaining why you’re sending it. “You mentioned that your team is planning more client programs this year, and the section on speaker preparation made me think of our conversation.” That context makes the message feel personal and helps the recipient understand its relevance.
Your own content can serve the same purpose. If you’ve written something that addresses a question someone asked you, send it to them with a note. You’re continuing a conversation and giving them information they expressed an interest in.
Link to Make Introductions When There’s a Clear Connection Make Introductions When There’s a Clear Connection
Helping people meet each other is one of my favorite ways to build relationships. You may know two people who work with similar clients, have complementary experience or could help each other with something specific.
Before making the introduction, check that both people are interested. Explain why you thought of them and what the connection might offer. Once they’ve agreed, write a short introduction that gives each person enough background to start a conversation.
Be thoughtful about the fit. A useful introduction comes from understanding what both people do and where there’s a reason for them to connect. It’s worth taking a few extra minutes to make that clear.
Link to Invite People Into Things You’re Already Doing Invite People Into Things You’re Already Doing
Staying in touch can feel more manageable when you connect it to activities already on your calendar. If you’re going to an industry event, see who else plans to attend and arrange time to meet. If your firm is hosting a webinar, personally invite a few people who would benefit from the discussion.
You can also bring people into your content. Invite a contact to contribute a perspective to an article, participate in a Q&A or share a practical tip for a program you’re developing. Give them enough information about the audience, topic and time commitment so they can decide whether it’s a fit.
Afterward, send them the published piece and help promote their contribution. You’ve created an opportunity to work together, learn more about each other and share something useful with your respective networks.
Link to Set Aside a Small Amount of Time Each Week Set Aside a Small Amount of Time Each Week
I know how easy it is for relationship building to fall to the bottom of the list. Giving it a place on your calendar can help you follow through before another week gets away from you.
Start with 15 or 20 minutes. Respond to a message you’ve been meaning to answer, reach out to someone you haven’t spoken to recently or follow up on a conversation from an event. Keep the commitment small enough that you can maintain it during a busy period.
If you work with a marketing or business development team, ask for help identifying relevant events, preparing useful materials or organizing follow-up. You can get support with the process while keeping the communication personal.
Link to Reach Out Even if It’s Been a While Reach Out Even if It’s Been a While
People sometimes let more time pass because they feel awkward about how much time has already passed. If you’d like to reconnect, send the message. A long explanation about why you’ve been out of touch usually takes up space you could use to ask about their work or suggest getting together.
You could say, “I saw your article on succession planning and wanted to reach out. It’s been a while since we caught up, and I’d love to hear how things are going.” Or mention a shared connection, a past project or something that reminded you of them.
Give the person room to respond when they can. People have different schedules and demands on their time. You can make the effort to reconnect without placing an expectation on how quickly it happens.
Link to A Weekly Checklist for Staying in Touch With Your Network A Weekly Checklist for Staying in Touch With Your Network
Build a routine around a few actions that fit your schedule. You can rotate through these over the course of a month and adjust based on the conversations already happening.
- Reconnect with one former colleague, client or professional contact.
- Read something a contact has published and send a specific response.
- Follow through on a resource or introduction you offered.
- Invite someone to a relevant event or arrange to meet at one you’re both attending.
- Record a useful detail after a meeting so you can follow up thoughtfully.
- Schedule a catch-up with someone you’d like to know better.
- Review outstanding messages and respond to anyone you’ve unintentionally left waiting.
Over time, these habits help you keep up with people’s work, understand where you can help and maintain relationships beyond the occasional event. They also make your next conversation easier because you’ve been paying attention and staying involved in each other’s professional lives.
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