“Beziehungen schaden nur dem, der keine hat!” Die besten Tipps fürs richtige Netzwerken auf Englisch

In today’s final post on the topic of networking, we’ll cover what is takes to continue the “networking cycle” event after you’ve closed a conversation, handed out your business card, and left the event. How can a new person be brought in your professional business circle? This is the focus of our content today.

Important business English language phrases are bold.

1. Follow up with your new contact. It is extremely important that you follow up with a promising new connection within a short time frame after the event. This can either be via phone, email, or networking sites (LinkedIn or Xing). Remind the person who you are, where you work, and what you talked about. A sample message line may read:

Dear Tom,

It was so nice meeting you at last’ weeks Clean Energy Professionals Network Lunch. I really enjoyed our conversation about strategies for the residential solar market in our region ….

At this point, perhaps you’d like to invite the person to meet for coffee (see below) or just invite them to collaborate further with your work. In this case, useful phrases include:

- “I look forward to connecting further”

- “Let’s continue to stay in touch”

- “I look forward to future collaboration”.

2. Ask them to refer you to another contact. Oftentimes, your new contact will be an open door for career advancement. If you are seeking to connect with a manager at another company, ask you network contact for help. However, be careful that you do so in a respectful manner; no one likes to be used. For example:

Dear Shannon,

I hope you’re having a nice week! It was great connecting with you at the Network Lunch last week. I really appreciated hearing about your experiences on coastal wind energy projects. When we spoke, you mentioned your manager is working on a market innovation project for solar energy. I am very enthusiastic about this idea and would love to discuss with him …

Here, the writer takes the time to compliment Shannon, and acknowledges that he listened to what she was saying. She is more likely to help him due to his respectful tone.

3. Invite them to meet. Confident business leaders don’t just make connections; they foster long-term working relationships. Don’t be afraid to ask your new contact to meet, because those informal conversations could lead to really wonderful career and leadership possibilities. Following the email to Shannon from above, the write can continue as follows:

…. Perhaps the three of us could meet for coffee in the next two weeks? I would really appreciate the opportunity to learn from both of your experiences.

Or, if it’s not possible for the manager to meet, the writer can ask Shannon to virtually introduce him:

…Shannon, I am looking forward to our coffee meeting next week! I am sorry that your manager won’t be able to join us, but would it be at all possible for you to introduce us via email?” Since you already have a positive rapport with Shannon, she is most likely going to comply with your request. Remember to thank her!