I got a all today from a friend who once held a similar position to mine. Through no fault of his own (he worked for a real group of SOBs), he was let go. Brilliant guy, 20 years experience, and he is someone you just naturally like.
He called me today to catch up. He is working on projects as a free lancer, but looking for a full time gig. We talked for a little while, and I told him I would keep an eye out for him in my industry. Three things struck me after the call.
First, I looked back and saw it was almost 90 days exactly since the last time we talked. That is discipline. I bet he made 20 calls today to old contacts to check in and keep his pipeline open. Good for him (and that is why he is good at marketing and business development).
Second, he offered me some tips for a sales call I have coming up this week. He had a scoop I did not know about, and it helped me immensely. Now, I had nothing to give him in terms of job leads, but he offered his info without strings. Think I will try harder now for him? You bet.
Third, I was genuinely happy to hear from him. It is rare that people keep in touch that aren't try to sell or push something on you. I know he had some other motives, but shop talk was kept to a minimum.
Neglecting a bridge that can help you in future business objectives is the same as burning it. As Harvey Mackay famously says, "dig your well before you are thirsty." So, if you have contacts that you think are honest, genuine, trustworthy and are good to have your name associated with, you should work hard to stay in regular touch with them. You never know how they might help you in the future when your back is to the wall.
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