The Skill of the Follow up
Leaders get things done. They are action oriented and always moving towards the finish line.
As all of us know, when dealing with other people, other organizations, and other teams, many times the project or initiative bogs down because “you haven’t heard back from him” or “she never emailed me to confirm” or “I’m still waiting on them to send over a fax” or “I called and left a message, but don’t want to bother them again.” When other people get involved besides us, things get more complicated.
If you want to truly get things done, you have to become skilled at the follow up. Here are a few things I’ve learned over the years:
1. It’s always your responsibility to initiate. Obviously if you are the one asking for something, then you have to initiate. But even if you’re just part of the project or one of the steps in the project, you need to always feel responsibility to initiate.
2. We’re all busy. Never take offense or get your feelings hurt because someone hasn’t responded to your initial invitation or request. Very rarely is a lack of response personal. It’s just because people are busy.
3. Figure out how best to get an answer. Many people don’t return phone calls anymore, but if you text them, they’ll get right back to you. Be smart. Customize your communication if you want a quick response.
4. Make it easy to get a response. Make sure it’s one step to confirm or respond or get you the information you need. Don’t make folks jump through multiple hoops in order to get you what you need. Remove all the barriers.
5. Create a deadline. Make sure you are very clear in your initial request and in your follow up what you are asking for, as well as when you need it. Sometimes we forget to create urgency and expectations alongside the request.
6. Aggressively pursue until you get a yes or no. If it takes 5 emails, then send 5 emails. If it takes 3 phone calls, make 3 phone calls. Get it to the finish line.
What are some of your secrets in regards to following up and getting things done?
Good stuff. My best secret to follow up, is to return the requests i get before the deadline. Many times those requests are from the very same people I will need help/Information from. Here is the tweetform: If you value them, they will go out of their way to add value to your project.
Great thoughts Brad! I’ve been thinking about these things a lot recently. In fact, a few days ago I wrote, 5 Simple Ways to Get More Done. (http://www.michaelnichols.org/5-simple-ways-to-get-more-done/).
The key for me has been having a structure in place to follow up on projects. It’s made a huge difference for me.
These are some great tips, I’ve had to learn to be more and more intentional about following up on projects. These points are exceedingly important when you work with artists. Great post,
cd
Check out what they are doing on Facebook or twitter. Sometimes people give clues to what they are working on in the social networking. This can either explain why they are busy or gives you some connect to talk with them about when you do make contact. Be interested in the person, not just what you can get out of a person.
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To build on #3, some people will respond much faster to Twitter or Facebook if they have a smart phone that notifies them when they get a message. As a college student, this has been true with many of my PR professors. Great article!
I’ve found number 4 to be very true, the easier you make it for people to help you out the more likely they are to help. I think this is great advice, especially for someone who is about to enter the professional world. Following-up can be intimidating sometimes because you feel like you’re bothering people, but really everyone is busy and a follow-up will help them remember you. Thanks for the great advice!
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