One of the greatest frustrations I hear from my Networking Coaching clients is that they have reached out to someone and the response was… crickets! Nada. Nothing. As if the outreach never happened. Oh, it can be so disheartening.
This month, we are focusing on the work of Creative Think founder, Roger von Oech. Card #39 of his Creative Whack Pack says, “Check Your Timing.” It goes on to say,
“Never forget that the greatest idea at the wrong time is a loser. With real estate, it’s location, location, location. With ideas, it’s timing, timing, timing. Is the timing right for your new idea? What if you waited for three months? Would it have been better last year? What opportunities will you miss if you don’t do it now? How’s your timing?”
With that in mind, assess the criticality of establishing a connection with a particular individual right now. If now is the time – try again. Their silence is likely more them than you… perhaps they missed your initial email, text or voice message. Maybe they started to reply and became distracted. Who knows? You never will if you don’t reach out again. On the other hand, if you have reached out a few times (and, I always suggest trying three times before walking away) and still not heard back, consider setting this one aside for the time being and moving on to more productive relationship building. You can try reaching out again when the timing is better for you both – plus, I suspect your timing for another contact will be just right.
Happy Networking!
P.S. – Today happens to be the end of Daylight Savings Time in the United States. If you haven’t already, don’t forget to “fall back” one hour and actually reset your clock!