Just yesterday I was following up with a potential client on a new executive search opportunity. I was emailing with the Administrative Assistant to the CEO. I had reached out to her this past Monday and was checking in again Thursday because I had not heard any feedback on status of the project (as I expected I would have).
The Administrative Assistant (who is excellent at her job and very kind) responded with, “our CEO has been in Board committee meetings all week and we are attempting to dig out! I do have this on my list of discussion items to review with her. Will circle back around to you as soon as possible.”
Being great at follow-up is being a “good pest.” In this situation, I will certainly sit and wait patiently to hear back from the Administrative Assistant. Using humor usually helps too as I emailed back, “you are very kind……thank you. Sending you imaginary shovels :)”
Being a “good pest” on follow-up is all about reading between the lines and allowing your client to get back to you when the time is right. Getting right back to her in the next couple days would be project suicide. I will wait about 7 days now if I do not hear back. That seems about the right timing.
Being a “good pest” on business follow-up comes down to this: how would you like to be treated if you were the one being followed up with?
