The Long Lost Networking Buddy

So you met this great person, you hung out, you went to networking events and had lots of fun and made a bunch of connections. For whatever reason, you started talking less and less, until you hadn’t talked to them in a few months. What to do?

Pick up the phone
After a certain amount of time, most people get jittery about just picking up the phone and dialing. It’s no wonder, you start to think maybe the other person doesn’t like you anymore and wanted you to go away all along. All kinds of things (mostly horribly unrealistic) will cross your mind while you hold that phone in your hands. Don’t let it stop you, because the other person is probably wondering the same thing.

Keep networking
Just because you’re not talking to your number one networking buddy doesn’t mean you should stop. Even if you stopped talking because you had issues that kept you from attending networking events, don’t make your networking buddy a requirement for leaving the house. That’s not only limiting your opportunities, it’s putting pressure on someone you haven’t even talked to recently.

Ask around about them
If you’re feeling passive aggressive and don’t want to call and are afraid they hate you, ask around. Don’t make it all high school asking if they still like you or if they have a beef with you. Just ask if they’ve been around, mention you’d like to see them, and eventually it will get back to the person.

Last but not least, find more than one buddy!
Networking buddies are awesome, why have just one? Keep yourself out there. This isn’t dating, and monogamy is not expected in a networking buddy relationship. You should have three or four people that you can call a couple days before an event to see if they’ll be there.

Enjoy your networking, and don’t make your networking buddies into a drama to be tolerated in your life. Remember, networking buddies are fun to have around and should be thought of with a sense of joy…not horror.