The Art of the Follow-Up, Part 1

Congratulations, you successfully negotiated the contract, deal or opportunity!

Have you ever worked on a deal or project so hard and for so long that after it’s over you are left with a “deer in the headlights” feeling? Even if the outcome was to your benefit? If so, you’re not alone. A lot of people get that feeling after putting in effort on the journey and not necessarily the destination. The good news is that it’s easy to refocus and take advantage of all your hard work. 

Here are five tips on what to do next to ensure that all of your hard work is recognized and rewarded — and that it acts like radar for new opportunities:

1.     Send a thank you note. An email will do, but if you can find a physical address, send a handwritten note. Keep it short and sweet, and express your gratitude for the opportunity. Send a note to everyone involved in the negotiation and acknowledge the part they played. 

2.     Confirm the details. This is an important and often overlooked step. You will most likely get a contract outlining the project and key milestones. Be sure to get a timeline on when the contract will actually start and end. Confirm when you will be meeting with the contracts officer for any onboarding, and ask when you will be introduced to the key stakeholders.

3.     Stay connected. Create an internal follow-up plan with your team and any independent contractors you are using for the project. At a minimum, I recommend that you reach out to your contacts on a quarterly basis.

4.     Celebrate milestones. Be sure to inform the contract holder if you meet and surpass any metrics outlined in the contract. Don’t forget to celebrate these same milestones with your team and ask for input on how to keep the momentum going.

5.     Make great customer service a priority. Always ask what else you can do to be of service. And if anything goes wrong, be gracious and be quick to admit to and own up to errors. The key is to come back with solutions and assurances that the mistake will not happen again. 

Remember the adage that people do business with people they know, they like and they trust? The negotiation preparation and deliberation processes are the first steps. It’s incumbent on you to help all involved — the people at the negotiation table and the ones behind the scenes — to get to know, like and trust you after the negotiation is complete and all throughout the contract period.

Need help writing that thank you note or setting up that timeline?

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