I am sad to say I am not surprised that she was surprised. So often, I do not hear from people I have met, despite many promises that we will be speaking in the next couple of days. The impression I am left with is that they are less than sincere and I am unlikely to spend time with them if we meet again; I am certainly not going to welcome them into my network.

It takes very little time to take action and follow up; far less than the time we invested in attending an event and talking with people. That time is wasted if we don't continue to develop the relationships we started. I schedule follow-up time after every event I attend. One hour the following morning is enough to make sure I get the most out of the time invested and to ensure I deliver on my promises.