Following up is one of those things that is really easy and really hard at the same time. Let me explain.

Everybody is busy. Everybody wishes they had more time. Following up correctly takes time and is not always the easiest thing to remember. However to the person on the other end of the email or phone is deeply appreciative.

When someone comes in for an interview they typically send you a thank you note. This person is probably in some way or another completely unsure about the entire experience and looking for as much communication as possible. At the very least its the right thing to do to have continuous and timely contact with the candidate to follow up. Its something that will set a good precedent for you and the person – and in the event it does not work out leave them with a good feeling of how things went down.

Cold emails and warm leads happen all the time. Two people being introduced by a third party, candidate advice, business partnership emails – there are endless examples. Following up quickly is a great way to show everyone involved you are responsible and reasonable. It sets a great precedent for whatever business is to follow and gets you in a great habit of not putting these things off for later.

There are also examples of poor follow ups which make things difficult for everyone. My friend Vinicius Vacanti of YipIt recently opened this topic again (highlighting my setting up an appointment post) I always imagine myself on the other side of the email, phone call or voicemail which makes things go a bit smoother.

Vins point is that “Let me know what works for you” or “next week is great” is actually inefficient and slow. Using the techniques he mentions, or my own for making a plan helps everyone out. It may seem like it takes more time, but in the end its actually a time saver.

Back to the examples from above; job interviews and partnerships. Interviewees are in a position where they don’t have all the information and are not privy to your timeline. By communicating throughout the process you can ensure they are not getting frustrated, annoyed, and stay fully informed. Partnerships operate the same way. Its better to be transparent and clear, even when you don’t know the answer or timeline. Transparent does not necessarily mean giving all the information away, but rather letting all parties know “something” is going on. No answer is always a bad approach.

Finally, following up is one of those things we can all do better, myself included – and sometimes writing these things out is a great reminder for myself to continue to try to do things better.