“Just checking in …”

When I used to reach out to a prospect with this line, it was the death knell for a potential sale. 

It’s vague and uncreative. 

It wastes their time. 

But worst of all, it’s easy to ignore. 

Saying I was “just checking in” masked the fact that I hadn’t done a good enough job building a relationship with the person I was selling to. I hadn’t uncovered the pain that they were hoping to solve with our product. 

The same is true with job seekers and their networking, which is just selling by another name. 

You’re building relationships and know that you need to stay in touch, especially because they mentioned a job that you would be a perfect fit for would be posted any minute. 

But how you check in is as important as actually doing it. And the best networkers check in without making it so obvious they’re doing so. 

The best networkers make the outreach one that doesn’t just benefit them as a job seeker, but also the person they are networking with. 

Say This Instead

Some ideas on how to check in that aren’t “just checking in”:

Make an introduction

Perhaps this is a long-term relationship you’re building and the person you’re connecting with has a shorter term problem that isn’t in your wheelhouse. Introduce a friend who could help. It’s a nice thing for your friend and makes you look generous and helpful. 

Show your research

Maybe your contact or a colleague of theirs recently gave an interview or appeared on a podcast. Reach out and ask a good question that came out of what you learned. You’ll signal your interest in their firm and their work and help them see how you think. 

Solve a problem

Sometimes you can ask directly what’s a big problem they don’t have the bandwidth to solve, but sometimes you just have to pay careful attention in your networking conversation. And then follow up with a brief overview of how you might tackle that problem. You’re not doing free work for them as much as you’re validating their impression of you as a thoughtful and intelligent potential colleague.

Checking in is great when you get to a hotel. If you’re networking, though, you’re better off taking a more assertive, creative approach that will keep you top of mind and reinforce how you might help them down the road.

About Josh Cohen

As one of TransLoc’s earliest employees, Josh Cohen served as director of business development and director of strategy and partnerships, generating revenue to fund company operations and creating relationships to better meet the needs of their clients, before eventual acquisition by Ford Motor Company.  

In addition to helping job seekers and executives achieve their goals through his work at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and his own coaching firm, Mobility Leadership Advisors, Josh also writes two biweekly newsletters: The Upside Down Job Search (creative tools to enable success in your job search in today’s market) and Leadership Give and Take (ideas, stories, and questions around the topics of leadership and personal development).