Example: the owner of a small corporate gifts company in Maringá, in southern Brazil, leaves an online business round with about a dozen new contacts. He writes to all of them within the next two days, books two visits and sends one proposal. Three months later, the proposal has stalled, the visits never turned into orders and he is not sure he can still write to those people without sounding like he is chasing them. The network is there, but it is cooling down. The Follow-up Planner helps with the first step: it puts each contact in a column, with the next step and a date, so nobody gets forgotten.
The follow-up after a business meeting covers the first few weeks: the message within 48 hours, then the second and third contact. This guide is about what comes after, when nothing is pending anymore and the question becomes how to keep your networking alive over the following months. The short answer: write less often, always with a real reason, and never just to say hi.
Split your network into groups before you write
Not every contact needs the same attention. Trying to talk to everyone the same way leads to two mistakes at once: disappearing on the people who matter and bothering the ones who barely remember you. Before you think about any message, divide your list into four groups.
- Active customers: they buy from you today. Staying in touch is about looking after the relationship, not about selling again in every message.
- Opportunities on hold: people who showed interest but said "not now". They know what you do and may come back when their situation changes.
- Wider network: partners, suppliers, former customers, fellow members of a business association and people you met at events, where the conversation went well even without a deal in sight.
- Cold contacts: people who never replied or showed interest. They stay on the list, but outside the regular pace.
This split already answers half of the question about being a pest. What feels intrusive to a cold contact is normal for an active customer, and what looks like neglect with a customer is the right pace for the wider network.
Pace: how often to write
There is no proven right frequency. What exists is a pace you can keep up and that the other person does not feel as pressure. The table below is a starting point to adjust over time, not a rule.
| Group | Suggested pace | What the contact is for |
|---|---|---|
| Active customers | At least once a month, on top of orders | Showing you follow their business, not just the next purchase |
| Opportunities on hold | Every two or three months | Staying on their mind for when "not now" changes |
| Wider network | A few times a year | Keeping the relationship and making room for referrals |
| Cold contacts | Only when a very clear reason comes up | Not pushing people who showed no interest |
Consistency matters more than frequency. One contact every three months, always with something useful, is worth more than a burst of messages in one week followed by a year of silence. If the pace you picked weighs too much on your routine, shorten the list before you lower the quality of your messages.
Real reasons to get back in touch
The "just checking in" message is what turns keeping a network into a nuisance. It asks for attention without offering anything, and the other person does not know how to reply. Every contact needs a reason that makes sense to the person receiving it, not only to the person writing. The most common ones:
Something new that solves the problem they described
If you noted, in the first conversation, that the buyer struggled with delivery times, a new stock location or a new delivery route is a legitimate reason to write. What counts is the link to their problem, not the news itself.
A change in their company or career
A promotion, a new role, a new branch, a project announced. Congratulating someone is simple and asks nothing in return. If it connects to what you do, one sentence is enough to remind them.
A referral or a useful contact
Introducing someone who can help the other person (a supplier, a potential customer of theirs, a professional you trust) tends to be the strongest reason. It is the give-before-you-ask logic at the heart of business networking that turns into deals: whoever receives a referral remembers who made it.
Content that relates to their industry
News about a regulation that affects their sector, a practical guide, an industry event. Send it with one line saying why you thought of them. A bare link, with no comment, looks like a mass mailing.
A meeting on the calendar
A trade fair, an association event or a business round you may both attend is a natural reason to get back in touch and suggest a coffee or a quick call.
Channels: where each message works best
The right channel depends on the reason and on the kind of relationship, not on your habits.
- WhatsApp: for people who already talk to you there, such as active customers and close contacts. Keep it short, skip long voice notes and write during business hours.
- LinkedIn: for the wider network and for reacting to changes in role or company. Commenting on one of their posts also keeps the relationship going, without a message. The guide on LinkedIn before and after a business round shows how to use your profile and connections after an event.
- Email: for sending material, introducing two people in writing or reaching someone who prefers a more formal tone.
- Phone call: for active customers and opportunities where you are already close. Never as the first contact after months of silence.
A practical rule: if the last contact happened on one channel, the next one starts there. Switching channels for no reason, such as moving from a work email to a personal WhatsApp, can feel like an intrusion.
Message templates for staying in touch
The texts below always start from a real reason. Replace the brackets with what you noted and cut whatever does not fit.
Something new tied to their problem
[Name], I remembered our conversation about [problem they described]. We have started [concrete news] and I thought it could help in your case. If you like, I can send the details here.
Referral
[Name], I met [person] from [company], who works with [what they do]. Since you mentioned you were looking for [need], I thought it was worth introducing you two. May I pass on your contact?
New role
[Name], I saw you have taken on [new role]. Congratulations on the new chapter. If [topic from your earlier conversation] ever comes back on the agenda, I am happy to help.
A meeting on the calendar
[Name], I will be at [fair or event] in [month]. If you are going too, it would be good to have a coffee and hear how [topic you discussed] turned out.
For the moment right after a meeting, or for someone who did not reply, the follow-up message templates offer ready texts for each channel. And if you would rather start from a draft, the Follow-up Generator builds the message for WhatsApp, LinkedIn or email.
Signs that you are being a pest
Staying in touch is not the same as pushing. Rethink the pace with someone when:
- You sent two relationship messages in a row with no reply and you are already thinking about a third.
- Every message ends with a request: a meeting, a proposal, a referral.
- The other person's replies keep getting shorter, or come only as a reaction.
- You cannot say, in one sentence, why you are writing now.
In these cases, take a step back. Wait for a better reason, switch to a lighter touch (commenting on a post, for example) or move the person to the cold contacts group. Leaving the regular pace does not close the door; pushing without a reason does.
Record every contact so you do not rely on memory
None of this works if you cannot remember what you talked about last time. For each person, keep the date of the last contact, the reason, what they replied and the date of the next one. A simple spreadsheet is enough, as the guide on how to organize sales contacts without a CRM explains.
Set a fixed time each week to look at the list: whose next contact is overdue, who changed roles, who matches something new you just launched. That habit is what separates a network that pays off from a calendar full of names you no longer recognize.
Where to start
Open your list of contacts from the last few months and sort them into groups. Pick three people from your wider network and, for each one, write down a real reason to get back in touch. Send only the messages where the reason is good; the others can wait. If your network is still small, refresh the source: in an online business round, you talk to people who are looking for what you offer, with no repeated conversations, and every new contact already comes with interest from both sides.
Your company's first online business round is on us: all you need is an active Brazilian CNPJ (the Brazilian company registration number), once per CNPJ, and contact details are only shared when both sides mark interest. See the upcoming business rounds and start refreshing your network with conversations that already come with a reason to continue.