The VIP “Followup System” That Makes You Friends And Money

Imagine this: You’re back in 10th grade, and you’re walking your crush home from school.

It’s a cool autumn day, just a little breezy. Leaves are fluttering about the ground, making delicate little scraping noises as the sun dips slightly lower in the sky.

A subtle chill floats by, and you put your arm around her shoulders to shield her, then you let it rest there. Everything feels so good. It’s magnetic.

You get to the front of her door.

“I wonder if her parents are home?”

You both stop. She turns to you.

Her: “Well, I had a really nice time. Thanks for walking me home…”

You: “Yeah, no problem…it’s, you know, on my way.”

Her: “Ok, so..thanks again.”

Is she looking at your lips? This pause is so uncomfortable. You’ve been wanting to kiss this girl for two years, and you finally got to walk her home. Now the two of you are frozen in front of her door staring at each other.

System overload.

You have NO idea what to do.

You: “Ok…well…see you in class!”

You turn and basically speed walk away, hating every molecule in your stupid body, but have absolutely no idea how you could have escalated the situation.

You got no followup game, homie.

The next day, when you see her in the hall she walks right past you as if she can’t even see you.

What the hell just happened?

*******

Now, to be clear, the super-detailed, highly realistic story above has never happened to me.

It happened to a good friend and I’m happy I could share it anonymously with 30,000 readers today.

It’s fun to revisit high school angst — so many lessons to learn from pubescent pain. But more than that, the story above contains a nugget of truth that most of us STILL don’t get. Even when we’re well into adulthood and can manage to muster up the courage for a first kiss.

The Social Implications of a Poor Followup

You did it.

You connected with your hero or someone you deeply admire.

At first, it seemed like this day would never come. But you followed the step-by-step scripts and got a meeting. Heck, maybe you’re reading this on your way to have coffee with that person RIGHT NOW.

But if you’re like most people (including myself at one point), you probably haven’t put too much thought into what comes next.

What happens AFTER you connect with a successful or famous person?

Should you just say…

“Oh, it was so great to meet you. Ok, well…bye!”

We saw how well that worked out in our first story. It’s uncomfortable. It’s weird. And in some cases, it makes the person of interest feel used.

So let’s back it up for a minute and think about things from the perspective of a VIP, or someone whose time in extremely limited. 

Every day, they wake up to hundreds of emails, phone calls, texts and messages on ever social channel conceivable. They parse through it methodically, almost instinctually. Most attempts to contact them, they miss. Not because they’re mean, or inconsiderate.

Not even because they don’t WANT to read your email (or tweet or Facebook message.)

But simply because, logistically, they can’t.

It’s literally impossible for them to take in ALL the information that’s being thrown at their way. Yet YOU managed to get through the haze. If you’re smart, there are several ways to do this:

• Through mutual connections
• Through social media/contributing to their community
• By offering them value or free services
• By interviewing them

(See the complete list here…)

You make it to the meeting, you’ve prepared notes beforehand so that you’re asking meaningful, engaging questions. Now the meeting is over.

You can’t just end it with a handshake and hope to “catch them later.” You have to put just as much care into keeping in touch as you did to connect with them in the first place.

A great followup does three things:

1. Lets the VIP know that you genuinely care about their time and appreciate them
2. Dramatically separates your from the “herd” of fans who want to take without giving anything in return
3. Just makes you look really cool, and on top of your game

Here’s the exact method I’ve used to create wonderful followup experiences with some VIPs in my circle, including successful authors and entrepreneurs like Tim Ferriss, Neil Strauss and Dave Asprey.

This is the fastest way that I know to make friends with people who have the power to change your life.

Some of the influencers I’ve used this system with have appreciated it so much that they even invested my new company, Pavlok.

Use it with care.

1.) Pay UNUSUALLY close attention during your meeting

It’s so easy to zone out when others are talking. Even when you’re genuinely interested, it’s very easy to…

See what just happened there. Don’t let it happen to you. Your time with the VIP is sacred. Be present in every single moment.

A good way to do this is by bringing a notebook to take notes. At a physical meeting (like coffee) pulling out a handsome moleskin journal and taking attentive notes is especially impressive. Not only does it keep you on track — but it also subtly strokes your guest’s ego by reminding them that they are important.

If you’re meeting on the phone, ask if it’s ok to record the call so that you can refer to it later. Most people won’t mind, and the notes you get will be key in constructing the followup document.

2.) Create a custom followup document that highlights the key points of your meeting

If you’ve ever been to a long meeting and tried to remember the details later, you know that things can get a little fuzzy. Similarly, if you’re dealing with a VIP who takes potentially dozens of meetings per week, you can expect that they’ll forget some things from your meeting as well — even if you are wearing your “good” cologne.

Create a simple document that outlines the flow of your conversation.

It could be as simple as:

TOPIC #1:

• Key takeaway
• Key takeaway
• Key takeaway

TOPIC #2:

• Key takeaway
• Key takeaway
• Key takeaway

TOPIC #3:

• Key takeaway
• Key takeaway
• Key takeaway

This tool is subtly powerful because it let’s you call back to SPECIFIC conversation points when you talk again — and reinforces the value that BOTH of you got from the interaction (remember, even VIPs want to learn.)

Pro tip: I have my assistant Caleb compile my loose notes into a beautiful powerpoint slidedeck using an attractive template, then turn that template into a PDF. This leaves a TREMENDOUS impression on the VIP, who has almost certainly never received such a high attention to detail from a casual interaction.

3.) Give back massive value based on the VIP’s needs and turn them into a friend

Its important you follow up with the person the day after and thank them. I like to invite the person out for drinks. It’s your chance to turn the person into a friend.

One of the most effective followups I’ve ever received was from my good friend James Swanwick, who is the former host of ESPN SportsCenter runs a the Alpha Male Club Podcast.

James followed up the next day with SIX emails — the first email said, “These are 7 things we talked about, and my followup.” That email finished by saying “I’ve sent five emails to you with book summaries of books I think you’d be interested in. Feel free to check it out.”

That followup—with book summaries—has stuck with me until today as the most effective followup I’ve ever seen because it gave me massive value that was specifically tailored to my needs.

*******

There you have it — my entire system for following up with VIPs in a way that makes you stand out, creates new friendships and in some cases, can even make you money.

Does this system sound like something that you’d like to use?

Let me know in the comments!