Cyber-introductions can be a time-efficient and effective way to bring two people together and start the networking ball rolling.

When you are on the receiving end of a cyber introduction follow these simple guidelines:

• Don’t ignore it. Sounds crazy but there are folks that are on the receiving end of an introduction and do not react to the initial email or even reply when the other person reaches out to make contact. Honestly now, are you really too busy to hit reply and demonstrate some networking courtesy? If you are blessed with an over-abundance of business why not simply respond to the individual and ask for a short break with a promise to follow up at some later time.
• Don’t go into extensive detail in your follow-up email and don’t, for heaven’s sake, try to SELL the person. Keep it simple and to the point, because the “real” networking begins when there is a more personal contact such as a phone call or meeting. The cyber-intro was merely the door opener.
• Keep the person that introduced you in the loop so that they know that follow-up was attempted. Be grateful and say thank-you.

Networking is time-consuming and you don’t want to engage in the game unless you follow the ground rules and take the steps necessary to succeed.