Capture on the floor, and write to the right people within forty eight hours
Capture four things after each conversation, triage the pile the same evening, and write to the people who matter within forty eight hours with one specific message each. Follow up fails at the capture step more often than at the writing.
By Sunday you have a pocket of cards and no idea which conversation belongs to which face. Fix the capture and the writing gets easier. Going to ADIPEC or GITEX Global? There is a guide for each: ADIPEC 2026 and GITEX Global 2026.
On the floor: four things in twenty seconds
After each conversation that mattered, before the next one starts, record four things.
- The name and the company, spelled the way they said it.
- One thing a stranger would not know: the project, the constraint, the problem they described.
- What you said you would do, and by when.
- Where you met, in words you will recognise later, such as “the booth beside ours, asked about wholesale lead times”.
A voice note works. A photo of the card with two typed lines works. Trusting your memory until the flight home does not.
The same evening: triage into three groups
| Group | Who | Action |
|---|---|---|
| A | People you promised something, or who could buy, sell, hire, fund or introduce | Write within forty eight hours |
| B | Worth knowing, with no live reason to talk yet | One message within the week, no ask |
| C | Polite exchanges | Connect on a professional network, nothing more |
Being honest about group C keeps the system survivable. A short list of good follow ups beats a long list of generic ones.
Within forty eight hours: write to group A
A message that gets a reply has four parts and fits on one phone screen.
- Where you met, in their words. Name the place and the topic, so they can picture you.
- One specific thing from the conversation. It shows you were listening.
- The thing you promised, attached or linked. Deliver first, ask second.
- One next step with a date. “Would a short call on Tuesday or Wednesday work?”
Skip the paragraph about how much you enjoyed the event, attachments nobody asked for, and “just circling back”.
You met Yusuf Demirkan, an investment associate at Bosphorus Growth Partners, in the investor lounge at the fintech summit. He asked who runs cold storage for food importers in the Gulf, and you said you would put him in touch.
Yusuf, we spoke in the investor lounge at the fintech summit about cold chain software in the Gulf. You asked who runs the storage side at Jalwa Fresh Logistics: that is Salma Qattan, Head of Cold Chain, and she is happy to talk. I have copied her here. Would a short call next week help you decide whether to look closer?
It gives the place and topic, the question he asked, the promise delivered in the message itself, and a next step. For more wording, see the conference follow up templates.
Days three to seven: group B
One or two lines. Reference the conversation, add something useful, ask for nothing. A note to Hana Petrosyan, met at the urban design biennale, might pass on the name of a timber supplier she asked about. A note to Daria Kowal at Signal Hill Media might send the report you mentioned on the panel.
Week two: close the loop
Mark what happened. Anything with no reply gets one more message about two weeks later, with new information in it rather than “just following up”. Then let it rest. Silence after two messages is an answer you can accept.
Where Marrow fits
No tool writes a message worth reading for you. A tool can hold the four things you recorded, keep the promise attached to the person and put it in front of you on the day it is due.
Marrow is an app on iPhone and Android that does that part. After each conversation, hold the microphone and say what you would have written on the card. It files the person, the context and the follow up with its date.
The Follow ups tab shows what is overdue, due today and coming up, with Done and Snooze on each item. Marrow can draft the group A message from what you told it, marked not sent. You copy it and send it yourself, because Marrow does not send messages on your behalf. Marrow is in Beta.
Who should not bother: if you go to one event a year and meet a handful of people, a list and your phone’s calendar are enough. If your company needs a shared record of every lead from the booth, look elsewhere, because Marrow is built for one person.
Related
- Guides
- How to clear a backlog of business cards
- What to record about someone you just met
- Five minute meeting preparation
- Voice notes as your CRM
- Track the investors you met at a demo day
- What to do with business cards after a trade show
Get Marrow on your phone.
Install the app, sign in with your email, and send it the last business card you are still carrying. Marrow is in Beta.