Are you tracking the coffee dates you have?

It’s worthwhile to do so, and I’ll explain why in this blog post and video.

Coffee dates, also called coffee chats or 1:1 calls, are an essential part of your networking strategy because they allow for focused conversations with your networking peers. These discussions can lead to new friendships, strategic introductions, and even referrals and clients.

 Tracking these conversations can provide valuable insights that will enhance your overall networking experience. Let’s dive in…

VIDEO:

BLOG POST:

MY COFFEE DATE EXPERIMENT

For six months, I held well over 100 coffee dates with women entrepreneurs who were not part of Virtual Networkers. My goal was to experiment:

• Could I, as an introvert, keep up energetically with a robust coffee date calendar?
• What would be the result of these coffee dates?

To find answers, I tracked every detail using Google Sheets.

USING GOOGLE SHEETS TO TRACK MY COFFEE DATES

My spreadsheet was straightforward. Each month had its own tab, and I tracked the following information for each coffee date:

• Date of the coffee chat
• Person’s name
• Email address
• How I met her
• Was she interested in visiting Virtual Networkers?
• Did she subscribe to my list?
• Did she join Virtual Networkers?

After each coffee date, I filled out my Google Sheet, which took about five minutes. Reviewing past entries allowed me to reflect on the conversations.

THE RESULTS OF TRACKING MY COFFEE DATES

Analyzing the data after six months, I found that while most conversations were wonderful, they didn’t lead to immediate tangible results for growing Virtual Networkers. Yes, some coffee dates turned into memberships, and others visited a time or two. But the majority of the coffee dates didn’t contribute to my business goals.

However, I’m thrilled with the connections I made. I met many amazing women entrepreneurs—many of whom I now consider friends. That’s a win-win!

As a low-energy introvert, I discovered that while I enjoy “Get To Know You” coffee chats, I can’t handle as many per week as I did during my experiment. Using Calendly, I created a separate “Get To Know You” events with limited availability.

Because I’m passionate about finding right-fit women entrepreneurs for Virtual Networkers, I also created a Calendly event for “Virtual Networkers Discovery Calls,” offering more availability on my calendar.

Without tracking my coffee chats, I wouldn’t have had the data and experience to make these informed decisions. And that’s what I want for you!

YOUR TURN

You don’t need to wait for a new month or year to start tracking your coffee dates. Start today. First, decide what you want to track, then create your tracker. Review it weekly to keep your information up to date.

Coffee dates are fun and can help you achieve your business goals. Tracking helps you understand how these chats are working for you. That’s powerful information!