Consistency is the key to networking
There's a fun and relaxing podcast I like called the Three Month Vacation.
It's hosted by Sean D'Souza who runs a small online business in New Zealand and he offers business advice in a very calm, and entertaining voice. It's like an ASMR business podcast.
I was listening to a re-run of one of his episodes about how frequently your newsletter should go out.
He didn't give a number, but what he did say is you should be consistent because customers aren't ready to buy when you are ready to sell.
But, if you're consistently in their inbox every week or daily or whatever, when they are ready to buy, you're never far from their mind.
Similarly, as a 1099 or aspiring 1099, primes are rarely interested in bringing on a 1099 when you want a 1099 gig.
By consistently building and maintaining relationships over time, you'll increase the chances of getting a 1099 opportunity dropped into your lap, simply because you are top of mind.
You may be tempted to reach out to a potential contact once, and then because it doesn't work out, forget to stay in touch. But by following up every couple months or so, you can increase the odds they'll be able to help you.
So set a monthly calendar reminder to shoot over a friendly e-mail to set up a call or coffee with someone. You never know if that's the tag up that gets you your next gig.