Be annoying and follow up

When I was in between projects, I asked a government friend of mine to introduce me to a Deloitte program manager.

We set up a call and it went great. He thought they'd have some work for me.

So I followed up once a week for a few weeks until he came back and said the work never materialized.

It was disappointing, but I followed up about once a month after that for nine months until finally a gig opened up.

Then, after the verbal agreement, it still took three months of me pestering him and his team to get the paperwork going and submitted.

I finished that project but now I e-mail the PM about once a month to see if he'd be interested in any of the people I'm trying to recruit.

We still have a good relationship, one that could potentially lead to new business opportunities.

Don't be afraid of being annoying. Be polite and consistent in your e-mail follow ups and you'll stay top of mind. It might mean the difference between staying W2 and going 1099.

Want the full playbook? Check out Going 1099.