With so many pink-slipped people looking for work—not to mention the hoards of college seniors and graduate students who are flooding the job market—networking is on the tip of everyone’s tongue and on the top of many to-do lists.

Yet an effective networking campaign hinges on two words that, surprisingly, even seasoned professionals can fail miserably at:

FOLLOW-UP!

I call follow-up the “dirty little secret” of networking. It turns out that most people make feeble attempts, if any at all, when it comes to following up on contacts they are given and people they meet. If you’re not committed to following up with new connections or referrals, it really doesn’t matter how much you network.

So what’s holding people back from following up? Some excuses I hear from clients are they were never taught how to follow-up, they fear rejection, or they get lazy. Other commonly cited reasons include worrying about being seen as a pest, discomfort in asking for help, and concerns about appearing disingenuous. One of my clients justified her reluctance to following-up with an important contact she met at her son’s soccer tournament by saying, “He’ll think I faked listening to his long-winded story about his kid’s athletic talent just so I could call and bug him later.”

There’s no doubt about it—the economic downturn has been a real “levelizer” that has left many people unprepared for the rigors of a job search. A lot of professionals who are now scrambling for employment never imagined they’d be in this position. And looking for a job entails much more than brushing up your resume, answering a few ads, and hoping for the best. A recently laid-off client told me that he’s busier looking for work than he was when he had a full-time job. Now he’s constantly “on,” searching for that person with the perfect employment lead and following up with recently made contacts.

Making connections and following up is hard work—it's time-consuming, takes a lot of energy, and it can be frustrating. But believe me, a commitment to following up pays off. Studies show that at least 60 percent of all jobs are found through networking. So whether you’ve met someone during an impromptu situation or at a more formal networking event, been referred to a contact or just finished a job interview, here are some tips to keep in mind when it comes to comes to follow-up:

1. Skip the “follow-up buts!”
Leave your reluctance and the “follow-up buts” behind. Remember: if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Plus, most of the time, people actually like to help out others, especially when someone is in a pinch or comes recommended by a friend or colleague. Avoid these common follow-up excuses:

• “But…they’re so busy and I really don’t want to bother them.”
• “But…he/she has such an important position and I’m so insignificant.”
• “But…I’ll look desperate! I don’t want him to think I’m stalking him!”
• “But…he or she will never remember me.”

2. Take immediate action.
Do your follow-up immediately by asking yourself, “How best can I break through and get noticed?” Send an e-mail or handwritten note. Make a phone call. Mail an item of interest reflecting something you spoke about. If you try to schedule a meeting, indicate that you are completely flexible and bend over backwards to find a time that’s most convenient for the other person. In all cases, be certain to express your appreciation. As they say, a little gratitude goes a long way.

3. Persevere.
First of all, if the person doesn’t respond, don’t take it personally. Then realize that there are no black and white rules for how many times to follow-up before giving up. Use your intuition and judgment to determine an appropriate number of attempts based on the circumstances and your connection with the other person. Generally speaking, I recommend following the “three strikes and you’re out (for now)” rule. If someone doesn’t respond after two tries, try taking a light-hearted approach. For example, send an e-mail saying, “At the risk of having you think I’m stalking you…” Or, “I don’t want to pester you so I’ll wait until I hear from you.” Or, “This doesn’t seem like a good time, so I’ll try again in a month or so.”

4. Employ a contact management system.
Plan right from the get go how often you intend to follow-up with each person, be it weekly, monthly, or quarterly. It pays to track your progress with the contacts you’ve made, from check-ins to responses. Even a very simple follow-up tracking system will help you stay on top of your outreach efforts.