Reconnecting with a dormant contact

A dormant contact isn't a cold contact. They know you. They just haven't heard from you in years.

That gap feels awkward from your side. From theirs, it's usually nothing. People drift. Careers move. Most people are glad to hear from someone they worked with well, as long as the note doesn't open with an ask.

Why dormant ties are worth the effort

The people you worked with years ago have moved on. Some of them now sit in senior seats at companies you'd like to sell to. Others know the people in those seats.

They're often more useful than your current network. Your active contacts know the same people you know. A former colleague who's spent five years in a different industry knows a whole set of people you don't. That's why weak ties are where intros come from.

The awkward part, handled

The fear is that reaching out after years will look transactional. It only looks that way if it is.

So separate the reconnection from the ask. The first note is just a note. You're reaching back out to someone you liked working with, and you have a real reason to write.

Good reasons are specific. They changed jobs. They posted something you agreed with. They got promoted. A shared colleague mentioned them. A project you did together came to mind for a real reason.

Bad reasons are vague. "It's been too long" is honest but empty.

What the note looks like

Short, warm, and about them.

Saw you took the operations role at the distributor. That's a big seat, and I remember how good you were at untangling the warehouse mess we had back at the old firm. Hope the first few months are going well. Would be good to catch up sometime if you're up for it.

No pitch. No mention of your firm's services. Just a real reason, a specific memory, and an easy invitation.

If they reply, have the conversation. Ask what they're working on. Listen. Tell them what you're doing if they ask. Don't steer it toward a deal.

When the ask comes

The ask comes later, and only if it fits. Maybe a few weeks after you reconnect, a target account shows a signal, and your contact knows someone there.

Then the ask is easy. You've already reconnected, so it doesn't land as the first thing you've said in five years. Keep it small. Ask whether they'd forward a short note, and give them the note ready to send.

And sometimes the ask is to them directly. If the dormant contact is now in a buying seat and has a problem you can help with, you've earned the right to bring it up. Do it with a hypothesis, not a pitch, and make it easy for them to say it's not a fit.

What to avoid

Don't open with "I know it's been forever, but" and then pitch. That's the exact move people dread.

Don't fake the reason. If you're writing only since they now run a budget you want, they'll know. Find a real thread or wait until you have one.

Don't send a mass catching-up message to your whole network. People can tell a template from a note.

And don't disappear again right after. If you reconnect, stay in light touch. Comment on a post now and then. Pass along something useful. That's how a dormant contact becomes an active one.

The habit behind it

The best time to reconnect is before you need anything. Set aside a little time each week to reach back out to two or three people you've lost touch with. No agenda.

Over a year, that adds up to a network that's warm when you need it. The post on building a network before you need it makes the full case.