Yes, you should contact them.

After a talk I gave at UCLA last week, a student approached me and said, “Two months ago I briefly met an industry professional who could be helpful to my career. Should I even bother contacting him now that so much time has passed?”

So sad. People whine about not knowing how or not being able to meet people relevant to their careers. Then even when a connection falls into their lap, they’re scared to do anything about it.

The answer is Yes. (No, it’s not as ideal as contacting them very quickly after the initial meeting, but) Yes, you absolutely should contact them.  

Three reasons.

1. As Keith says in Never Eat Alone, “Follow up or fail.” By not reaching out, you’re ensuring that you’ve lost the opportunity forever.

2. In this particular case – when the two months lag time coincided with the two months of the year when hardly anyone gets back to you anyway -- the time hardly matters at all. Just go for it.  

3. No one else does. There’s a decent chance you’ll make a great impression by simply reaching out. When Keith gives out his e-mail address after talks to groups of college students or young professionals and encourages them to ask him for advice or help with connections, so few people actually follow through. But for the ones (and many times, it’s only one) who do, he makes a special effort to help them.

Or take this example: My friend Mike Vasquez, a sophomore engineering student at MIT, found the name and contact info for the VP of Easton's baseball/softball division and wrote to him, stating his interest in working in baseball equipment manufacturing and asking for advice on starting a career in that industry. That led to a phone conversation, which led to a few e-mail exchanges, which led to an in-person meeting – at which point the Easton VP told Mike, “You know, in the 15 years I’ve been in this job, you’re the only person who’s contacted me out of the blue like that.” 

Can you think of people you met a while back whom you really would like to know better but you just keep putting it off, thinking “it’s too late”? Contact them today. What’s the worst that can happen? Your message doesn’t get returned. No harm there. You weren’t going to follow up anyway.