Simply doing what you said you'd do puts you ahead of most people; follow-through is the cheapest way to stand out.
The idea
You finish the coffee, stand up, and run through the agreed actions: send this book, make that intro, share that document. You never do. It's one of the most common ways relationships stall, and one of the easiest to fix. Chris Fralic, the First Round Capital VC, put it plainly: simply doing what you said you would puts you in the top quartile of relationship builders. The bar is that low.
How to do it
Do what you can on the spot: send the intro request while sitting across from them, take an extra minute to find that book.
For the rest, send a follow-up email right away that lists what you committed to.
Then deliver it.
Example
Fralic tells a story about Kenny Herman, a business development pro who used to work at a First Round company. In a meeting, Kenny kept thinking of people Chris should meet and said he'd send a list. He actually did: an email with LinkedIn links to everyone he'd brainstormed, a line on each, and an offer to make intros. Fralic called it the perfect follow-up and said nine out of 10 people don't do it. They drop off or forget, and he'll never describe them as reliable. Fun fact: Chris's article was one of the better traffic sources we had at Contactually.
Do It on the Spot: When an intro or something to share comes up mid-conversation, do it right then instead of promising to; if it takes under 90 seconds, do it now.
The Post-Meeting Protocol: Right after a meeting, send a follow-up listing what you committed to, then block weekly time to process notes and act on tasks.
The Budding-Relationship Playbook: After a great first meeting: take notes, prioritize them, thank them, deliver what you promised, thank them again later, and set a reminder.
End With an Open Loop: Before goodbye, name one specific thing in their life with a rough timeline that you'll check back on, write it down, and follow through.