Few people find networking to be an easy task. Our professional networks commonly consist of people we meet in many different ways—whether through a colleague, a career fair, mutual connections on LinkedIn, or a previous employment opportunity—and as a result, it can be hard knowing how to communicate with each of them. Thankfully, there’s one thing all of your contacts will appreciate and respond positively to: being considerate.

Since one of the trickiest parts of networking is knowing how to ask for help when we need it, it’s important to know how to approach this process with tact. After all, you’re asking another professional to take time out of their likely busy schedule to assist you with something. Even though the whole point of networking is to create mutually beneficial relationships and help each other out in our careers, this can still be daunting; what if that other person is too busy? Will they be annoyed by your request for help? Thankfully, following these tips to considerate networking can help you rest easy and know that you did your best:

Keep correspondence polite, short and to the point. Just about everyone is busy these days, so taking up your contact’s time with a lengthy phone call or a long email is ill advised. You can briefly and politely address the following few things in just a couple of sentences, which many professionals will appreciate:

• The reason for your call/email
• Why you trust that person’s expertise
• An offer to meet whenever is convenient for that person.

The last point is crucial; since the person you’re contacting will be helping you with your career, do your best to accommodate whatever time works best for them.

Do not follow up multiple times. If a week or so has gone by without response, feel free to shoot that person an email or leave a voicemail—but that’s it. If he or she hasn’t responded to your second inquiry, move on and seek another contact who can potentially help. Pestering your contacts may encourage them to avoid you in the future, or worse, to pass over you in the future if or when they know of a great opportunity.

Offer your help in return. It’s always good practice to let your contact know that you appreciate their help and offer to return the favor. If you aren’t aware of anything you can specifically help with, like providing them with leads for their job search, for example, then simply let them know you would be happy to help them with anything they may need in the future.

Make the meeting your treat. Of course, this means picking an inexpensive place like a café, but that kind of setting is ideal anyway. Meeting for coffee gives you both the flexibility to decide when to meet and how long your meeting should run, since your contact may be unable to make time for something like a sit-down lunch or dinner.

Do the legwork. Don’t expect your contacts to know what it is you’re looking for; rather, be prepared with questions, a solid idea of what you need, and anything else that can make your meeting go more smoothly and save time.

Thank them for their time. Both in your initial contact and after they have responded, it’s always great practice to show your gratitude. Whether you choose to send a thank-you note via email or a card in the mail, being grateful can only improve your contact’s view of you and may help them remember you for future opportunities.