I know a lot of business people that don’t enjoy networking, which may sound like a contradiction to good business. But surprisingly quite a few people, even those highly sociable individuals like myself, can sometimes find the art less desirable. That’s because in some instances, networking has gotten a bad name.
Networking, in some instances has gotten a bad name.
In their quest to promote their business, some overly-anxious entrepreneurs and business owners attend networking events with the wrong goal in mind, engaging in what I call “business tag”, rushing to tag potential prospects with business cards while bombarding them with intense pitches, business introductions and new promotions. For the individual on the opposite end of this conversation, it can feel overbearing and overwhelming, a bit unnatural and desperate.
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Here’s an Example of Networking Going Wrong:
I met a young lady at a networking event. The conversation started out well, but then it shifted. No sooner than 2 or 3 minutes into the conversation, she was trying to sell me on her services. She gave me a postcard and asked if I wanted to sign up for a program she was promoting. I wasn’t interested, at least not at the moment. We spoke a bit longer and she asked me again about signing up. Nope, still not interested. It was too much, too soon.
The problem: She wasn’t networking, she was trying to sell, on the spot.
Networking is an opportunity to build relationships, gain new allies and friends.
The goal of networking is to connect, communicate and share information because people do business with people they like, know and trust, which is especially true with service-oriented businesses. In the scenario above there was no connection because there was no relationship established. We didn’t really communicate because there was no conversation, which should be a two-way versus one-way dialogue.
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Here’s a Better Example of Networking:
I attended an event, not a “networking event”, but an event in which networking occurred. I didn’t do a series of pitching or trying to sell. Neither did the others in attendance. We just spent time learning more about each other, what we did and how we might be of help to each other. It was enjoyable and pleasant. I didn’t feel overwhelmed or bombarded. And I ended up with some really great connections.
Networking allows us to connect on different levels with different people.
Many are frustrated and intimidated by networking and fail to get the results they want. I believe networking can become more engaging and fun for us all if we remind ourselves of what’s most innate to us because networking is something we do everyday.
If we take the time to get to know each other, to share and to learn we’ll start to cherish the art of networking and begin to make better, more fruitful connections.
Biz Practitioner
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