Networking has become more and more popular over the last few years. From attending hundreds of meet-ups, mixers, conferences, and networking events, I’ve learned a thing or two about it.
Unfortunately, networking isn’t having such a positive impact as it should be. I had the amazing time to spend the last few days with entrepreneurs who understood networking. We attended Startup Grind in Northern California and had an amazing time.
As soon as we got there, we began networking and I found tons of people who didn’t know a thing about networking. In this article, I talk about why people have networking all wrong…
Quality Over Quantity
People feel like it’s a gold rush and that they have to talk to as many people as they possibly can. For me, networking is all about building quality relationships with high quality individuals.
I’d rather have 5 amazing relationships built in one night rather than 500 business cards from people I know nothing about. I saw one guy going up to everyone passing out business cards talking about how they do mobile development.
They spent 30 seconds with each person and they literally treated the experience like a gold rush. As you can imagine, they would be the last person I would call for mobile development. Why? Because, they don’t give a shit about me.
All they do is care about the money and that became very evident from their interaction with me. By the end of the night, their business card was in the trash. On the other hand, I met great people who actually wanted to build a relationship and I’m going out of my way to help these individuals for FREE.
Follow Up Yourself
Don’t feel that you’re entitled to getting a follow up from anyone. I slacked off a bit with my networking follow-ups throughout the week and I was disappointed with myself for it.
However, I met the founder of Rotten Tomatoes – Patrick Lee. He was a great individual and he took my business card. Within a few hours of meeting him, I had an email in my inbox from him following up and looking forward to chatting with me further.
Wow, here’s a guy who built one of the most successful film platforms in the world and he was emailing me to follow up. That’s simply amazing because he doesn’t feel more superior than others. He treats everyone the same and understands that following up is a vital part of being successful as a networker.
Stop Taking, Start Giving
I hate people who come to networking events looking to take whatever they can. Many people seem very keen on learning enough about you so that they can see what they can take from you.
Business relationships especially do not work like this. A successful networker doesn’t ask, they instead spend that time giving. What can you do to help make someone else’s life better?
Don’t Be The “ME” Monster
The best thing a networker can often do is just listen to what other people have to say. I have developed some of the best relationships and connections by shutting my mouth and listening to others.
We all love to talk about ourselves and share our accomplishments, which there is nothing wrong with. When networking though, remember that others want to share the stage and the spotlight with you.
I ask people questions and take a genuine interest in what they do and enjoy. I can probably talk hours on end about myself, but I’m not there to bore people. I’m genuinely interested in building relationships with others.
Be You
I don’t care if you’ve sold a business for hundreds of millions of dollars or if you’re building a startup from your garage. I care that I can meet people who are authentic and are showing who they really are.
I come across too many people who are bullshitters or completely fake at networking events. It’s a huge turn-off. I become disinterested in the conversation and have no interest in knowing them further.
Be real and be you. It’s not hard at all, but often times people put on a fake personality that they think will impress others. If people don’t love you for you, don’t bother spending time with them.
Conclusion
In this article, I shared a few tips on why people have networking all wrong. Do you have any comments or thoughts on this article? Share them below!
