Networking or Not Working?

When I first left the world of nursing and entered the world of business networking there were several things I wish I'd known then

Having to go out and generate business was a new world for me. So I went along to several networking groups and listened to people go around a table and pitch their businesses. I took some notes and went around the room talking to people. I spent a lot of time wishing that I hadn't started certain conversations, because they swiftly became verbal vomit fests as people repeated a marketing spiel in a robotic fashion that was as long and disinteresting as it was surreal. I also met some great friends along the way.

I came from a world that valued the importance of building relationships first

During my time looking after people who were sometimes very unwell, it was essential to build some sort of rapport before unleashing the nursing assessment on them, which we were required to do. The process involved a lot of listening and being genuinely interested in the person I was talking to. I was in for a rude awakening in many business networking groups. So, what advice would I have given myself if I could go back in time?

1. Always trust your gut

There were times that I had a bad feeling about someone in the group and this has always proved to be justified over time. If you get a bad feeling about someone, there is probably a good reason for it. I wasted a lot of time being fobbed off with nonsense. This was an expensive lesson. And why did I do it? Because they had paid a networking group to send them a flurry of referrals, and by being there I was expected to contribute. I foolishly blindly did was I was told to do.

I have lost business relationships and I will probably never find out why because of referring someone that I didn't really know, like or trust when I first started. I just did what I was told because that seemed to be the way that it was done. If someone or something doesn't feel right, it almost definitely isn't. Some people I didn't like at first but I've become friends since. First impressions aren't everything, but they definitely make a massive difference in most cases.

I like to give people the benefit of the doubt so if I do not know someone well or have just met them for the first time I will introduce them along with the full context of how I know them and why I'm referring them. Taking the time to do this with the people who I am connecting them with has been a small intervention that has made a big difference.

2. Focus on people you like

This may make sense but most networking groups have at least one person who makes this difficult. This was ultimately why I never lasted at any other networking group. I met several great people but just one robotic salesperson or energy vampire can affect the dynamic of the entire group. A big complaint I had about business networking during the focus groups I ran revealed that good referrers will always get upset by serial bad referrers. Having high expectations of others will often disappoint.

On that basis, it's best to spend time networking with people you enjoy talking to. This way, time networking is never wasted. I have seen people running around networking events handing out business cards, not even stopping to talk. I found this strategy baffling. I'm not sure the success rate of that approach but it's never worked with me.

3. Good people don't just give you good leads

When people like you they will often go the extra mile to help you out or deepen the connection. There have been cases of people handing over their boardrooms for the day to help other members. Frequent social outings, sporting engagements and even weddings to attend. By focusing on friendship first, long term business friendships are cultivated. If you judge a networking event by how many leads you get and nothing else, it will almost definitely not be sustainable.

4. Some businesses are much easier than others to refer to

Anyone unclear about who they are, what they are looking for and the best way to get it is going to struggle. I know this for sure because I've been there. The concept of a truly unique selling point (USP) was a mystery to me when I first entered the business arena. It turns out that I was quite versatile and the quest to generate business made me open-minded to all sorts of ventures. This constant repositioning cost me dearly but taught me a lot about business and networking.

There are some people and professions that do very well through traditional business networking. It does work well for some. Anyone involved in a must-have profession is likely to thrive in this arena: accountants, lawyers, builders, electricians, plumbers, web designers and financial services to name a few. Those with less immediate attraction such as our multi-level marketers, business consultants and startup ventures looking for funding can often struggle in a networking environment.

When I ask people what their USP is a surprisingly small amount have anything truly unique. I hear a lot of things like "We look after our customers and give them great service," as though no other business does that. Finding a USP can cause some people to enter their own personal meltdown. Ultimately, your uniqueness is your USP in a networking environment, regardless what your business does. If you are good with people and they like you, they will soon become interested in what your business does.

5. It's not a quick-fix business

Business networking can be uncomfortable when you are judged by the number of leads that you give, with the quality sometimes suffering. The first few leads I was given in my early networking days were to people who hadn't been briefed about me, and therefore were not expecting to hear from me. The conversations not only didn't go well, they soured my experience of business networking. The desire for a quick fix often comes at disproportionate cost collaterally.

If you do not like or respect the people you are referring to, why do it? Business networking is like farming a field. If you are at your first meeting expecting leads, it's a bit like being given the field and the seeds and wondering why you are not eating yet.

Relationships in any aspect of your life need time to blossom. If you don't have the time to invest in people then study online marketing. It works for some people and you don't have to meet anyone if you don't want to.

If, however, face-to-face business is a part of your business strategy, why not come along and discover a new way of doing things. You may even like it!

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