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BOOK EXCERPT
📖 20 Networking Mistakes People Make While Networking
Excerpted and adapted from 51+ Networking Mistakes book by Bart Smith
Reprinted by Permission
Once you are inside the event, the goal is not to impress everyone with how much you know. The goal is to connect, listen, learn, help and create enough interest to continue the relationship later.
Many networking mistakes happen because people talk too much, stay glued to their phone, monopolize one person, forget to ask questions or never create a next step.
Here are 20 mistakes to avoid while you are networking:
1. Making the event all about you.
Shift the focus outward. Ask, 'How can I help the people I meet?' That question changes the tone of every conversation.
2. Talking too much about yourself.
People often over-explain their business. Ask questions and let the other person speak. You will learn far more by listening than by repeating your own story all night.
3. Ignoring the 80/20 rule.
A strong networking conversation often means listening about 80 percent of the time and speaking about 20 percent. The person talking gives you the information you need to understand where the opportunities are.
4. Failing to ask good questions.
Questions keep conversations moving and help you discover needs, interests, problems, connections and possible ways to help.
5. Not listening to the answers.
Do not ask a question while mentally preparing your next speech. Listen closely enough to remember what they said and use it later in your follow-up.
6. Staying buried in your phone.
Unless there is an emergency, put the phone away. Looking busy or distracted can make people assume you do not want to be approached.
7. Forgetting to make yourself easy to identify.
If the event does not provide name tags, consider bringing your own. Your name, title and website can make introductions easier.
8. Trying to sell too hard.
Networking is not a cold sales pitch. Be ready to sell when genuine interest appears, but do not turn every conversation into a commercial.
9. Failing to let your materials help you.
A book, brochure, flyer, sample or other visual can explain your work without forcing you to dominate the conversation. Let your materials create curiosity.
10. Spending too long with one person.
The event is for meeting people. Unless the conversation is unusually important, keep it moving and schedule a longer call or coffee meeting for later.
11. Clinging to the friends you arrived with.
Split up. Meet new people. You can compare notes and introduce each other to new contacts later.
12. Failing to take quick notes.
After a strong conversation, write a few words on the back of a card or in your phone. Those notes will help you remember the person, the opportunity and what to say later.
13. Ignoring opportunities to connect people.
If two people could help each other, introduce them. Being a connector makes you valuable and memorable.
14. Forgetting that quality matters more than quantity.
A stack of 40 business cards means very little if none of the contacts are relevant. Focus on useful conversations and real possibilities.
15. Overeating or overdrinking.
Remember why you are there. Food and alcohol can quickly become distractions, and too much of either can hurt your professional image.
16. Forgetting to watch your appearance during the event.
Food in your teeth, stains on your clothing or a sloppy appearance can undo the effort you made before arriving. Check yourself occasionally.
17. Failing to thank the host.
Before you leave, thank the organizer, host or facilitator. A simple thank-you can help you be remembered and welcomed back.
18. Leaving promising contacts without a next step.
If you know you want to continue the conversation, ask when you can call, email or meet. Do not leave everything to chance.
19. Forgetting to reconnect on the way out.
A quick 'Great meeting you. I'll call you tomorrow' can reinforce the relationship and make your follow-up feel expected rather than random.
20. Leaving without checking your belongings and your opportunities.
Before you go, make one last sweep for your coat, phone, wallet, products and materials - and mentally review whether there is anyone you still need to thank, meet or speak with.
FINAL THOUGHT
The best networkers are not necessarily the loudest or the most aggressive. They are the people who listen, help, connect and follow through.
Be present. Be useful. Keep moving. Create a next step.
(THIS CONTINUES IN THE BOOK)
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