Part One: Networking Not Working?

Seems everyone does it, some do it well, others not so, 

but does it work for you or is it just hard work?

The State of Networking

I’ll avoid any reference to electronic social media and stay on-topic with face-to-face networking and in particular the clubs, groups and events where it takes place, since for many it is their initial experience of what it is to go networking. Sadly for many who have, they are disillusioned with the effort it takes and the lack of rewards that come; if that’s you … read on.

Same old faces, same stories, same fatty bacon … same, same, same … and everyone who goes is sad, lonely or both.  But is it true or are you finding a simple mantra to exclude yourself from an activity that most agree is essential for your business success? You can’t cold-call prospects any more, leaflets don’t work, ads in the locals go unread, and do you even have a Yellow Pages?

A bit about Networking Groups:

Networking has been labelled and processed to formatted meetings and it will serve you well to remember it existed before BNI, the most prominently placed networking organisation in the UK and many other groups that have also grown locally, regionally and nationally. Real networking was practised well before the groups were formed and it is still practised in its natural form outside of such meetings. Far from a diatribe against any groups, as they are all serving a purpose and some people derive true value from them, all I suggest is you do not restrict your networking to one place. If they fail to encourage and enable you to successfully network elsewhere you run the risk that you’ll end up giving more than you gain, by missing networking in the wider scope, and that’s where the disillusionment begins. I believe that when a referral takes place within a meeting, where the giver and getter have paid a subscription, and it leads to business, the organisation has no more rights to claim credit for its value than Muirfield or The Dog and Duck where other deals are struck over golf or a pint.

So what do you expect at a networking meeting when you first attend? To be greeted by someone with an official role, an officious tone to accompany their given title, the requisite air of self-importance, who then rids you of your meeting fee and proceeds by dumping you off with a dull regular who fails miserably in their task of making you feel comfortable. It’s unlikely to be that bad although the reticence to attend in many suggests it’s the norm.  

Good news! It’s not all doom and gloom and in the two parts of part two I’ll cover some of the key things you can do to make your networking more fun, more effective, and possibly help you to want to do it … One thing is certain, the better you are, the better your results will be.