Why People Do Not Make Networking Work | Business Networking

With so many people networking, you?d think the whole level of networking has collectively risen to a pretty high standard. You?d think there are lots of people achieving their business goals and making good money from networking. But I?m very sceptical of how successful people are from their networking. Let?s explore.

There are many ways to measure success with networking. I?m talking new relationships, business opportunities, referral partners, sourcing new suppliers and resources, support and encouragement, sounding boards for ideas, staff recruitment and so on. But can we talk cold hard cash for a moment? How much money do you make from all your networking?

It doesn?t matter how many people you meet, shake hands with and smile at. If they?re not buying, or introducing you to people who are buying, then you?re going broke. Networking is seen by many as a viable lead generation tool and a portion of marketing spend that might otherwise go into telemarketing, advertising, PR, SEO or a social media campaign. So it?s only right to ask again. How much money do you make from all your networking?

In another post I may share with you the three levels of Networking ROI (return on investment), or Networking ROR (return on relationships) as we sometimes call it. For now, here are three reasons why you might not be making your networking work. In other words, why you don?t make money from your networking activities.

1. You don?t network strategically. For a lot of business people, networking is not the right way to market themselves and their business. There are better routes to market, better avenues of reputation building and better tools for lead generation. If you?ve ever ended up at the wrong networking event, having the wrong conversation with the wrong people, you?ll know what I mean. Depending on your target market, networking might not be the right way to reach them with impact and differentiation. That?s why networking doesn?t work.
2. You network poorly. Networking is a skill. You can practice it, hone it and work on it. It?s like a muscle. You can build it, train it and strengthen it. The good news for you is that you don?t need to be too much better than the rest to actually be world class. There?s a lot of networking dross out there! With my networking mentoring programs, I?m always surprised at how little people need to improve to make a significant difference in their networking income, if they would just develop better networking skills.
3. They treat networking like an event. ?On my Facebook page, I have a two minute video of the number one worst networking mistake people make. It then shows you how to access a further 15 min video with another seven of the worst mistakes people make when networking. Anyway, the biggest mistake is that people treat it like a one off event instead of a process. You can?t rock up, smile, wave a few cards around, deliver a killer elevator speech and go home again, waiting for hungry prospects to come find you. Networking is just the start of the game. It?s a long term relationship, not a one night stand.

I?m not anti-networking. I?ve written many books on the topic, I?ve spoken internationally on it and I?ve trained thousands to raise their game in this vital skill. But you?ve got to see that for some people, networking simply doesn?t work. There are other ways to achieve your personal and business goals. Just pick your lane!

I?d love to add you to my network on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter. These online channels nicely complement the face to face networking events I attend. For now, take a cold hard look at your networking ROI and ask yourself my favourite question:

?Is the juice worth the squeeze??

Rob Brown

Rob Brown is an international authority on networking, referrals and reputations. He is founder of the Global Networking Council (the world?s top 200 networking thought leaders, authors and gurus) and author of the bestselling book How to Build Your Reputation. For a complimentary copy of his powerful 93 page Special Report: The 13 Commandments of Turning Relationships Into Profits (value ?47) go to www.rob-brown.com

Related posts:

1. 5 reasons why people fail to generate more leads from networking

Tagged as: business goals, facebook, LinkedIn, networking event, referral, relationship, reputation, twitter

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