Are You Here for the Food?

Maybe I should be offended. I mean, I think I’m a nice person and all. I try to do all the things I know you’re supposed to do at a networking event. I don’t sell. I’m a good listener. I engage. I follow up after the event.

BUT, that’s where I run into trouble….in the follow up.

In my estimation, only about 3% of attendees of a given networking event ever follow up! 3%!! Even if I follow up first! Even if it’s an event that I put together!

So let’s review. You pay, on average, about $20 to get into a business networking event. You nosh. You have a few drinks. You pass out some business cards. You go home and relax with ESPN (for all you guys) or Real Housewives (for the ladies). Then you go to bed and wake up the next morning and go about your day.

No follow up emails – “Hey, it was great meeting you last night – If I can help you – let me know!”

No offers to meet up with anyone for coffee – “Let’s get together over some coffee to see how we can help each other. Are you available next Tuesday?”

No making networking partner matches – “I know someone who has similar clientele, but in a different industry. Maybe you guys can work together? Can I give her your name?”

And, as a result, certainly no referrals. (But I don’t really expect any right away– you shouldn’t either)

I’ve actually discussed this phenomenon with several people, specifically my personal networking guru Jim Matorin of Smartketing.com. Apparently I’m not alone, and in some weird way, that’s sort of comforting, but it still doesn’t help me understand why people who make the effort to attend networking events don’t follow up!

So I’m curious, you of the 97% of non-follow-uppers, why do you waste two perfectly good hours of time at a networking event if you don’t plan on nurturing those relationships with potential networking partners?

Perhaps you’re not sure how to follow up (Hint: If you follow all of the quoted text above, that’s kind of how to do it!)

Perhaps you NEVER meet anyone to follow up with at a networking event. (Really?? Perhaps you are missing the trees for the forest..)

Perhaps you don’t know whom to follow up with. (Hint: You should always follow up with the event organizer after any event that you attend. More than likely, they know who attended their event and can suggest whom you may want to try and partner up with for further networking – so go ahead and ask!)

Or perhaps you only go for the food……

P.S. To meet professionals who really do follow up and are eager to network (and actually know how to do so), consider joining The Power Lunch Project!

If Networking Isn’t Working for You, You’re Doing It Wrong

Sometimes, in the course of matching up professionals to network over lunch or coffee, we here at The Power Lunch Project (there, I got the plug out of the way early!) get an email that says, “I’m not getting anything out of this whole networking thing. It isn’t working for me.”

And that’s fine. Sometimes it’s scheduling issues. Other times it’s a matter of commitment (or lack thereof). And sometimes it’s just a fundamental lack of understanding about what business networking is.

So, here is the question I would like to pose:

How do you know when networking IS working for you?

Do you only define your networking success in terms of how much business you generate or are there other reasons for you to go out and meet other professionals? Here are some reasons that I get out there and “work the network” (other than referrals):

1) How Can I Help You? – In doing what I do, I derive my greatest joy from helping other business owners and professionals, be it by helping them connect with people they need to meet or helping them focus on what networking is all about. In this “connector” mode, I am also able to help the professionals who are already in my networking circle get hooked up with new people.

2) Been There, Done That – Let’s face it. Business owners and professionals love to talk about their businesses and most are more then willing to help you out with advice about a challenge you might be facing. So ask! You certainly aren’t the first one to run into issues when it comes to running your business and asking for another professional’s advice is the opportunity to create a certain amount of intimacy which can lead to a great long-term business relationship. (Just make sure you aren’t usurping too much of anyone’s time.)

3) What’s Going on Out There? – Being the business-phile that I am, I get a tremendous surge of energy when around the creative minds of other businesspeople and entrepreneurs. Learning about the ideas and projects that other professionals are working on can inspire ideas for your own business and career.

The bottom line is this. Business networking yields far more than just referrals. If you are tempted to say “Networking isn’t working for me”, I would ask you how you define “working” for you and what have you done lately for someone else?

Thoughts?

~ Sara @ The Power Lunch Project

http://www.ThePowerLunchProject.com

Help, Defined.

Occasionally, in the course of my matching up professionals to network over lunch or coffee through The Power Lunch Project (I got the shameless plug out of the way early!), I hear the phrase:

“You matched me up with So-and-So – I don’t think I can help them.”

Before my members reject, out of hand, someone that I have set them up with based upon their profession, I like to define what “help” means in the context of business networking – so, shall we?

First, let’s clarify what “help” does NOT have to be:

"Helping" your networking partner does NOT have to mean directly becoming their client.

"Helping" your networking partner does NOT have to mean giving a direct (or even indirect) referral.

(Though both of these things are certainly nice, one should not feel obligated to provide such referrals, especially upon just meeting someone!)

Now, on to what “helping” does mean, in the context of business networking:

• Asking "Who can I put you in touch with that I might know?" and then doing it.

• After a networking meeting or event, matching up your new networking partner with someone who you already network with or who you know that might make a great networking partner for them.

• Giving advice.

• Sharing resources.

• Finding collaborative opportunities, like holding workshops or seminars together of mutual interest to clientele.

• Considering mentoring possibilities.

So, essentially, networking is more than just passing referrals. In fact, the first two suggestions above are probably more helpful to any professional than anything, because of sustaining nature of the help given! Don’t reject someone as a potential networking partner solely based on their profession or the position they currently hold. Take the time to see if there might be some “synergy” or mutually beneficial opportunity upon which to build a long-term business relationship.

And for those of you who think you *should* be getting referrals after a networking event or meeting, perhaps you, too, need to rethink your definition of “help”. Remember, no one goes to a networking event looking to buy anything! Make sure you aren’t selling.

Besides referrals – how can someone you meet at a networking event “help” you?