Top Ten Networking Mistakes: One Night Stands and Other Networking Disasters

By Karen Susman

News you knew: This has been a tough year for job seekers, transitioners, entrepreneurs, laid off, downsized, staff efficiencied, budget cut, just-plain-fired, blue collar, white collar, pink collar, collarless, wing-tipped, and tennis-shoed souls in search of security. People who have never networked, people who are networking nudniks, and executives who thought they’d never have to network again are practicing the following ten worst networking mistakes. If you’re making these mistakes, stop yourself before it’s too late.

1. Going for one night stands. Networking is about building long term relationships. Approach every networking contact as if you will be interacting for a long time. Your attitude will be much different than if you want something from this person and then you’ll toss him or her away.
   
   
2. Thinking, “It’s all about me.” If you want to turn people off, talk only about yourself, recite your résumé, never ask a question, and sell, sell, sell. Networking is about helping, not selling. Networking is about the other person. Get over yourself.
   
   
3. Not having a plan. Be clear on what you want to accomplish from each networking opportunity. Have a strategic plan that includes what organizations you’ll join, whom you want to contact, how often you’ll contact them, and how you’ll leverage every networking experience.
   
   
4. Not leveraging every networking experience. Many think networking is just meetin’ and greetin’. Many think networking is handing out business cards faster than a Las Vegas Blackjack dealer. Leveraged networking is taking one opportunity and spinning the heck out of it. For instance, attending an event, working as a volunteer at the event, introducing the speaker, writing an article about the speaker, submitting the article to the association or company newsletter, a business or trade journal, sending copies of the article to the speaker, and offering to send the article to his/her mailing list, sending the article to your mailing list, offering to write other articles for people on your mailing list, speaking on the article topic, offering a tip sheet on the topic, and on and on. Leveraging is a beautiful thing.
   
   
5. Not having a way to manage networking data. Shoe boxes full of business cards you’ve collected since 1987 is not an efficient data management system. Think software or even a card file system.
   
   
6. Not knowing what you want and what you can give. If someone asks you what you’re looking for and you say, “Anything,” you’ll get nothing. Paint a picture of what you want. Be clear. Be brief. Determine your areas of expertise from technology wizard to gardening guru. Ascertain what information you have that would help your networking partner.
   
   
7. Not being visible. Get out of your jammies and into your suit. Get out there. Attend functions. Volunteer. Be an MC. Get interviewed. Write articles. Speak. You have to be seen to be heard. You can’t stand out if you’re hiding under the covers.
   
   
8. Not listening. A few good reasons to listen: You can’t learn anything when you’re talking. When you listen, you are considered a terrific conversationalist. You don’t have to be extroverted if you can come up with a few open-ended questions such as, “What brings your here?” or “How did you get into that field?” You’ll be wildly popular because people love to talk about themselves.
   
   
9. Not following up. Has anyone ever said to you, “I’ll call you,” or “Let’s do lunch,” but they never get back to you? Don’t be one of those people. If you want to build long term relationships, follow up with a note, call, email or any one of the other 99 ways featured in 102 Top Dog Networking Secrets: How to follow up, keep in touch, and turn contacts into customers published by Karen Susman, www.karensusman.com.
   
   
10. Not networking if you have a job. Your network must grow and be maintained as a lifelong career strategy. Ask the job-hunting millions who forgot to network during the good times. Stop having one night stands. Turn your life around. Your network is a terrible thing to waste.

Karen Susman is a Speaker, Trainer, Coach, and Author of 102 Top Dog Networking Secrets. Karen works with organizations that want to maximize performance. Programs include Humour at Work; Balance In Life; Networking Skills; Presentation Skills; and Building Community Involvement. Order new guidebooks on humour, networking, time management, and community involvement by calling 1-888-678-8818 or e-mail Karen@KarenSusman.com.. www.KarenSusman.com. Published in Networking Today, January, 2003.