Four Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Networking is about having links - those golden people that can lead to jobs and business. It looks easy on the surface. ostly what you see is ineffective because people are making mistakes that cancel their efforts and waste their time.

Four Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
by Jerry N. Smith

Referral business is invaluable to a small business and building a strong network is key to maximizing referrals.

The process of networking is long term, and for many business owners requires going to events and joining groups that may be uncomfortable. It also requires you to make small talk and almost always deliver your 30 second introduction, neither of which you may feel are strengths. There are some common mistakes that can decrease your effectiveness in a networking situation. The good news is that networking is a marketing skill that can be learned. There are things you can do to address these mistakes immediately.

So what are these mistakes?

1. Talking about yourself - this is a mindset issue and much of what follows is related. It may seem counter-intuitive, but successful networking relies on you talking LESS about yourself and more about the person to whom you are talking at the time. It may seem that you need to tell as many people as you can all about yourself and your business, but as we shall see, this is counterproductive.

One place you typically find a lot of self-talk is the 30 second introduction. Compiling a successful introduction takes time and effort. Often you will hear facts about the speaker's company - time in business, awards won, location and so on. Also common is a list of services they provide. The effect of this is to force the listener to decide if the services listed apply to them. Chances are they have heard similar speeches before and will tend to tune you out. Tip: make your introduction about the clients you love to serve. Say who you work with and the issues you help them with and you will get far more interest.

Lesson one therefore: Talk less about yourself

2. Selling - again, this may not seem to make sense upon first examination. Surely you are going to a networking event to find prospects and sell to them? Indeed this is a common tactic you will see. As soon as there is a whiff of interest, leap straight into "selling" mode. This is where the impression that networking events are full of sales people comes from. Most of the time this is a mistake because people hate to be sold. Your prospects have real issues for which they are searching for solutions, but they don't even know you yet. You certainly haven't established any trust with them and you need that first.

The way to avoid a selling habit is to change your mindset from finding clients, to establishing if they even have a need for your service and whether the two of you are a good "fit" for one another. To do this you need to understand the issues and challenges that your services address, and you need to ASK QUESTIONS to find out whether there is a fit with the person to whom you are speaking.

3. Failing to give value - remember establishing trust? Once you have gained the attention of your prospect, you need to establish trust with them so that they don't simply see you as another salesman, but someone to engage in further conversation. This is related to the avoidance of selling. If you are prepared to give away up to 20% of the value you give to clients, this will position you favorably as someone who is giving before expecting to get.

You might say that's all well and good, but what do you give away? This depends on your business and the service you provide but typically, information that people can use is extremely valuable. Write reports and/or tip sheets on how to address common issues your clients wrestle with and offer to send that to prospects without expecting them to buy immediately - that's important. Give of this information freely.

4. Poor follow up - networking is generally the first stage in a relationship. It may be the only conversation you have with someone if you agree there is no fit between you. Chances are that you will see them again, and you want them to remember you and what you do so they can refer you to others. Whatever you agree to do next (send that report, email them with times to get together, send them a hand written note) you must follow through. Again, you are trying to build trust. If you collect cards but can't remember what you agreed to do with them, that is worse than not meeting in the first place. Trust will be lost if you don't follow up.

These points may seem obvious but they require a particular mindset that can be summed up as follows:


Think "give" not "get" - give value freely, don't seek to gain a client on first meeting. Be inquisitive - ask questions to find out about others rather than seeking to tell them about you. Gear your message to other people's challenges - this is about them, not about you!

If you follow these simple rules you will stand out positively from all those people trying to sell!