Why Professional Networking Is Broken
Part 2
Adding To The Networking Noise
A good friend of mine attends a lot of professional networking events. In fact, a look into her calendar will reveal that she is generally attending at least 4 to 5 events per week. That’s a lot of networking and a bunch of conversation opportunities. So why isn’t it working?
As she looks to grow her consulting business she’s laser-focused on pitching and promoting her new consulting service. I’ve heard her elevator pitch. It’s not bad. I’ve seen her engage people. She’s friendly and professional. She comes across as committed to her business and happy to talk to anyone who will listen.
She believes she can help any business, period. And that is part of the problem.
Her approach is just like everyone else’s at these events. It’s one conversation after another of people saying just about the same thing. Why they are so great. Why their business or idea is better. And ultimately why, whoever gets stuck talking them needs what they have.
Her approach is like everyone else’s approach. It’s just networking noise.
Know Where To Fish
The biggest problem people face when it comes to networking is where they do it. Organized networking events attract the same kind of people looking to do the same kinds of things. Sell something! Sure, some networkers you might meet at an event are committed to helping and may even open some doors for you, but most, if not all, are only concerned with only one thing. Their own interests. Otherwise, why would they be networking? They have their own crap to sell.
My friend was going to so many breakfasts, lunches, and networking happy hours she was failing to realize she was spending time with a lot of the same types of people. This meant, lots of money being spent to attend and so many wasted conversations on people who are not your target audience. They are just people waiting for you to shut up so they can start telling you about their great company, product, or service.
Chances are your customers, no matter who they might be, aren’t hanging around professional networking events just waiting for you, their white knight, to ride in and help them. The decision-makers for your product and service aren’t attending those networking events at all.
Why would they? So they can be sized up as racks of meat by every Tom, Dick and Sheri that wants to pounce on them to sell something?
So where are they hanging out? Where are they spending their time? Well, they are probably networking with other people in their industry or perhaps other professionals with the same job title or responsibility. Think trade organizations for their industry. Professional training or certifications for their job role and responsibility. Industry-specific events that give them their own networking opportunities to engage other professionals.
You have to fish where the likelihood of fish is pretty high.
Differentiate Yourself
The quickest way to attract people to want to have a conversation with you is not to try and sell them something. Show you know their industry, their business or, understand “potentially” how to fix a problem they may be dealing with. I say potentially because you don’t want to come across as a know-it-all. You need to demonstrate knowledge and understanding without pushing your product or service on them directly. Show them that you’ve taken the time to understand their pain and that you have invested time in building some reliable, helpful ideas on how you can “potentially” solve them.
Did you notice I didn’t say how your product or service can help them?
People have and always will buy from people. That’s where you and your expertise come in.
How do you get that expertise? You spend all of your time crafting it. No, not just knowing your product or service, that’s a given. How and why someone can benefit from what you have to offer - both as an individual and professionally. Before anyone does any business with you they have to trust you. That’s where you set yourself apart from the other professional networkers out there. You have to learn how to help, how to care and be willing to give way far more than you ever expect to receive back.
Never Stop Learning
One of the best pieces of advice is to know who your ultimate customer is. Understand their industry, their problems, and ultimately what keeps them up at night. Then go get educated about their industry, their profession, and what types of people are generally attracted to these kinds of careers.
Then ask yourself, what do I not know about their challenges that I need to know?
That’s where attending industry events and conferences come in. Just by attending you will absorb so much information that you can’t possibly read from a website or a pamphlet. You’ll be inundated with great information that can help you understand the challenges of their industry and some of the ancillary topics of interest that inspire, motivate, and ultimately engage those professionals.
Take lots of notes. Ask lots of questions. And believe it not, just by being there, some of your best networking connections will come from these moments. The people you sit next to and converse with. The speakers that you engage after they present. The random things you hear by just being around these folks talking with one another.
Then figure out how and why some of what you offer can help. And keep learning. Keep up-to-date with trade publications, articles, and other learning avenues to stay informed about whatever target industry you are focused on.
Isn’t That Selling 101, Not Really Networking?
The greatest sales professionals I’ve ever met had a wealth of information and knowledge they have accumulated over years of doing exactly what I am sharing above. How that translates to your networking efforts is kind of two-fold. First, you’ll always have something of relevance to share - ideas, opinions, past experiences that can serve you amazingly well during any networking opportunities. And second, remember what I said in Part 1 of this post, it’s about establishing an opportunity for people to want to know more about you. Why? Because they have found value in what you’ve had to say.
Ripple Reference: Yet, when you think about it, isn’t that the ultimate goal with every networking conversation? Impress someone enough they want to know more about you, your business and remain open to having more conversations.
When my friend finally asked me for some advice it was like a lightbulb went off in her head. She had never stopped to think that she was pitching into a headwind at the networking events she was attending. None of the people she was spending time “networking with” were the right people she needed to be speaking to. She also realized that even if they had been, she would be painfully light on the knowledge necessary to truly demonstrate a unique expertise in capabilities that would be valuable enough for them to want to know more. Her “elevator pitch” was perfect - he value proposition, however, needed some work.
She needed to get specific about who she wanted to network with and be ready when those opportunities arose.
Connection Is Key
No matter how you slice it, if you want to be successful at networking and growing your business you have to be sure you are networking with the right audience and that you give that audience a reason to want to know more. But even before you put your knowledge and experience on the table, you need to find a way to connect with them as people first.
This is where most networkers screw the pooch! They are too anxious to jump right into the business talk that they often turn the other person off. Their true motivations shine through. They might as well be holding a neon sign that says, “I want to sell you something!” or “I want a job with your company.” That makes the other person feel like there is an ulterior motive and it makes them just want to run away from you.
To connect with another human requires a desire to learn who they are as an individual long before any business talk comes into play. This is where you allow your authentic self to connect with another human being. Come prepared with some conversation questions that give you some insight as to who they are as a person. And if done right you will create a mutually engaged interest so they get a little insight into who you are too.
Where are you from originally?
What brings you to this event/conference/training?
What is the greatest lesson you’ve learned coming to these types of functions?
What do you love most about what you do?
Some people may argue this is a waste of time as they much prefer to get to the point. I would counter that argument by asking how many successful networking conversations have they really had that resulted in true opportunities? Probably not many would be my guess.
In today’s world people’s b.s. meters are highly calibrated and most people don’t want to be pitched or sold to. That is why the way most professional networkers go about it doesn’t work. In a world that is driven by relationships, there are no shortcuts. There are only people who are willing to put in the work and those who want to short-cut the process.
The people you want to attract into your personal and professional life can tell the difference. Trust me. Whether you have a product or service to sell or simply trying to land your next career opportunity, rushing it by being too pushy can only go one way.
Ripple On!!!