The Five Greatest Misconceptions About Networking That Will Have You Spinning Your Wheels

The Five Greatest Misconceptions About Networking That Will Have You Spinning Your Wheels
Are you tired of going to one networking event after
another with little or no results? Here are several of the
reasons that you may not be getting the results you are
looking for.

1. "The purpose of going to networking events is to collect
as many cards as possible and to build a huge Rolodex."
Many business owners and independent professionals believe
if they just meet enough people, great things will start to
happen. Your purpose in attending networking events should
be to develop relationships. Simply collecting cards and
shaking hands will not bring business.

2. "The purpose of going to networking events is to sell
my products and services." This approach is guaranteed to
ensure that you will not see much benefit out of your
networking activities. The quickest way to turn off
networking partners is to attempt to sell. Your focus
should be one thing only and that is to meet potential
networking partners and to learn about THEIR business
first. Then talk about your business with the thought in
mind of looking for ways to work together to refer business
or create an alliance.

3. "If I meet someone at a networking event and agree to
be a referral partners, then it is likely that I will
receive referrals." The only way that you will receive
referrals from networking partners is to develop a
face-to-face mutually beneficial relationship that
generally develops over time. Your first step when you
meet a likely partner should be to get together for lunch
or a cup of coffee and get better acquainted. From there
it may take anywhere from one to five or six more meetings
to begin to reach a level of trust and confidence to do
business together.

4. "I can maintain relationships with hundreds of people
as referral partners." The reality is that you can only
effectively manage around 20 relationships on an in-depth
basis. To meet with key partners enough to build the type
of relationships that will bring new business takes a
tremendous investment in those relationships. You should
break down your list by A relationships, B relationships
and C relationships. The A group is the one you want to
spend the majority of your time with.

5. "If I find a great referral partner it will stay that
way forever." You should constantly be evaluating your
referral partner list and focus on those that are most
productive. Relationships change for many reasons, and you
can find yourself investing your time unwisely. Keep track
of where your business is coming from and invest your time
accordingly.

If you avoid these mistakes, you will be able to spend less
time networking and more time in building relationships
that will produce results!

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From David Eissman and GuaranteedGS.com