Three Time-Sucking Networking Mistakes To Avoid As An Experienced Entrepreneur
Having moved countries and cities a few times, you can pretty much say my life has been one big networking event! From forming new friendships to landing jobs and growing my business - making the right connections are crucial!
As an entrepreneur, you're probably very familiar with and good at networking too!
However, after wasting some much valuable time on a few networking coffee dates recently, and talking with others who had similar experiences, I realized that most of us can use a refresher on networking to help us avoid some time-sucking mistakes.
So in this article, I’ll share:
It's so important to have a good networking strategy:
a) because it will save you time
b) it ensures that you build valuable connections with quality people who share your value of the power connection and referrals to grow a solid business.
As a multi-award-winning entrepreneur, I’ve been to plenty of networking events and set up even more calls. And I walked away from a lot of these interactions feeling drained and asif it was a huge wast of my time. Because they were.
So, do yourself a favor, before you go to any event or say yes to someone who wants to set up a networking call with you, know the following:
- what the purpose/outcome of the call is
Know who will be attending the event
When you are clear about the above, you’ll be able to better vet events and people to ensure that it’s a symbiotic experience.
1) You only network for yourself:
When you're at a networking event, stop thinking solely about what it is that you need to get out of it. Start being curious about the other person and how you can perhaps help them too. It's not always a scratch your back you scratch mine situation. Sometimes you'll help one person and then the karma will come back to you from a completely different angle. So, serve others and let karma take care of the rest for you.
2) Long boring elevator pitches:
Long elevator pitches is a sure way for people to immediately lose interested in you and your business. Lead with something interesting about your business or yourself, something other people can relate or understand. Just think how boring it is when someone just says: "My name is Blah and I'm a divorce lawyer." Someone's deduction may go: smart, boring, and great at charging people to wreck their lives. Now if this Divorce Lawyer would have said:"I help people get out of their marriages with minimal financial damage," they may get more attention.
Another example: AMarketing consultant could say "I help small business owners be the center of attention in the market place." You see how that immediately pricks your curiosity and automatically raises a few questions?
In having a cool little intro, you'll make sure that you engage people in conversation and no longer have to stand there trying to make awkward conversation!
3) Only attending industry-specific events:
If you're a business owner, this one is crucial! Start attending networking events that you know your ideal clients will attend. Don't just go to networking events for other business owners (unless of course, that's your target market). Really spend some time thinking about where you'll get the most ROI for your time.
If you liked what you read here, here’s how you can get more support from me to become the best entrepreneur you can be:
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Read my bestselling book, The Up Level Project
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Here’s another useful article that you may enjoy: How can a business coach help me?