Networking VS Selling
By Lance Winslow
If you attend networking clubs, service clubs or Chamber of Commerce Meetings to meet people, promote your company and also help the local community while joining with other businesses in a common cause, well I salute you for your efforts. It is great to see like-minded business folks out doing the right thing. For those of you who do not do such things to help their business, perhaps you sell to people who are all outside your area where you live and instead you network online.
If you are considering doing a little networking and have not yet done so, well good for you and I have a bit of advice and that is; it is somewhat unwise to go to such meetings and start selling to everyone you meet. Working a room is fun and it is great to see if you can at least meet each person at the meeting, if there is time. But more importantly you need to learn and most of all listen to them and find out about their businesses and customers and contacts.
Perhaps they are friends with someone you need to know to help your business or perhaps you might be able to help theirs. Often you might find that whatever it is your business does is something that they need and if so, it is smart to contact them on their own time schedule and not while holding a paper plate of specialty foods and a plastic cup with a drink in it.
It just makes for a silly and awkward situation and defeats the purpose of the networking event. Selling at networking meetings does not make sense and prevents you from meeting others. Instead exchange business cards or flyers and contact them later on.