The worst networker I have ever met
by: Mike Klassen
You might think the worst networker is one who doesn’t bother showing up at networking events. Nope. The worst networker is one who does show up, but leaves such a bad impression, he or she kills any chance of doing business with others in the group. At least the person who stays home has a chance of getting business through other means.
True story … My local chamber had an evening mixer at a local ice cream shop. The mixer was for current chamber members and potential members. All the pieces were in place for a good event including free ice cream samples.
But one man actually managed to take this potential and do nothing with it. I don’t recall his name (I’ll call him Bill) or what he did, but no one forgot the impression he made.
I noticed him standing alone which, in a small store such as the one we were in, meant that he managed to be alone while being within about two feet of other people. Our eyes met, so I walked over and said hello.
The first thing I noticed was that Bill didn’t smile. How someone could be getting free ice cream and not smiling is a mystery I’ll never solve. We did the “What do you do?” dance and then he told me why he attended that night.
He was considering joining the chamber, but would base his decision on joining my chamber or another on how nice people were to him. He felt the best way to do that would be to stand off by himself and wait for people to come to him. I was tempted to tell him that, in my opinion, that’s not the way you pick a chamber, but decided not to. Bill actually seemed proud of his plan, so I left it alone.
A friend of mine walked over to join our conversation and Bill once again explained his mission. At one point, Bill said he might buy some ice cream to take home. As a joke, my friend told Bill that the ice cream was so good he’d better watch out that he doesn’t get jumped on the way to his car. Bill actually took the warning seriously and said that he would be careful.
The rest of the evening, Bill stood guard by the wall. I’d watch other people approach him, talk for a few minutes, then find a way to excuse themselves.
When the group got large enough to flow outside the shop, Bill was the topic of discussion. He had made a bad impression on everyone he met. Those he didn’t meet had no desire to approach him after hearing a few stories. One person joked that the chamber might actually pay Bill not to join.
I don’t know what you expect when you consider joining a group or when you attend a networking event. If you expect everyone else to do all the work for you, you’ll be disappointed.
I’ll assume you’re not as bad as Bill in these situations, but do you expect to just show up and have everyone search you out and initiate the conversation? Networking takes effort and those who make the effort are rewarded. Those who don’t have wasted an opportunity to build their business and may actually hurt it.
About The Author:
Mike Klassen runs Klassen Communications, providing layout and design services for direct market clients. He also writes the free monthly newsletter, Rise Above Your Competition. Visit: http://www.mikeklassen.com.
March 2006
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