Although many agree that social engagement is vital for the success of networking ventures, still not a few fail in this respect due to these 2 simple reasons:
- Inability to build up relationships: Many fail to appreciate the importance of business owner-clientele rapport. They see prospective customers as mere walking dollar-signs. Once this money sign leaves the faces of the people they meet, they are thrown aside — a big mistake indeed. Many of the people you meet on your daily transactions may not immediately respond positively to your offers. However, future opportunities may come when these people could add value to your business. Make friends of your acquaintances because friends are better depended upon in times of need. Cultivating a wide social relationship is a key factor in maintaining a healthy network for your business.
- Going overboard: However, in your desire to widen your social reach, you may go to the other extreme of becoming too friendly. Although you want to build a relationship and find out a bit more about the persons you meet, be careful not to get involved into their personal lives. Remember that you need business friends and partners, not wards to be catered to their personal needs which are not related to your business. Keep your conversation and meeting with them social and friendly. A light-hearted conversational tone is best in networking situations. Choose topics that do not infringe into personal matters. This is a big-turn off to most people. Do not let your being friendly to be construed as being nosey. Confine your discussion to their problems where your products or services could help them. Be a guide, not a counsellor. Perhaps, you may sense that they are not financially able yet to take your offer at present, do not consider that engaging them in longer discussions to explain details of your products a waste of your time. Rather, take this exercise as “seeding” for future business. By showing your sincere desire to help them builds rapport between you which may become handy at the proper time.
Building up a successful networking scheme requires doing a certain amount of social skills that include careful engagements with people you meet on a day-to-day basis. Since successful networking is vital to the growing of your business, the above-mentioned admonitions would make you avoid the common mistakes in networking. Good luck!