Networking Case Study

If you're new to business or working in sales and thinking about networking for the first time, relax. You'll do fine. Listen more than you talk, use good manners and always follow up. Oh, and don't do what some of the people did in these crazy stories about business card blunders.

Shelly was at a networking mixer, which is a business to business meet and greet event. There's no agenda. It's just business people walking around introducing themselves. The point is to have conversations and build relationships that might lead to doing business. Shelly had been talking to another woman, Joanne, for several minutes and it seemed like there might be the opportunity to do business. So Shelly asked for the other woman's business card. Joanne physically drew back and said, "Why would you want that?"

Terri, a dentist, also tells a story about being at a similar business club networking event. She had been talking with Bob who proceeded to give Terri his business card. Terri reciprocated by handing him her card. Bob took it, looked at it and then handed it back to her saying, "I already have a dentist."

Brenda was at a daylong event that was part training, part motivational and part networking. She and the other attendees were representatives of different organizations, but all were part of groups that specialized in networking. During lunch, John, one of the other attendees went around to every table and asked for business cards from everyone. No introduction, no "hello," just saying, "Can I have your card?" Brenda handed hers over out of curiosity. She was sure she'd get a sales pitch in the mail or email, but no one ever heard from him.

What do all these stories have in common? They are examples of networkers who don't understand the value and power of business cards. Joanne clearly didn't understand the goals of other people who were attending the event, which was to make contact and stay connected. Bob used terrible manners. He should have kept the card and kept his comment to himself. Instead, he lost the opportunity to ever do business with Terri. John was also rude, by asking for cards without even a word of explanation, then he further blew it by never following up on the information he gathered.

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