Don’t Make these networking mistakes
When you are doing any kind of writing, you are always told to write to your audience, say something positive and leave people with a good feeling.
That can be all fine and dandy but the reality is when you work online, even when you are being your most positive you will find yourself meeting a lot of different people and the fact is some of them will drive you crazy.
When you are doing any form of networking and that can mean, talking to people on the different social communities, forums and within your home territory of your blog, you are going to run into that one person who will push all your button and let’s face it, dealing with such people can challenge you to the nth degree.
For myself, I have issues with people who for whatever reason think they know everything and feel that sharing their tactics to others ( translate teaching how to be as annoying as themselves) is the best way to do business and they call what they do – networking.
lol Well the great thing to writing is you can choose what you write about and that includes venting with a purpose ( I call that teaching) so today I am going to talk about how not to make these networking mistakes with the hope that some of you will listen,give you a chance to share how you feel about people who make these mistakes and hopefully spread the message.
When you look up the word networking you will see different variations on the same theme such as the Business Directory definition
“Creating a group of acquaintances and associates and keeping it active through regular communication for mutual benefit. Networking is based on the question “How can I help?” and not with “What can I get?” ( or look at me attention getting behaviours)
It is helpful to remember that when you make networking mistakes too often you are actually limiting your network opportunities not to mention you are ruining the experience for other people.
Here are a few of my top peeves or networking mistakes that I see people do
1 Stop being so pushy! While everyone admires tenacity, most people will be turned off when you are being so aggressive towards others
As Dale Carnegie said on How to Win Friends and Influence People . ( free copy of Dale Carnegie’s book via self-improvement-ebooks.com)
“The sun can make you take off your coat more quickly than the wind; and kindliness, the friendly approach and appreciation can make people change their minds more readily than all the bluster and storming in the world”
2 How often have I seen people totally ignore others because they are so into themselves. Many people say that it is harder to communicate caring when online and my answer to them is poppycock lol. Your interest in others will always be seen in how you treat other people, in all social settings, by listening more than talking, by linking to what other people do, sharing and caring!
Another Dale Carnegie quote that speaks to this very topic is
“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”
3. My last pet peeve to people making networking mistakes is the issue of respect or rather the lack of respect for others.
One of the first things I learned when I came online was to always remember my manners even if I was having a bad day. No matter where you go online ( and it’s the same for being in the real world) we have formal and informal social rules.
As you all know every website and social network has its own TOS and privacy policies that need to be adhered to but to me what is equally important is people that you talk to everyday. Not everyone is going to be agreeable, but that does not mean you have to act or even react like a jerk. It solves nothing and it just is not a good way to get a name for yourself if you are wanting to build a good and solid network.
I think this one Dale Carnegie quote says it all
“Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain but it takes character and self control to be understanding and forgiving.”
No you may not be able to stop all the negative broadcasts, but you can find a way to network with the highest goal of caring about your network and remember
“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion.”
Networking/social networking need not be hard and you can delve into the art of networking without being annoying if you remember these facts
Even online it is a small world! Reconnect to people you REALLY ACTUALLY LEGITIMATELY know. Talk to them not at them.
Know your purpose ( why are you networking?) Build a community by serving as a resource for people. Trust me people will say thank you.
Compliment others. If something they wrote made you laugh, tell them. If you think an idea or insight they shared is brilliant, say so. If they inspired you, let them know.
Be authentic – in all you say and do.
Related articles
The Power of Your Point of View (open.buffer.com)
11 Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read This Summer (hiscox.com)
How to make friends and influence people on Twitter (bigcommerce.com)
10 Tips for Successful Business Networking (Businessknowhow.com)
business networking tips and techniques for networking events and networking websites (businessballs.com)
The post Don’t Make these networking mistakes appeared first on Social Media and Marketing by Bogdan Fiedur.