cathdaley-logo-440pxcathdaley-logo-440pxcathdaley-logo-440pxcathdaley-logo-440px
  • Home
  • About
  • Programmes
    • Lead Like a Woman
    • Speak Like a Woman
    • ICF Coach Mentoring
    • Harnessing The Women’s PowerTypes
  • Success Stories
  • Blog
  • Contact
✕

Is Rude Networking a New Trend in the Recession?

It has been said many times that a great way to grow your business is through networking.

But it seems to me that “rude networking” is on the increase! 

(By the way this is not the same thing as sexy networking  and has nothing to do with clothing or the lack of it…)

It’s about how rude people are in their conversation. To give you jst one example….

I was at a networking event the other day and was approached by someone, let’s call him Doug to save his embarrassment, although come to think about it he’ll probably be oblivious! He certainly was when he spoke to me.

He gave me a bone crusher of a handshake, shoved his business card at me  and then proceeded to bombard me with information for almost 10 mins. I didn’t get the chance to get a word in edgeways. I actually broke rapport with him several times just to see what would happen but he still carried on with the monologue. He was talking at me rather than to me. When he did eventually stop and ask me what I did, I managed to get a sentence out but it was obviously not what he was looking for because he actually started to “work the room” i.e. was looking for others to speak to, so I stopped talking , thanked him and went to get a drink of water. 

And throughout the evening I noticed him doing exactly the same thing over and over again. From watching other people’s responses they felt the same way I did. And he didn’t seem to be aware of how many people he was switching off. I don’t know how many business cards he collected but I’m he did very little in terms of building relationships. It’s got nothing to do with the networking situation – he was actually just very rude.Would he do that when talking to friends? I doubt it, so why do it when meeting new people?

And this seems to be a growing trend. I met with a good friend of mine yesterday who is heavily involved in running several networking groups and she’s noticed exactly the same thing happening.

You always hear that it’s all about building relationships and not about selling…… so why do so many people choose not to get it?

Is it because of the recession – that now more people realise that they “need” to network and so go out and do it but don’t really know how?  or there is now such a sense of urgency that they have to get new business that they try to rush the whole process? (and actually scupper their chances in the process).

It’s been said before but effective business networking takes time. It can’t be rushed. It’s about  pulling people towards you rather than pushing yourself  at them  so that you build long term helping relationships.

I think it’s really useful to think of it as just making new friends that maybe around for a long time.

So what would I say to Doug if I had the chance?

 next time you go networking aim to have fun and make new friends.

Aim for quality not quantity and don’t pitch to people.

Ask great questions instead.

Show you are genuinely interested in the other person.

Look for ways to help them as you would if they were your good friends.

 … and in that way you will start to attract business opportunities rather than repel potential contacts.

And if you got the chance what would you say to Doug ?

Until next time,

with best wishes for your success,

Cath 🙂

Subscribe to my blog

We respect your email privacy

Powered by AWeber Email Marketing

Search

✕

Recent posts

  • 0
    How Comfortable Are You?
    March 24, 2023
  • 0
    6 Steps to Choosing the Right Coach for You
    January 27, 2023
  • Are You Heading for Christmas Overwhelm?
    December 13, 2022
  • How I helped a Coach to save time and £7,000
    October 4, 2022
  • 0
    To Get or Not To Get? The ICF Credential…..
    May 17, 2022

Quick Links

  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Contact me

Cath Daley Ltd.
42 Crosby Road North, Crosby,
Liverpool L22 4QQ

© Cath Daley. All rights reserved.
Website designed by Peppis Designworks
      By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies more information Accept
      Privacy & Cookies Policy

      Privacy Overview

      This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
      Necessary
      Always Enabled
      Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
      Non-necessary
      Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
      SAVE & ACCEPT