MISUNDERSTANDING

Yesterday I did a presentation on time management for an association of financial institutions. The room was packed, the audience was attentive and appreciative, and it was a really great experience.

As usually happens at a speaking engagement, many people gave me their business card and asked me to send them notes from the presentation or subscribe them to the Sales Tip of the Day.

One group at a table gave me a stack of several cards, one from each person sitting there, and I noticed they were all from the same firm. I turned toward the table and half-jokingly suggested a networking seminar was needed to help them learn not to sit together at networking events.

The response from a person at the table was, “we’re not selling today so we don’t need to do that.”

I think a lot of people have that misunderstanding about networking. Networking is not necessarily about making an active pitch to sell something. More often then not, it’s about helping others make progress in whatever challenges they face. It’s about being supportive, resourceful and, ultimately, a trusted advisor.

If you feel your networking has not been productive, you might have the same misunderstanding. Ask yourself what your true motives are and, if they are self-serving, make the appropriate adjustment so that you are primarily serving others...instead of yourself.

When you make that shift, I promise you will see amazing things happen.