THE DARK SIDE OF NETWORKING EVENTS

[Jason Molinet]

I'm a member of the Huntington Chamber of Commerce. This is a very active group with regular networking events and other opportunities that allow local merchants and professionals to mingle. I attended my first networking event in June. I saw it as an ideal place to hand out cards and introduce my new web design business.

What I wasn't prepared for was being on the receiving end of the hard sell. Although I did leave the event with one very solid contact and lead, I also walked away with a newfound understanding of networking events. The majority of the people you meet aren't interested in doing business. They only want to sell you.

That includes me, of course. I'm sure they don't teach that in business school. And there's no fine print warning you that there will be sharks at the pool party.

I'm not telling you to avoid the next invitation to a networking event. Far from it. An emerging business needs all the exposure it can get. I'm just saying be prepared to swim with sharks.

[Jonathan Weiss]

In my opinion networking events are no different than going car shopping - you need to expect that the guy with the slicked back hair is going to approach you and say - "My service is right for you - you need this!"

No different than why you're their in the first place... to sell your business and get new clients. Although the main purpose of these events is to use those people to get you business like your own personal sales force, not clients, it often ends up being much easier to just try to get them to buy in to your service. I think many people forget that aspect of it, which ultimately leads to no one getting business.