7 Biggest Networking Mistakes (at the 2012 Traffic Summit in Austin)

I’ve realized that the only thing worse than not networking is networking in a way that will get you remembered in a negative light.

Last weekend, I went through three days of intense, brain-melting training on online marketing and and internet-related businesses at the 2012 Traffic and Conversion Summit in Austin.

I just recently started going to these conferences (by the way, if you want to learn the insider, ninja tricks about your favorite topic, I highly recommend getting yourself to related training conferences).

As you can probably imagine, there’s tons of networking going on when you have 600+ hardcore internet marketers all in a room together.

Now, I’m a total beginner to networking… I knew I needed some extra networking preparation if I wanted to make the most of the trip. So, before I arrived in Austin, I spent several weeks picking the brain of everyone I know who kicks butt at networking.

They all told me about the basic networking rules, which are that you are trying to form strategic connections instead of just handing out your business cards like candy, and that if you want to network with someone, a great way to start is to do them a favor.

Boy am I glad I did, because while I was at the conference, I was assaulted by some pretty sad networking attempts. I can’t even imagine what it would be like for the big name industry leaders who were there.

At one point, I heard one of these leaders (with a 500,000 email list in personal development) tell his buddy that he had met with a business owner who was promoting a new product that was just getting off the ground. After being asked to dinner and pitched on promoting the product to his email list, he’d decided against doing the free promotion when the business owner didn’t offer to pay for dinner.

“It just establishes that he wants to get stuff for free. What I’m offering him could make him thousands of dollars, but he isn’t even willing to invest $20 to make a good impression. What do you think would happen if a person like that could screw me over to make a little extra money down the road?”

His buddy didn’t say anything, just nodded.

Think about it, if you had a brand new product, wouldn’t you hate to lose the opportunity for a top name in your industry to promote your product to 500,000 people, for free? Worst of all, this guy will probably never know why he lost the deal.

That’s why I’m sharing this list of some of the biggest networking mistakes I witnessed, in hopes that my list can help someone else think strategically and not make a mistake like that guy (which I’m sure what just an oversight).

You’ll be better than 80% of networkers if you can avoid making any of these mistakes! So never do any of these things… unless you’re trying to scare someone away…

7 Biggest Networking Mistakes (by people who aren’t good at networking)

1. They are rude without thinking about it. If you want to make the most of networking, than being nice to everyone you meet is a great way to make a good first impression on people. You never know who’s going to end up being a great person to make a connection with. I also saw a lot of people interrupting other conversations. I know it’s exciting to be networking, but try your best to remember your manners.
   
2. Forgetting to establish a connection before asking for something. I was a bit astonished at how many people would ask others for a favor right when they met. I mean, conversations would go like this, “Hi I’m NAME, what do you do? Oh, you’re a copywriter? Will you look at this sales page for me?” People are left with social whiplash, thinking, ‘Wait, did I miss something?’
   
3. Forgetting to listen (me-me-me syndrome). I saw a lot of people assault strangers with what seemed to be a verbal version of their resume or personal history. I know what it’s like to get nervous and not know what to talk about. Just remember that if you only talk about yourself, it can get hard for other people to stay engaged, since they just met you. If you’re not sure how to start a conversation, try asking questions and search for experiences the two of you share.
   
4. Not offering to help people. Remember, you’ll provide a lot more value (and be more memorable) by offering creative solutions to people’s problems, which also happens to be the best way to demonstrate what you know. If you really help someone, you’ll be remembered, especially if you follow up afterwards. So if someone is talking about a problem they’re having that you have experience with, tell them what worked for you. If you know someone helpful you can introduce them to, that’s another great way to doa small favor that gets you remembered.
   
5. Not paying for dinner. Buying someone a drink or offering to foot the bill after a networking session is a really easy way to make a good impression on someone. If you really want to network with someone, or if they just helped you out, that is definitelynot the time to worry about $30. You need to think about the long-term. People love getting things, and this is an easy (and relatively cheap) way to show someone that you’re a great person to work with (who doesn’t expect to get everything for free). I’m not saying pay for everyone, just think about your strategy and don’t miss out on some easy brownie points.
6. Not being prepared. If you’re incredibly smooth, quick-thinking, and a social butterfly, maybe you don’t need to get prepared for a networking event. For the rest of us, it’s hard to come up with stuff to say to people. How do you fix that? Research! Research the people (or the type of people) you want to meet beforehand and find something that you can discuss with them, such as a new study, a new technique, or other talking point related to your topic. You’ll be thankful you did!
7. Forcing your business card down everyone’s throat. For those who carry business cards, handing them out to everyone you see will position yourself as desperate. Mass-handing-out of business cards takes the focus away from the true purpose of networking, making lasting connections with people. Remember quality over quantity.

I hope my list helps someone! Happy networking!