Sep/Oct 2009 Issue
From “Met” to “Net”
by Dean Lindsay
How to build priceless business relationships through networking.
Networking Trainers Article
From "Met" to "Net"
by Dean Lindsay
There is this unassuming little word you often find in the biographies of famous people. The word is met. William R. Hewlett met David Packard. Dean Martin met Jerry Lewis. Sid met Nancy. Siegfried met Roy.
Meeting people is one of the fundamental steps to building relationships, in business as in life. But it is not the only step.
There is a big difference between meeting someone and building a lasting relationship with them. There is a long way from met to net (as in networking), and because people misjudge this distance, the term networking has gotten a bum rap.
I consistently ask professionals to share with me what they think of when they hear the word networking. Far too often, they say it conjures up images of manipulative, self-serving, insincere and predatory individuals who are on the prowl for someone they can pounce on, try to sell something to, or solicit an unearned favor from.
Networking Trainers Article
Newsflash: Networking Has Gotten a Bum Rap
by Dean Lindsay
The term networking has gotten a bum rap. I consistently ask professionals who come to workshops and speeches based on my book, Cracking the Networking CODE, to share with me what they think of when they hear the word networking. Far too often, they say it conjures up images of manipulative, self-serving, insincere and predatory individuals who are on the prowl for someone they can pounce on, try to sell something to, or solicit an unearned favor from.
I wish I could say this style of networking was not out there, but it is, and it is a waste of time for ineffective networkers and the unfortunate people they corner. True networking is not about arm-twisting. It is not about trying to get someone to do something that does not make sense for them to do. It is not about scary old backslapping sales shenanigans.
There is a big difference between meeting someone and building a priceless business relationship with them. Networking is not about chance meetings. Even if...
