Oh my. People still have not learned. There is more networking nonsense going on out there! Come on, peeps, it’s not that hard to understand!!! Let me break it down one more time. Here is how NOT to network.
I’ll start by telling you a true story about another Networking Nincompoop (NN) I met recently. I apologize in advance if this makes you think I’m talking about you. I KNOW none of you would do something like this. And, if by chance you DO, please contact me ASAP so we can discuss networking best practices!
I was at a lovely networking event recently. It was the end of the event and I was packing up to leave. A woman rushed up to me and said, “Excuse me, I need to talk to you”. I was curious what this was about! She proceeded to say, “I can help you get rid of those dark marks on your face. The wrinkles too!” WHAT!? I was flabbergasted! Then she begins pointing to my face and comparing it to hers and informs me that SHE has no dark spots or wrinkles. She then pulls a bottle of some magical substance out of her bag and tells me that it will solve all of my “problems”. I won’t give you all the gory details but let’s just say it gets better from there.
Luckily, I am not easily offended. I am, however, easily amused. This incident cracked me up and I instantly thought, “What a great blog post this will make!” Now, let’s break down what was wrong with this scenario.
• This NN did not introduce herself or give me her name or even attempt to establish any kind of rapport with me
• She insulted me!
• She tried to sell me on the spot
• She waited until the very end of the conversation (which, by the way, I abruptly ended by telling her I would not be buying anything from her) to even ask me what my business is
• When I explained to her that I am a coach, she proceeded to tell me again that I need to look good while meeting people
• When the conversation ended, she said, “I need to talk to that lady” and ran off
YUK! Stop it! This is gross! Amusing, but gross!
In my next post I’m going to break down HOW TO NETWORK appropriately and effectively. In the mean time, I would love to hear your stories of the Networking Nincompoops you come into contact with.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
OH THAT IS RICH, VICKI! Wow, i wonder if that works for her. It's like at some nail shops where they try to shame you into having your "beard" and "moustache" waxed. That is hilariou stuff. You are such a good sport. I can't wait for you to be on the Networking Nincompoop Panel in Sept. This is going to be fun!
This is fantastic. You are a really great writer. Keep the posts coming and I love your new site!!
Thanks for the compliment, Elizabeth!
Oh yeah, I sell Avon and I am very careful to wait for the customer to approach me. Then I ask her what problem areas she would like to focus on. We have a woman at our church who accostes us in the bathroom. TACKY! Let me get on with my business. I am not here to help you grow yours!!
Hi Gina,
I’m glad to hear you don’t employ the same tactics as the Networking Nincompoop!
I don’t know how that would get any business.
vicki
Me. Haha, no, but really I am absolutely horrible at networking. Of course I don’t really have a network to speak of seeing as I just managed to get my website up-and-running. Slow crawl, but still going forward…slowly. Haha.
Great post by the way!
Duane,
I’ll be posting some tips for networking that wont put you in the nincompoop category!
Vicki
I will definitely be looking forward to those, much appreciated Vicki!
GREAT story!!
I love that you have such a great sense of humor when it comes to dealing with NNs. Have you thought about turning your stories into a cool handout that you gently give to NNs after saying something like, “Meeting you has made my day. You are truly a gift to humanity. To thank you for being such a gift, here is a gift for you.”
Oh my how rude. I can’t stand it when people push their business on me. Do they really think this kind of stuff works? Even if I was interested in your business you’ve now proceeded to piss me off so I for sure I’m not buying from you!
More importantly, I think you look great.
What a rude person and how graciously you turned it into a good reminder for all of us on what not to do. Great post Vickie.
I went to a party last Christmas and met this one gentlemen and all he talked about was how great his stuff was that he was selling, he never asked me once what I did. As I tried to get out of the conversation he then asked for my card and then spammed me. Thank goodness for unsubscribe. It also taught me to be more careful who I give my card to.
Wow, Connie! Sounds light we may have run into the same NN! Crazy!