Networking is Not a Verb
The word network is a noun. You possess a network just like you possess a car. You drive a car, you don’t go carring. Your network is the result of relationship building. You own a car and then you drive it. You build relationships and then you enjoy a network. There is only one way to grow your network, expand the list of people who know, like, and trust you.
If networking isn’t a verb, what are you doing when you attend a traditional “networking” meeting? There are many appropriate verbs to describe what happens at a traditional networking meeting:
- Socializing
- Flipping (business cards)
- Introducing (ourselves to strangers)
- Drinking (a cocktail)
- Chatting
- Standing (alone in the corner)
- Selling
- Pretending (to care what the other person says)
- Feeling (anxiety)
As you can see, many of these verbs are not positive, nor are they effective ways to grow your network. So what’s a business owner to do? The answer is simple. Ban networking as a verb. If you find yourself attending a meeting to “network,” don’t go. The meeting will be a waste of time. Instead, attend meetings with like-minded business people and focus on relationship building. This is how you will grow your relationships and in turn, your network.
We created Level 7 Un-Networking to address the lack of business relationship-building opportunities. To learn more about our process, visit www.unnetworking.com
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