10. Use a Positive Scorecard
There is an old saying, “What gets measured gets done.” It’s true. If something gets measured, things will improve. To maximize the value of all participants’ time, a scorecard must be created. Additionally, the scorekeeping must be positive, not negative. This means rewarding results and behaviors desired, not punishing failures.
Many networking groups have rules stating attendees must bring a certain number of leads to each meeting. Theoretically, the concept is good; make sure everyone tries to help each other. However, in reality, this becomes a spanking. Punishment ensues if leads are not brought. Many business people have received a call from a friend in this type of group. The call sounds something like:
“Hey, I’m sorry. I had to give your name out at my networking meeting because I didn’t have any real leads. Pretend to be a bit interested when Sally calls you because I don’t want to get in trouble for giving them bogus leads.”
This is an incredible waste of everyone’s time. Relationships cannot be manufactured. A good system recognizes this and rewards behaviors that lead to connections as well as sales.
For example, a good system would reward an introduction to a quality vendor or meeting with someone useful to the business. The system would keep track of what connections lead to positive business results. These results could be quality advice, customers, prospects, vendors, or simply good people to know.
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