The 8 Most Common Ways People Fail at Networking

Everyone knows about the importance of networking, but not everyone does it properly. Some excel at it while some don’t. And not everyone recognizes that the actions you take (or don’t take) have an impact on how effectively you connect with others.

Networking is about being in the right mindset and understanding the worthiness of your connections, and discovering the value of creating mutually beneficial relationships. It’s a learned skill set that can be developed and nurtured in order to foster a healthy and robust network.

When you truly understand how to build the foundation for meaningful relationships, this helps you to be successful at networking. And when you don’t…you fail at it.

How NOT to Connect with Someone

You finally scheduled that meeting with your new contact. Throughout the discussion, it’s a one-sided conversation all about you, and you’ve learned nothing about them. Everything you talk about focuses on your needs and how you can benefit from the relationship—and you provided zero value for the other person. This is not the proper way to create a connection with someone, especially if you’ve just met them.

By doing this you can create a bad reputation for yourself, and possibly also for those associated with you through your spheres of influence. This negatively impacts your connections and really shows you’re an amateur networker. Remember that networking is a two-way street! And it’s about engaging with each other to determine the reciprocal value and benefits you can potentially provide.

Ways to Fail at Networking

So, how do you really know if you’re being unsuccessful at it? Here are the 8 most common ways people fail at networking.

1. Talking only about yourself: As I just mentioned, people really like that, don’t they? Just keep thinking that “it’s all about me” and you’ll find this won’t get you very far.
    
2. Being an “askhole”: Make sure you always ask others for favors and advice and never offer anything in return. I’m sure everyone enjoys that cringing feeling when your name pops up on their phone or email inbox and they think what do you want now? If that’s how you want to be remembered, then keep this up!
    
3. Not following through on setting up that meeting: Because it really drives people crazy if you make a commitment and then follow up on it, right? Don’t promise something that you can’t deliver.
    
4. Being inappropriate or unprofessional: Sending your resume out to everyone in your contact list because you’re looking for a new job will certainly garner some attention, but most likely not in the way you hoped.
    
5. Forgetting to say thank you: Showing gratitude goes a long way and can bring your relationships to another level. It shows how appreciative you are for those who support you and your success. And NOT saying thank you shows a lot about you, too!
    
6. Not facilitating that introduction you promised: Or fail to keep your contacts in the loop on how it did work out if they were kind enough to recommend you to others.
    
7. Constantly selling yourself: If you’re always looking for a way to sell a product or service or even yourself while looking for a job this will backfire. It can be done, but not right out of the box. If people know, like, and trust you they will want to build a connection with you (but you have to earn it).
    
8. Giving up when things don’t happen right away: Those who are professional networkers know it takes effort to build strong foundations for long-lasting relationships. But go ahead and throw in the towel if you’re not satisfied immediately!

If you’re doing any of the above, then you will fail at networking—and people will remember you for all the wrong reasons. And that’s not a good thing.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.”

African Proverb

You may not even realize you’re performing some of these actions. I recommend that you take a step back and evaluate your networking skills, and ensure you’re being successful at it. Building relationships and having a strong network is key to your success. It’s not a good idea to only reach out to your connections when you need something! And by learning how to fail at networking, you now know what you SHOULD DO in order to be effective at it.

I also encourage you to sign up for our Get NetWorkWise Certified course. Through this online training, you will learn more ways to be a successful networker and how to avoid the common mistakes people make. Join me and embark on a journey toward obtaining our esteemed professional networking certification and become immersed in the science and art of building world-class relationships. Click here to sign up today!