A few weeks ago I was talking to a good friend and alliance partner who was organising a networking event. He said to me.. it’s not going to be one of your kind of events Brenda, it’s going to be full of everyone shoving business cards at each other because that way we get the best attendances.

Then yesterday I received an invitation to another networking event (different organiser).. It said “make sure you have your 30 second elevator pitch ready and bring hundreds of business cards”. Now I know this was sent with the best of intentions, by someone who genuinely believes in the power of small business owners working together. so I asked him why he worded his promotion that way when he knew that attendees wouldn't get the best results if they spent the morning spruiking their elevator pitches and shoving business cards at each other.

This is what he said

The reason why he worded his promotion that way was because that’s what gets the bookings. 

How many times have you seen a networking event promotion where it says make sure you bring lots of business cards. They are worded that way for a reason. Those are the events that get the bookings!

 Small business owners see networking events as an opportunity to sell their products or services. That's why all the focus on preparing 30 second elevator pitches and bringing lots of business cards. The organiser is dangling the bright shiny object of the idea that people take your card at a networking event because they are going to follow up to buy your products or services or to refer someone who is. 

But what do you honestly think is going to happen to the hundreds of business cards you distribute following the brief exchange of a thirty second elevator pitch at a networking event?

After all what will you do with the hundreds you collect in exchange? How many will you ring because you want to buy their widgets and how many of them do you think are going to ring you the next day (or even in the next year) to enquire about your products or services or to send a hot referral to you?

 Effective networking is about building long term relationships and powerful alliances, not about exchanging hundreds of business cards that will clutter the bottom of your drawer for the next 12 months or longer. You have to invest the time and effort into building relationships not go chasing after the next  100 shiny new business cards in the hope of selling them something.

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So what networking events are you attending and what are you asking for?

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