Networking is a vital skill for anyone looking to advance their career or grow their business, however, it’s easy to make mistakes that can undermine your efforts and lead to negative outcomes. If you want to ensure your networking efforts are ineffective, just follow these ten steps:
1. Talk Only About Yourself
The fastest way to alienate people in a networking setting is to make every conversation about you. Share your accomplishments, your goals, and your life story without giving others a chance to speak. This approach not only makes you seem self-centered but also prevents you from learning about others’ interests and needs.
2. Don’t Be Curious
Curiosity is the foundation of meaningful connections. If you want to fail at networking, don’t ask questions or show interest in what others do. Avoid asking about their work, hobbies, or opinions. This lack of engagement will ensure that conversations are shallow and forgettable.
3. Brag
A little self-promotion is acceptable, but excessive bragging is a surefire way to turn people off. Constantly talking about your achievements, possessions, or status can make others feel inferior or annoyed. Instead of building rapport, you’ll come across as arrogant and unapproachable.
4. Don’t Follow Up
After meeting someone new, a critical mistake is to neglect any follow-up. Don’t send a thank-you email, don’t connect on LinkedIn, and certainly don’t make any plans to meet again. This behavior shows that you’re not interested in building a genuine relationship, and it guarantees that you’ll be forgotten quickly.
5. Ignore Body Language
Non-verbal communication is crucial in networking. If you want to sabotage your efforts, ignore the body language of those you’re speaking to. Overlook signs of disinterest or discomfort and continue with your monologue. This disregard for others’ feelings will ensure your interactions are awkward and unproductive.
6. Be Unprepared
Go into networking events without any preparation. Don’t research the attendees or the companies they represent. This lack of preparation will leave you struggling to make meaningful connections and missing opportunities to impress potential contacts.
7. Stick to Your Comfort Zone
Networking is about expanding your circle, but if you want negative results, stay only with people you already know. Avoid introducing yourself to new people and don’t take the initiative to join new conversations. This approach will keep your network stagnant and limit your growth opportunities.
8. Be Inconsistent
Consistency is key in building relationships. To fail at networking, be inconsistent in your communications. Sometimes respond to messages promptly, other times ignore them for weeks. This unpredictability will make you seem unreliable and untrustworthy.
9. Focus Only on What You Can Get
Networking should be mutually beneficial, but if you want to alienate others, focus solely on what you can gain. Don’t offer help or show interest in how you can contribute to others’ success. This one-sided approach will make people wary of engaging with you.
10. Disregard Professionalism
Professionalism is essential in any networking scenario. To ensure negative outcomes, be unprofessional. Arrive late to meetings, dress inappropriately, and use informal language in professional settings. This lack of professionalism will damage your reputation and diminish your credibility.
Networking is an art that requires attention, empathy, and genuine interest in others. Successful networking is about building relationships, not just collecting business cards and by doing so you’ll create a network that supports and enhances your professional journey.