It’s a wintry Saturday afternoon and I’m fitting a ski boot on a gentleman. Sitting there he tells me he owns a local dealership, yadda something about new inventory, great selection and hands me his business card.

Not once did he ask me about my vehicle, is it running smoothly? What I might dislike about it. Nothing of the sort.

This got me thinking. People have different ways of defining networking.

For some their only intent is to sell themselves to every person in the room. This isn’t too far evolved  from an over bearing salesman or the glitzy marketing brochure that talks about the greatness of widget X. When selling is disguised as networking, it gives the latter a bad name.

For other people, networking involves building trust and sharing information. The possibility of financial gain is secondary, not a primary benefit. It’s not about a sale but being genuinely interested in the problems faced by the other person. Often it involves paying forward first, connecting them with people who can solve their problems when you know you cannot. It may even mean suggesting an alternative way for the person to accomplish their goal without you, however if you’re an expert most will forgo the DIY approach (Plus it’s a great way to weed out tire kickers).

At it’s core networking will always be about relationship building based on mutual respect and sincerity. Let’s not let the chimps of the world take that away from us.

Photocredit Funksoup