Invest in social capital

If you’re attending networking events with a primary expectation of selling something, you’re in for a shock.

If you want your networking to be successful do not confuse it with direct selling. Effective networking is about developing relationships and investing in your social capital. It’s true that sales are made as a direct result of attending a networking event there and then – I’ve seen it and done it. I’m not saying it doesn’t ever happen–it does. Anyone with a product or service that offers value and has some demand can stumble across business at a networking event from time to time. However, if you consider that most of the people at an event are there trying to sell and almost no one is there to buy, then you’re wasting your time if your primary reason for attending is also to “sell” at the event.

So why do you go? You go because networking is infinitely more about “farming than hunting”. It’s about developing relationships with other business professionals. You go to a networking event to increase your visibility, to establish further credibility with people you know, and sometimes you go to meet a business ally and do some business. Primarily you go to networking events to invest in your social capital.