Blogmaster’s note: I met Adrian over 17 years ago and kept in sporadic touch. Late last year realizing I need to shake up my networking entourage, I met her for over an hour to explore ways to collaborate and asked to join her networking circle, a wide, deep, and wonderful one called Adrian’s Network. It’s been a great experience for me, widening my network since COVID hit and I see why: she is enthusiastic, straightforward, honestly relevant, and generous: my type of referral colleague and I am proud to place her in that hall of fame! Thanks Adrian for your excellent guest blog post today!
Late to the Party
I’m a networker and have been since I started my business back when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
It’s been a good run, really, and I’ve spent more hours around the conference table or trying to juggle itty bitty canapes and a glass of wine while making scintillating small talk at a business event than I can even imagine.
And all this BEFORE LinkedIn launched in 2003.
I must admit to being a “lurker” at the very beginning and stayed so up until the past year when I began to see the potential power of LinkedIn. I read some articles, attended a webinar or two, listened to LinkedIn experts like Marc, and began to see how I might be able to leverage the power of the platform.
I jumped in with both feet and have been active ever since.
But here’s the thing. Most of the abysmal networking behavior that you and I observed at in-person meetings and events; well, you can see them on LinkedIn as well.
You know what I mean, right?
The person that:
- Makes little to no small talk and goes right in for the sale.
- Has a genuinely pleasant greeting but then immediately asks for introduction and referrals.
- Responds to your statements inappropriately.
- Sees you as a conduit to opportunities and doesn’t understand the meaning of the word “reciprocity.”
- Wants an immediate “hit” and doesn’t see the importance and value of nurturing a contact
- Sure, we’ve seen these types of blunders in-person, but I was kind of hoping that LinkedIn might be different. I was wrong.
Well, what is different is you don’t have to wait on a “drink line” or make small talk with someone eating in your face, nor sit at a networking meeting that isn’t well moderated and hence, lasts too long.
Thankfully, those are pre-Covid situations and probably won’t be returning anytime soon. Still, the networking faux pas’ that showed up in-person are now evident on LinkedIn, and that’s a shame.
Let’s make a pact to up our game on LinkedIn and then when it is safe to once again gather at networking meetings and events, we will have perfected our networking behavior.
Deal?
Adrian Miller is a multipreneur with 4 thriving businesses all focused on helping business owners and their companies generate more new business as well as retain and grow their existing clients. From her customized sales training and strategy solutions that stimulate business activity and corresponding revenue, to her content development services that get “views” but also “real” business opportunities,
Adrian is passionate, persuasive and persistent in getting her clients to grow their business. Adrian also runs a wonderfully unique business networking community that has hundreds of members, a strong community spirit of sharing and caring, and allows participants to leverage the sales power of fellow members.
Perhaps said best by a satisfied client, “If you need sales training and/or coaching, prefer a balance of directness, insight, pull no punches assessments from one who is highly experienced, full of energy, shockingly efficient in communication, warm and funny, you owe it to your career to speak with Adrian.
She takes but 5 words where others need 30 to teach, explain, cajole and inspire. I’ve yet to end a meeting or conversation with her without several key actions to take on the sales or marketing challenge I’m faced with.”
