Financial Fitness

The Way NOT To Network

I have a friend who recently got Life Coach certification. She's now pregnant. She wants to quit her current job and be a Life Coach full - time. All admirable stuff, until she turned me into a source for leads.

I have known her for 19 years, but in the last year I have only heard from her when she wants contact information from me or wants to tell me about her "Life Coach company".

She has done this in the past from time to time; will email me, invite me out to lunch, and then bam! the real reason we are having lunch: "So, I was wondering, do you know how I could become a vendor at Microsoft?"

Sigh....ah....here we go again.

But it's worse now, because she doesn't even pretend anymore like she wants to see me for coffee, or lunch.

She just emails me instead asking for contact information, or pitching me on a seminar she wants to set up for people (group rate!).

This is the wrong way to network.

If you don't show a genuine interest in the person as a person, they will see through it very quickly. It's a huge turn off to get a phone call or email from someone, only to find out they want something from you, and that that's the real reason they got in touch with you.

Not to see how you are doing.

Not to catch up on life.

Not to say they were thinking of you.

But to see if you know of anyone at your company, or hey how about yourself, that they can solicit from.

I pretty much have told her already in prior mails that YES, I know about your "company", YES, if I EVER EVER know someone interested in finding a Life Coach, I WILL point them her way, yet I still get these emails and it's the only time I ever hear from her.

She turned her Christmas Form Letter into a form of solicitation.

She sent her brochure in the mail with yet another form letter and a quick little "hey there hope all's well!" scribbled on the bottom.

Let people know what you are up to in the context of catching up over coffee, dinner, or drinks, but Good Lord if you do not have a true interest in them wake up to that and stop contacting them.

So, go ahead and network, actually it's necessary, but have a genuine interest in the person you are wanting to stay in touch with, otherwise you just look like a jerk.

posted by finance girl @ 7:45 AM