Lesson Overview

When people think about any networking event that they attend, they can identify with what typically happens. They have brief superficial conversations with a number of people, collect several business cards, but then days or weeks later, they come across those cards and not only can they not remember what they talked about with each person, they can’t even remember what they looked like.

NetWeaving is not an attack on traditional networking, which often focuses on questions like “Can this person help me?” or “Is this person a potential prospect for what I have to offer?” Networking with your own, your family’s, or your company’s best interests in mind, is natural and instinctive.

However, we believe that in both the long-run. as well as in the short run, your NetWeaving activities and efforts will yield far greater and more productive results compared with traditional networking, which tends to be more self-serving.

Traditional networking frequently remains at a very superficial level.  It typically involves small talk about topics like the weather or sports, or a brief conversation about business or work. This is often followed by an exchange of business cards, which is mistakenly considered a productive use of your time.

Another key weakness of traditional networking, alongside its superficial nature, is a lack of follow-up and follow-through after the networking event. Even when conversations go beyond small talk and become more meaningful, creating the potential for building new relationships, these initial connections often fade over time due to a lack of follow-up. As you get preoccupied with catching up after the event, days and even weeks often pass after the initial meeting.  Then when you eventually come across the person’s business card, you might not even remember what they looked like, let alone what you actually talked about.

The best NetWeavers not only follow up on a timely basis, but they also follow through. We like to define following through as “the quality and the creativity” with which you follow up.  What could you do in the way of following up that would make that person say, “Wow!  No one has ever followed up with me that way.”