Networking is a valuable part of your business, whether you are selling books or any other product/service for that matter. Here are a couple of do-not-do’s:
Lack of follow up. As a business owner, this one absolutely baffles me. I have no idea why people attend an event and do not follow up afterward. If someone handed you a business card and told you they want a bulk order of XYZ book and you do not follow up with them … it is not a smart move on your part. I am starting to buy into the mindset that people are networking just to get out of the office and have lunch. Or maybe it is social hour and they do not have anything else to do. My point is this: why spend the money if you are not going to follow up.
Showing up Beyond Way late. I am not talking 5 minutes here (which is also lame if you have a table at an event), but I am talking way late. For example, you pay for an event completely miss the networking portion and show up for the food. (Well, you paid for it but again this follows the “go out to lunch” theory above.) Even worse is when you show up at the 11th hour just to make an annoucement (like 5 minutes before the event ends) and do a sales pitch for your company and it isn’t an event you attend regularly. A. Noone is going to purchase whatever you are selling and B. You just gave a reason for everyone not to do business with you. Build relationships first … business will follow.
