How to be a Business Networking Nincompoop in 5 Easy Steps

By Rebecca Olkowski · Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

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N etworking nincompoop In a business networking situation, have you ever noticed people who simply don’t get it? I have identified 5 ways to be a business networking nincompoop. Hopefully, you won’t have any of these qualities. I have found most networkers to be considerate, helpful and intelligent, but every once in a while . . . watch out! Someone breaks all the rules. This addresses off line networking, but can easily be applied to social networking as well.

It’s all about ME! Some traits include: Passing out business cards randomly before engaging in a conversation with a fellow business owner. Many times this type of nincompoop will have a couple flyers to go along with it, that usually end up in the trash; Doing all the talking and then moving on to the next person, without asking them what they do; Selling at every turn, and never asking questions to determine if the victim is a viable prospect.
Dishing another product or service and proclaiming that your product is superior. My favorite is when someone proclaims their competitor’s product will essentially kill you if you use them. Sorry, I am still alive and using the same skin cream. This is even more vile if there are others who represent a competing product in the very same room. Bad mouthing another company is a reflection on your integrity.It’s bad business.
Arriving late and leaving early to a networking meeting. If the sponsor of a breakfast, for example, paid for the entire event, it might be nice to show up and listen to what they have to say. If everyone is giving their 15 second commercial, isn’t it lovely when someone does their pitch and then gets up and leaves before everyone else is finished. Pity the poor person who is last in line.
Being a know it all and preaching your agenda, even if no one is interested. This morning at an event I attended, we had a very awkward situation. Someone got up to speak and asked everyone to stand up if they volunteered in some way or another. Many people stood up but some didn’t and were feeling very uncomfortable..That doesn’t mean they haven’t contributed to the betterment of others simply because they were unable to physically do volunteer hours. The speaker was being a bit of a holier than thou nincompoop.
A rebel without a cause. This was a humorous incident. A man came without business cards because he didn’t feel he needed them. He expected us to write down and remember his name and company. (and spell them correctly) I managed to scribble the info on a piece of paper I had in my purse, but have no idea where it is now. If he had a business card, I could have looked him up on his website to get to know what he did better. Even if I had chosen to throw his card away, at least I would have had a reference or a card to give to someone else who needed his services. In the end, I think he was just being cheap!

If anyone reading this attended the breakfast I was at this morning and recognized any of this, don’t take it personally, it was a lovely event and I talked to some great people. But if inspiration strikes . . . blog about it. LOL

Make sure to Re-Tweet if you liked this post and let me know any other nincompoop moves you have seen while networking by leaving a comment.

Would you like to connect and network with people on a mission to help you succeed? Call Rebecca Olkowski at 818-515-7880 or EMAIL

Rebecca Olkowski is a Club President for CEO Space, a private entrepreneurial organization. For more information about CEO Space, please visit http://ceospacelavalley.com
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