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Some of you
will say, “You are correct, it was a waste of my time;” however, others are mad
as a hornet. What’s he talking about?
Before you
get upset, read the rest of the article.
Over the past few years, I have talked with people who feel like they did not
receive a good return on investment from their networking efforts. Some said it
was a waste of time. When we started
asking questions, then we were able to determine why it was a waste of their
time. Some of our questions with the common responses are listed below.
1. How much time did you spend on
network related activities each week? Well the meeting is 1.5 hours per week
and the drive is 30 minutes each way. I guess 2.5 hours
2. How long did you attend your
networking meeting? Approximately 6 months
3. Did you pass any referrals? 1 or 2
4. Did you meet with any other members
outside of the meeting time to discuss how you could refer to each other? No
5. How many visitors were you personally
responsible for attending your meeting? None
6. Did you attend any training sessions
related to networking (Traits of Champion Networkers, Networking Like a Pro,
etc.)? No
7. What networking related books have
you read (Networking Like a Pro, The Networking Guru, Truth or Delusion, 29% Solution and etc.)? I haven’t read any of these kinds of
books. I have read Napoleon Hill’s, Think and Grow Rich and Dave Ramsey’s, Total
Money Makeover.Now we understand. Networking is a total waste of time,
energy and effort, if you do not invest enough time, energy and effort.
When I first started attending networking meetings, I
attended a 2 hour training. The estimated value of this training was $500 but
it came with my membership. The instructor said that if you will put 4-6 hours
into network related activities every week, you will be successful. Since he
said 4-6 hours then I decided to put 6-10 hours every week. WOW! The results
were amazing.
It’s a
matter of perception. If you try networking with the mentality that this will
not really work, but I’ll try it any way. You will be correct. If you try networking with the mentality of my
friend Doug Grady, President of High Achievers and author of the Ripple Effect,
then you will be correct. He loves to
discuss going ALL IN, 100% committed to the cause.
Has
networking been a total waste of time for you? If so, look at questions 1-7, improve your activity and increase the amount of time, energy and effort
that you expend. The results will be astounding. Feel free to comment below.
#trainingofchampions #networkingguru
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page.
James Barber
Author of The Networking Guru
Networking-Guru.com
For Speaking Engagements
Call 770.287.3131