About Networking Madness

Two dozen display booths formed at the center while others hugged against the walls. I was busy ogling at the finger foods, salads and refreshments. You couldn’t walk five feet without someone assaulting you with their business card in your face.

Everybody was intent on selling you their product, package or program. They wanted you to notice them. Whether you wanted to or not. And maybe one person in one hundred seriously wanted to trade notes, share ideas or look into a profitable partnership.

Which made the whole affair a big yawner…

These are total strangers trying to convince you they have the secret tool that will make you more money and save you more time. They believe relationship selling is conducted by them giving you their 30-second commercial, and then something clicks and a bright light bulb appears above your head and you respond with, “You have exactly what I need for my business. I’ve been looking for your product forever. Why haven’t we met before? Give me a call so we can do business.”

Which isn’t so bad in itself…

Because lurking in the shadows are the energy-zappers. They love to go phishing at these functions. They usually hold a low-salaried day job–which is not quite affording them a luxury lifestyle. So they work these events attempting to sell you on their promises.

I got prospected with one deal that recruits others to promote a postcard mailing service. And then there was the embedded video e-mail that’s the first to arrive in my area. (Give me a break.) And how about recruiters attempting to recruit you to become–you guessed it–their recruiter.

Do you know what’s even more hilarious? These flim-flam artists recruit one another into each other’s program. They sign up underneath each other creating some sort of incestuous business village. And within a few months, they’ll abandon that deal when they’ve finally found the Mother of All business opportunity.

Their goal is to enlist you beneath them by pressuring you with, “Success is timing. You’ve got to get in now. Before it’s too late.”

Does any of this sound familiar?

What’s unfortunate is that a lot of decent people get swooped into these deals. They get sucked into the latest opportunity vortex not knowing they could be harming themselves. There are certain warning signs that always appear.