Desperation Does Not Sell
In BNI, the world’s largest networking organization, they say this: desperation is not referable.
When people demonstrate certain behaviors as part of their networking efforts (or in building a business), it’s a tell-tale sign of desperation. Here are 2 types of behaviors that desperate people exhibit:
The Card Dealer
This is probably the most common form of desperation I’ve seen over the years. The Card Dealer is a person who darts around the room passing out cards like they’re at a poker table. They don’t spend time really getting to know anyone (unless they think they can get something from them). To the Card Dealer, networking is mostly a numbers game. The more people they can pass their cards to, the better they’re doing (or so they think). Card Dealers tend to have a network that is a mile wide but an inch deep because they don’t spend time building relationships. It never works in the long-run and they just look inexperienced, frazzled, and yes – desperate.
The Space Violator
Here’s the guy (or gal) who thinks the closer he gets when he’s talking to you, the more you’ll be interested in what he’s saying. Nope. Not even close. In fact, it has the opposite effect (especially if his breath has the aroma of a smelly camel). So, what’s the right distance to stand from someone without getting into their personal space? The answer to this question varies based on the cultural standards of the country you are in. In North America, it’s fairly common to have conversations at roughly “arm’s length” for people that you meet at a networking event. From my experience, that distance is definitely less in some countries around the world. What’s also interesting is the issue of gender and personal space or “proxemics.” According to a “Journal of Psychology” study, “male-male pairs tend to interact at greater personal distances, whereas female-female pairs tend to interact closer.”
We’ll go over the next 2 types of desperation (to not do) next week!
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Much Success!
Have an outstanding day!!
Sara