What's Wrong With Your Business Networking?

"Different reaction" is a breakdown when it comes to business networking. Imagine a private equity investor walking up to a business owner at a trade show and talking to them about investing in their company. The equity guy is talking about capital gains, succession planning, and ultimately landing a deal. The business owner just wants to sell more tomatoes through a major distributor. Different frequencies! Same thing if you're an insurance agent going door to door canvassing a property and casualty policy. Or a mortgage banker pitching a re-finance opportunity at a networking event. This sort of thing happens all the time. Similar to not hearing the dog whistle you'll also never hear from that business owner again.

You must develop enough of a connection so you're on the same or at least a similar frequency with those you meet or it's over before it even starts. Other than getting a great intro, the next best way to address the frequency thing is to ask great questions about them. Once you feel that the conversation is at least close to even footing, look for ways to collaborate. How can we help one other? Refer one another? Be resources to one another?

If you can't speak to people and adjust your frequency, you might as well be selling dog whistles.

3. Following Up

Stacks of business cards in a snarl of rubber bands on your desk. And not knowing what to do with them. Sound familiar? Do you follow up in a timely way? Or at all? Best to do this within 24 hours, the next business day, or when you both decide makes the most sense.

In fact, if there is a good reason to follow up with a contact you've met, if you can, set the wheels in motion right then.

It would be great to continue our discussion and explore ways of helping each other. When would be the best time to do that? Would you be open to scheduling a follow up call in our calendar now? Be careful. Remember frequency? Better frequency equals better follow up.

So make sure you're on a similar wavelength before being presumptuous enough to compare calendars. Keep in mind that the best follow up always happens when the process begins when you're still face to face. Not when you're back at the office staring at a business card wondering why the hell this yellow and green card is in your hand. Lack of follow up or bad follow up results in your networking becoming a waste time.

4. Staying in Touch

Social media isn't enough! The fact that you post a cutesy picture of your dog everyday does not count as staying in touch.

A monthly phone call or personalized email. A handwritten card. An invite to grab a meal when you're in town. How about those you should be inviting as guests to a networking event?

Try this! Organize a group meeting every month or every quarter. Invite the most important people in your world as appropriate. Make sure the meeting has food (coffee and bagels in the morning will do). This doesn't have to be an expensive venture. By creating a regular event establishes something to invite people to.

The meeting must be a value add — networking meeting, guest speaker, best practices, or mastermind.

If you're meeting is not valuable, your attendees will stop being attendees. And now we're back at dog whistle.

What aspects of your business networking are not-working?

— Read 7 Business Networking Reminders, on ThinkAdvisor.

Michael Goldberg is a speaker, consultant, and the founder of Knock Out Networking. He's also the author of "Knock-Out Networking!"