After recently attending a couple of professional conferences I was amazed at the old-school “networking” that I witnessed from people forcing their business cards on me, approaching me like just another item to check off on their to-do lists as if they had a certain quota to meet.
A two-minute classic elevator speech (all about them) and there was the card shoved in my face. I was left gaping at a retreating back as they marched off to the next “network connection”.
What started years ago as a way to more efficiently connect with larger numbers of people by combining mutual social interests and business seems to have evolved into a big meaningless numbers game. Yet now more than ever, we need deeper connections, meaningful conversations, and an exchange of real information versus seeing how many business cards we can get rid of before lunch!
That idea is the whole premise behind Keith Ferrazzi’s book, Who’s Got Your Back? Ferrazzi talks about building relationships by hosting dinner parties and asking how you can serve others, instead of making everything about you – a concept that’s also in keeping with new social networking tools like Twitter, where ignoring give and take in favor of sales pitching gets you branded as a spammer.
Oh, about your business card? Of course I’m happy to take it – if it’s more than a cardboard square – if it’s representing a real connection we made and an opportunity to reconnect in the future. And it only seems right that you would want to ask for mine, too.
August 3, 2009 at 7:01 pm |
Love your new format as well as the content, Diane. I sat next to you at an eWomen Luncheon in Colorado Springs when you spoke and have enjoyed your newsletter since then. This article was great. I think most professionals feel the same way about business cards. Thank you for all that you share.
August 4, 2009 at 4:00 pm |
Diane,
Great point and one I like to live by and teach. The personal connection is more important that we realize. Being of service has benefits. Thanks for the reminder!