Life Isn't Fair. Neither Is Networking, Apparently

I recently referred someone in my business networking group to a different group. They told him he could join if he agreed to quit my group...

Nov 03, 2023

I’ve been running business networking groups for nearly 25 years. As many people know, I am a big believer in networking.

But networking isn’t always fair.

Or do I say rarely fair?

Some people give much more than they receive. Others just take, take, take.

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard remarks similar to …

“I gave 47 referrals this past year. I received 4 and two of those weren’t even real.”

Many professionals don’t seem to strive for equality when it comes to networking.

The Status of Networking Organizations

But what about the networking organizations themselves? The ones that should be focusing on bringing people together in fair and mutually beneficial ways and setting the bar for a “win-win” networking environment?

Recently, I was approached by a networking group member who wanted to increase his networking activities. Since our group met monthly, I suggested an alternative local networking group to compliment his participation in our group.

He returned the next day and told me in frustration that he wasn’t joining the group.

“Why?” I curiously asked.

He replied, “They were grateful that you referred me, but said I would have to quit your networking group to join theirs in order to stay in compliance with their organization’s policies and values.”

Sure enough, when I went to the organization’s website it clearly stated:

A member cannot be in any other program that holds members accountable to pass referrals.

Aren’t we beyond that already?

Apparently not.

Here are some horror stories that professionals shared with me regarding the “unfairness” in networking over the years:

“My networking group terminated my membership because I missed a few meetings while getting chemotherapy for cancer.”
“I introduced a member in my networking group to one of my largest clients. He aggressively tried to hard sell her so much that my client blamed me and I lost her business.”
“Against my better judgement, I was coerced by my business networking group’s leadership team to refer my parents to our group’s exclusive financial planner. He lost them over $100k investing in high-risk stocks.”

So, what can we do about it?

The Future of Networking

The future of business networking will include more equitable distribution of efforts, technology platforms that insure mutually beneficial relationships, and higher accountability.

After all, if the dating world could do it why can’t the business world?

On the dating platforms, we’ve seen great strides in efficient connecting (swiping), pairing members with mutually beneficial goals (matching) and improved accountability (reporting systems & user screening).

The good news is that we should see some similar advancements in business networking in the coming months,

It’s long overdue.

Upcoming Events

Interested in growing your business network and knowledge?

Check out our upcoming events:

Local Business Networking Meetings: https://www.tipclub.co/events
Government Networking Event: https://gov-jan-2024.eventbrite.com
LinkedIn Workshop: https://LinkedIn-jan-2024.eventbrite.com

Week 5 of “The Experiment”

The 100 Days of Social Networking Experiment is rolling along. I’ve been observing some new developments and strategies that I will share shortly.

Here are some of the Networking Tips I posted this past week on social media:

On LinkedIn …

On X (formerly known as Twitter) …

On Facebook …

On Instagram …

On Threads …

Ok, yes, I’ve added Instagram’s Threads to my list this week. I’ve found very little traction with the platform so far but have not given up yet as I don’t want to miss the boat if it does take off! But so far, I haven’t been impressed.

Where to find me: