Poor biz etiquette makes me grumpy like Andy Rooney
28th January 2011 · 0 Comments
Even though I have built a somewhat, strong viral network, I still love to meet people in person.
I was at the StoneOakInfo monthly luncheon this week, and I was sitting at a table with a bunch of people that I had never met. I was in the middle of a conversation with a new acquaintance, and another person at my table started passing out his cards to everyone.
I don’t want to sound like Andy Rooney, but doncha just hate this? Truthfully, I was annoyed.
There are people who go to these events, and they act like dealers at a casino blackjack table. It’s not the first time that this has happened. I was at a convention talking to someone when a realtor came up to me and started giving me her card. And then, she started giving me her marketing spiel about her services.
Joe Sweeney, a master networker, and the author of “Networking is a Contact Sport” advises people to never do this. I was chuckling after reading Sweeney’s best selling book when I thought of both of these folks. Sweeney 
recommends that people first build a relationship before even trading business cards.
If you are the type of person who does these kind of things at public business luncheons, may I recommend this or Bob Popyk’s “Here’s My Card: How to Network Using Your Business Card to Actually Create More Business.”
I’ve learned from experience and reading these books that you will get a better return on your networking efforts if you follow the advice of Sweeney or Popyk. Better yet, your card probably won’t go into a potential client’s trash can.
Matt Scherer, the founder of Scherer Communications, is a public relations and communications consultant who lives in the south central part of Austintonio.
