In-Person Spamming
At a recent Referral Institute® conference in San Francisco, one of the organization’s top trainers, Tiffanie Kellog, took a few moments to chat with me about the concept of in-person spamming. If you’ve ever encountered people who use networking as a face-to-face cold calling opportunity, so to speak, then you’ve been the subject of in-person spamming.
Watch the video now to learn why Tiffanie sometimes compares networking to speed dating and to get our combined take on the real point of networking, where people tend to go wrong in their networking approach, and how to know when it’s appropriate or inappropriate to give another person your business card.
If you’ve had an experience with in-person spamming, please share your story in the comment forum below. Thanks!
“The point of networking is to build relationships.” (1:13)
Another great post, Dr. Misner!
Agreed, I also dislike having a business card shoved at me and then the person runs off to the next target. It was a mistake I also made before learning what networking can really be as farming versus hunting. It feels so much better to have the card be a token of personal connection after a discussion where 2 people learn about each other. The reciprocity in exchanging business cards indicates the esteem we hold for each other – that’s the way to build a networking relationship. Thanks Dr. Ivan Misner and Tiffanie Kellogg!
You can certainly build rapport quickly, but it’s important to have a conversation for a few minutes and establish how you may work together or how your services could benefit the person before asking for their card. It’s more important to have quality contacts and jot down key information so you can pick up the conversation where you left off when you do call. Just running around asking for cards or offering yours is the same as cold-calling – not very effective in this day and age.
I once watched a man at a conference luncheon visit every table asking for business cards. We thought he was part of the organization and that he was gathering them for a drawing. Nope! Apparently it was for his own purposes.
We waited in dread for days to get his email sales pitch. Nothing. All that work and he never even took advantage of it.
One of the oddest cases of non-selling “cold calling in person” I’ve ever experienced.
Excellent point…..thank you for the reminder!
I still think in business a lot of people think it is the product they are selling,which is so far from the real truth.
You will always buy or talk to a person if they make you feel good and go back for more as every human interacts at some level,naturally.
If you are confident as I say to my clients,confidence gets you everywhere,confidence in any communication can be learnt it is just motivation plus repetition .
Dominic