The Chicken and Egg of Networking

When the term “networking” is used, I usually get a queasy feeling about it. Perhaps it’s just me, but in my world the term is generally used in the context of meeting people for the purpose of selling something or creating some other form of financial gain.

First, I’m not against selling and I’m not against people gaining financially. As a business owner, I understand the importance of earning an income to care for my family and earning the right to serve my clients again next month. But when we treat networking as transactional, it smells funny and looks bad. People can feel it. I meet people all the time where I can immediately tell their motive is to get something from me. Not a great way to establish a relationship. No part of me wants to do business with them.

To me, networking feels like a chicken and egg scenario. For many, the purpose is to get something from the other person…..let’s call that the chicken. Meeting someone so that you can do business with them. The alternative: creating a genuine relationship with someone because relationships matter. Some relationships are deeper than others, but a genuine relationship adds value to our life regardless of the intimacy level. Sure, it may be good to someday do business with someone, but the relationship should take precedent.

Here’s the irony. The people who AREN’T primarily seeking to make money through networking are the ones who ultimately make money. We want to do business with people we know and trust…..you know, the people we have genuine relationships with. This is the egg. Doing the right thing for the right reasons. Creating a genuine relationship with someone. Knowing them, caring about them, understanding their needs, finding ways to add value to their life. That’s when business is at its finest.

Chicken or egg….I hope you’re the egg today.