Top Ten Mistakes People Make When Networking Virtually

Michelle   28 September 2021

Virtual Networking
  1. They endlessly spam-bomb the chat with their contact information and no context. 
  2. They very rarely make meaningful contributions to the discussions, either in chat or over audio, instead opting to deliver yet again a boring, canned elevator speech.
  3. They spend all of their time talking about themselves in standard business clichés, and zero time listening to what customers actually need and how their solutions can provide real value to them.
  1. Their LinkedIn profile and presence are not aligned with what they presented. The company name is not the same. Their headline is vague. There isn’t a photo. Don’t ruin your chances by making your LinkedIn visitors want to quickly check out before even hearing your message.
  2. They have a non-responsive and unengaging website that hasn’t been updated since The Office went off the air. (The U.K. version, no less.) Seriously. 
  3. They have broken links on their social and advisor profiles. Nothing says “meh” more than links that go nowhere. It only takes one to send an interested party packing.
  4. They will forget to give a call to action! It doesn’t do any good to make a good first impression if you don’t immediately follow it up with a good first call to action.
  5. They don’t have any original content that showcases their expertise. They aren’t writing any articles. They don’t have a podcast. There aren’t any quality video clips. How do your future customers know of your brilliance and authority beyond you telling them in a networking meeting?
  6. They don’t offer a Give with their Ask. They don’t come from a spirit of service. They only take. True success only comes from a commitment to reciprocity.
  7. They are rude, plain, and simple. They take a call on their phone while others are sharing. They don’t put themselves on video in smaller breakouts or 1-1s even when others are on. They don’t listen. 

 

 

The quality of a network is only as strong as the caliber of the people in the room and the spirit of collaboration that permeates its culture.