Recent events reminded me of a networking group I attended ONE meeting of last year; a meeting that strongly enforced what I believe is Rule #1 of Networking.
I was called by someone I’ve done business with and asked to join a local group that would be like a BNI but without the price tag. Since I respected the person that asked I attended the meeting.
About 10 of us gathered around the conference room table and each chatted about their business and handed out their cards. Most of them were new faces to me. I had never met “Bullwinkle” but I had just stopped using his company’s services (which, of course, I didn’t mention) .
Bullwinkle, not really knowing any of us, hands us all his card and a brochure for his products (all of which are a few hundred to a few thousand dollars) without asking if we had the slightest interest in them (obviously the company he works for is paying for the brochure so he doesn’t care how many go into a landfill).
I handed out a copy of the MVBWN (Mohawk Valley Business Women’s Network) Directory. I did this for two reasons: 1) I want people to know there are women entrepreneurs out there and utilize their services and 2) at that time I designed the piece so was marketing for my skills too.
Well, within three days I had Network members emailing me asking if I was getting emails from some guy named Bullwinkle – sure enough, he had taken the directory and spammed every member!
Obviously he didn’t understand that:
- We’re women entrepreneurs and if he had passed that on to a woman to spam us he may have gotten a better response
- He should have considered establishing a relationship by using the services of a member
- Several of these women clearly had no need for his product
- That kind of spamming makes you seem desperate
- We’re businesswomen – we’re not going to buy a big ticket item from a stranger through an email
I felt violated (for lack of a better word). I never implied anyone should spam these women – I assumed business people would know better. As I said at the beginning, I only went to ONE meeting – I have a lot of connections and if someone abuses them there is no second chance; I take the privilege of relationship very seriously. I’m sure Bullwinkle didn’t get a single bite from his spam – and he lost any chance of ever doing so.
Remember: It’s about relationship, and “bullying” your way into an inbox does not build a relationship, it builds a wall. Protect your contacts and respect the contacts of others – that’s the #1 rule of networking!
