I recently attended a fantastic networking event. It had great networking, startups, entrepreneurs and coffee. It was in the morning so I could get rolling and not push into family time. The energy was powerful, I met tons of awesome people and the meeting itself was free. It had sponsors that supplied and paid for the room and drinks, so in a word, this event was ideal.
I learned that it happens every single week at the same time, in the same place.
Magical.
So why am I telling you this? Because I learned about human psychology by observing my own actions and wondering if others acted in the same way. Turns out, we do.
I added this event to my calendar. Yes, every Wednesday morning from 8am-9:30am is solidly held in my calendar and not to be changed. That is, until something neat comes along.
And another neat thing.
And something different or something that strikes my curiosity.
The quality of things that will get me to skip the original event is staggeringly low.
I will not skip the meeting for no reason, I have reasons. All legitimate(-ish). But in the end, my networking at a bunch of places vs. concentrating on one has been due to my little investment into this group.
Because I invested nothing but time, something all groups demand you invest, my perceived value of it is diminished. Meaning, though I love it as a group, I am under the impression that they will always be there. This allows me to keep it in my calendar and skip it often. Like a spouse as you go off and paint the town.
Note: that is not a recommended long-term relationship strategy.
Group think of this nature is common and can lead to the demise of an otherwise fantastic group. The result is that groups like this will come and go and we, as networkers, will be forever damned to research and attend networking event after event trying to find the perfect one.
When we finally do, we are still not convinced, so we keep exploring.
The cycle continues and groups falter.
When we finally have attended the same group enough times we become regulars and start to belong. Once you belong you have a deeper vested interest. You have been a part of this group for years and more than want personal success from it, you want the group itself to be successful.
My point is that we live in a place that has essentially limitless networking opportunities. We need to make sure we are graciously utilizing them and keeping them going so that they will continue to exist.
Otherwise, the pattern will continue and great groups will meet a lowly demise due to an overabundance of neat things.
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James Kademan is a Business Coach for Draw In Customers Business Coaching in Madison, Wisconsin as well as the author of The BOLD Business Book. When he isn’t attending networking events all over the land, he is busy guiding entrepreneurs to success in business and beyond. He blogs successfully to the world at www.drawincustomers.com. If you are considering hiring a business coach, take a moment to call James at (608)210-2221. Meeting people once is a great start, but you are not finished.
