Are We Networking Too Much and Doing Business Too Little?

Networking has become almost a religion in the business world.

Attend the breakfast. Go to the mixer. Join the chamber. Show up at the luncheon. Exchange business cards. Connect on LinkedIn. Schedule a one-to-one. Attend another networking event next week.

But here's a question we probably don't ask often enough:

Is all this networking actually producing business?

There was a time when networking meant developing genuine relationships with people who might eventually become customers, referral partners, mentors, suppliers, or collaborators.

Today, it sometimes feels like networking itself has become the activity.

We meet people who are also trying to meet people who are trying to meet people.

Everyone is looking for referrals.

Everyone is giving an elevator pitch.

Everyone is following up with everyone else.

And then we attend another networking event.

What If We Used Those Hours Differently?

Suppose a business owner spends five hours a week attending networking events, driving to them, following up afterward, and having coffee meetings.

That's roughly 250 hours a year.

What if half of those hours were instead spent:

• calling former customers,
• improving the company's website,
• asking satisfied customers for referrals,
• creating useful content,
• developing a better product,
• improving customer service,
• or simply prospecting directly?

Would the business grow faster?

Maybe.

Or maybe those networking relationships are precisely what eventually create the opportunities.

And that's what makes this an interesting question.

Perhaps We're Measuring the Wrong Thing

$2.99 on Amazon

Networking shouldn't necessarily be judged by how many business cards we collect or how many people attend an event.

Maybe the better questions are:

How many meaningful business relationships did I develop?

How many introductions did I make for someone else?

How many opportunities resulted from relationships I developed through networking?

And perhaps the toughest one:

If I stopped networking for six months, would my business notice?

That's a question worth thinking about.

I believe networking can be incredibly valuable. I've seen relationships create opportunities that never would have happened through traditional advertising or cold prospecting.

But I also think it's possible to become very busy networking without actually building a business.

So let's turn this over to the Movers & Shakers community.

What do YOU think?

Are businesspeople spending too much time networking?

Has networking produced measurable results for your business—or have you found other ways of generating business that work better?

I'd especially like to hear from people on both sides of this question.

Share your thoughts in the comments.

About the Author

Bill Corbett is an author, publisher, and experienced content creator with more than 100 books published on Amazon. He manages this blog, The Movers & Shakers Blog, and is the creator and program director of the Hartford Springfield Opportunity Network (HSON), where he helps business professionals increase their visibility, share their expertise, and build meaningful connections. You can learn more about his work at his website.

Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Your support helps me continue creating helpful articles and resources for parents and families. Thank you for supporting my work!