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Is your networking “not working”?  If so, it could be you are exhibiting one of the following five negative networking personality types.  Read on to learn more about these networking nightmares to make sure you don’t fall into one of these traps.

1. The Cripple – Most often this person is afraid of meeting new people.  As soon as you show slight interest, the cripple will latch on to you and hang on for dear life.   If the people you’re talking to suddenly have an intense urge to use the restroom, you may be a cripple.

2. The Wall Flower – Closely related to the cripple, the wall flower would rather be doing anything but networking.  The wall flower hangs out around the outskirts of the room waiting to be approached, or finds solace standing in line for food or drink.  The wall flower lives in the fantasy that it’s the other person’s job to approach them with interest.  If you find yourself spending more time people watching or checking out the appetizers, you may be a wall flower. 

3. The Social Butterfly – Social butterflies usually fly in groups.  They use networking events to get their social and emotional needs met and often spend time in cliques, talking to people they already know.  If you find yourself talking more about pleasure than business, you may be a social butterfly. 

4. The Speed Dater – For some sales people, the goal of a networking event is to collect as many business cards as possible.   This person flies around the room quickly introducing him/herself then asking for your card without knowing anything about you.  Odds are you’ll never remember the speed dater, but he has your card in his rolodex and will make sure to use it.  If you find yourself thinking more about moving on to the next conversation than the one you’re engaged in, you might be a speed dater. 

5. The Sleezy Salesperson – This person confuses networking with a sales call.  They come on strong with their best sales pitch, and wonder why people run for cover.  Remember, the purpose of networking isn’t to sell, it’s for meeting new people to find out whether you can help them in any way or whether they can help you in any way.  Save the sales pitch for the appointment.  If you’re trying to close deals at networking events, you might be coming across as a sleezy salesperson.

If you find yourself falling into these networking traps, stay tuned for our next blog post or visit the Sandler Training website to find out how we can help.  What other negative networking personalities have you experienced?  Please leave your comments below.

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