Startup Guides > Networking Events Are A Waste Of Time If You Don't Do This

The old saying that we "treasure what we measure" - and vice versa - turns out to be highly relevant in networking.

In a world where the news media regularly reports the latest sports scores, stock market numbers and the weekend's top-grossing films, wouldn't you think business networkers would just naturally track how much they're getting from their efforts?

While systems for following up, staying in touch and tracking results are key to networking success for both men and women, they're especially vital for women. Because of family and other responsibilities, many women have fewer hours to spend networking and need the productivity benefits of a system.

What should you track with your networking system?


- The organizations you belong to and the results you are getting from them.
- The time you spend networking and working your network; including your social network.
- The amount of money you've made from networking.
- The people who are sending you referrals and how much of your income they're responsible for.

You also need systems for following up with the people you meet, staying in touch with your network members, rewarding your referral sources and helping your referral sources in return.

There are many ways business people reward those who send them referrals: A female consultant sends bouquets of flowers to men, an owner of a music store sends concert tickets, and a financial planner sends change purses and money clips.

Here is the key point: If you develop and use good systems, they will enable you to get better networking results in much less time and will free up more of your time for family and personal life. The upfront investment in developing and implementing your system will enable you to spend much less time going out to find new people for your network and more time working with contacts you've already established within your network.

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