Business Networking and Sex - Ivan Misner [8]
There was an instant shift in my networking responses once I donned my wedding ring. Suddenly the men I connected with focused on business more than men in the past had. When I didn’t have the ring on men would say things like, “Let’s have lunch first; then we’ll talk about doing business.” Married or unmarried, there was much more of a focus on socializing than building a professional relationships. It should take a few months of me reminding them about business before they’d commit to making an office appointment. As soon as the word of my marriage spread, men I had already connected to during networking now brought up the referrals I mentioned and wanted to act on them. It was so refreshing.
Hearing about worst-case scenarios is educational. The benefit of bad news circulating quickly is that we can afford an omniscient view and develop strategies to prepare for the worst. Why prepare for extreme circumstances? It can only help you.
The keen business professional is one who anticipates problems and is ready to act. Upon hearing of an unfortunate networking situation, one can come up with a solution while digesting the problem, and preemptively apply that to all situations as an insurance policy against grief. Most intelligent people get into their cars and immediately fasten their seat belts because, while the chances of getting into an accident or getting a ticket are low in comparison to how many times we drive, it can’t hurt, is easy to do, and protects us from the worst-case scenario.
Yes, the perceived number of communication problems in mixed-company networking sessions is higher than the reality, but to be forewarned is to be forearmed. A savvy professional prepares for problem solving in advance, which is preventive medicine, or insurance for success. By heading off conflict at the pass you’ll bolster group confidence, use time more efficiently, and be able to focus on the matters at hand, rather than tying up your mind and emotions with squirmy social transgressions.
GENDER DOS AND DON’TS
If you want to improve your networking results, we have some advice for you, derived from the many responses in our study.
Some of the things men can do to avoid being perceived as sexist are:
• Maintain eye contact with women during conversation
• Stick to conversing about business
• Don’t get too personal
To stop unwelcome advances from men, women should:
• Dress professionally
• Have a firm handshake, and be professional
• Under no circumstances flirt
Once in a while, strong measures are required, and being ready makes all the difference in the world, as shown in this woman’s story:
Generally, networking between men and women is trouble-free, however, just before one of our breakfast meetings started, felt someone squeeze my behind. I turned around to find the offender looking very satisfied with himself, obviously trying to impress the two men standing next to him. This man was known for cramming innuendo into every possible conversation. I turned around and said, “Well &^%!!” I then went to my seat, thinking about how strange it was that we all appeared to be very grown-up professionals, yet this kind of thing was happening. Far from impressing his colleagues, he never did it to me or, as far as I witnessed, any other woman in our group again.
He Says . . .
The X Perception Principle
You may remember hearing about the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule. Usually this refers to the concept that 80 percent of the people do 20 percent of the work, within a business context. It also translates as spending 80 percent of your time on 20 percent of your clients, because only 20 percent of your clients are the ones that bring in the lion’s share of profits. The remaining 80 are not as profitable.
I’d like to introduce you to my own concept: The X Perception Principle, also known as the 98/2 rule. Two percent of the population in each demographic creates a reputation for the remaining 98 percent.