Business Networking and Sex - Ivan Misner [91]
Quality Time Invested Returns Greater Rewards
This last set of data is very interesting. We found that out of the 12,000 global participants, women spent less time networking (6.19 hours compared to 6.44 for men), yet generated a higher percentage of their business through the process (49.44 percent compared to 43.96 percent for men).
The quote below supports the power of following up as a productive technique for getting maximum results within time constraints, since women gain more business without investing as much networking time.
In most groups, find that only a small number of people are prepared to network and follow up properly. Women are much better at following up. My mentor taught me well when he said that the fortune is in the follow-up.
Why would women spend less time and get a higher percentage of their business from referrals than men? This is a question that puzzled us a great deal. I’m afraid we have more questions than we do answers about this particular issue.
Since women tend to be more “relational,” based on the survey findings, are they networking without thinking of it as “networking”? In other words, are they actually networking when they feel they are socializing without a business purpose?
Women have often told me that they are responsible for more things that men are, such as child care and various household responsibilities. Consequently, are they more focused in the limited time they have for networking than men are? Are they just being more productive because they have less time? I really can’t say, but it is a question worth investigating.
Neither of these questions are answered in the data, and I am not suggesting that these ideas are true. They are simply posed as questions. Why do women spend less time networking and yet claim a higher percentage of business through referrals than men?
Here-the data is clear. They do both.
He Says . . .
We men spend more time and get fewer results. That’s not good any way you look at it. Why would that be? Fault lies either in our technique, knowledge, or practical application; or possibly all three. Maybe it’s a good ol’ boy thing. We go out to network with our buddies and spend time hanging out together, but not meeting any new people. We are doing business with our “buds” but aren’t doing “more” business with our buds.
Here’s what really confuses me. We’ve found that men are results-oriented and very focused on transactions over relationships. If that’s true, if we are all about the results of the transactions and women are not as focused on the transaction, sale, or results, then why are they creating more business in less time? Is it me, or does this also make us look like idiots?
The short answer is that people want to do business with people they know, trust, and like. They want to give their money to those they feel most confident in. If I don’t know or trust you, it just isn’t going to happen.
Men, I think we need to learn from the women here about focusing on quality, rather than quantity time. No surprise there!
She Says . . .
Time is more often in greater demand for women than men, because of their balancing act between family and profession, so they rein in their formal networking hours to accommodate those demands. When we examine the statistics, it comes as no surprise that men belong to more organizations, spend more time attending related events, and on average also spend more time per week networking than women do, yet report less business as a result of working their networks than women do.
Since their time is limited, it is mandatory that women make tidy use of the time they do allot for networking, leveraging their efforts to maximum potential. Men in general have more time to network and connect with others in the business world, so women need to produce more results in less time to compete effectively with them.
WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN: SHOP-A-HOLIC ALERT
Have you ever shined up a pair of very good shoes you’d forgotten