Passive Networking doesn't work

In my workshop "Social Media for Business" I'm describing 5 Networking Types (Originally by B. Guldager). These 5 types of people are getting different results depending on the amount of time and energy invested in networking.

Today I want to focus on the first type, The Passive Networker, because there lies a very interesting networking tip in this description.

The Passive Networker is one of those people who doesn't want to spend any time on networking. They are never attending networking drinks or receptions, but also online they only post a very basic profile and don't take any other actions at all.
I'm sure you all know people like this. I call this man "The Guy at the Fitnessclub"

Imagine we are early January and the Christmas Holidays have just past. They are the main reason why you are not feeling in your best shape ever. The feasts and champagne have invaded your body.

Your most important New Year's resolution is to start with Fitness !
You walk into a fitnessclub and throw enough money on the table for a yearly subscription.
Like a maniac you start to fitness, at least 3 times a week. After a few weeks you have a meeting on one of those days. Soon you are dropping down to 2 times a week, once a week, a couple of times a month ... and after a few months we will hardly ever find you at the fitnessclub anymore.
When anyone would say to this person at the end of the year "I'm not feeling too well after all these parties, I'm thinking about joining a fitnessclub", he would probably get this reply :
"I have tried that, it doesn't work !"

Buying a membership card of a fitnessclub doesn't do anything for your health. You have to take action and work out to become results.

Buying a membership card of a businessclub won't do anything for your business. You have to attend the events and get to know people to get some results.

Posting a basic profile on a Social Network won't do anything for your business. You have to get active, get to know people, write and comment on blogs, go to events, ... to get results !

The Health club story

Since the launch of my first book in Nov. 2005, people often book me as a speaker for their event. I love talking about social networking and social media and I have experienced that people like it most when I add lots of little stories to my presentation.

Already some time ago I was thinking about creating a story on the fact that just 'being a member' of a networking group won't do much for your business. That's when I thought of the similar experience you could have joining a health club. I created a little story around this and put it in my presentation. People seemed to like it and the story started it's journey going from mouth to mouth.
Today I'm happy to notice that even other social media writers are using this same example in their presentations and books. It's never better than the original, so here we go :

In my presentation I use this example to describe one of the five networking types : The Passive Networker. I call this type “The guy from the fitnessclub”.
Imagine it would be early January. You have been partying all through Christmas and New Year and you don’t feel in the best shape ever. One of your New Year’s resolutions is to work on your health and to become a member of a fitnessclub. In the second week of January you walk into a local fitnessclub, pay up for a full year of “better health and exercise” and you start working out 3 evenings each week. After the first month you drop back to 2 evenings each week because you just have too many meetings lined up. A little later even more fitness evenings are cancelled due to other appointments and before you know it you haven’t been inside the fitness club for months. At the end of the year you meet a friend who has been partying too much during the Christmas holidays and who says he wants to work on his health. You show him your membership card of the fitnessclub and say “I’ve tried it … it doesn’t work !!!”.

Just buying a membership card of a fitnessclub is NOT going to improve your health in any way. You will still have to work out and train those muscles to get into shape.
Buying a membership card of a business club or paying a subscription to an online business network is NOT going to improve your business in any way.
If you don’t engage in getting to know people and if you don’t attend business events and meet people face to face … it’s not going to work for you !

Taken from the chapter 'Which Networking Type are you ?' - 'Friends with Benefits', releasing Nov. 21.