Is Networking a Waste of Time?

Last Thursday, - at a networking event I should add ;) - we had a great presentation by Jill Konrath on Selling to Big Companies. She was insightful, open and honest. I'm still thinking about a lot of what she shared and I may blog about it more. I bought her book, Selling to Big Companies and started skimming through it. Because I love networking, I was stopped in my tracks when I saw the heading, "Why Most Networking is a Waste of Time."

I read on and found that I actually agreed with what she shared. Big company decision makers don't attend usually general networking events. She also pointed out that in most networking, the likelihood of a good referral is pretty low. Why would someone you just met and hasn't personally experienced your work recommend you to their clients? Basically, she says the time and energy put into general networking could be better directed if you're really looking to build clientele.

So what does this mean for a natural networker such as myself? I talked with Mary Kay DuChene from Mom-Camp about this and we had a great discussion. As connector types, we go about networking as a way to develop supportive relationships or to see what others need and then connect them to someone who can help. (It's true, we enjoy supporting others even when there's no financial gain for us.) Whenever I've facilitated networking events, I've taken the approach of creating an environment where attendees can easily create meaningful connections and be supported in their work. Mary Kay and I talked about how the word "connection" has a warmer connotation. The word networking can convey an image of a bunch of people trying to sell themselves, not necessarily being interested in helping to promote the work of others. We both agreed that there are plenty of networking events that are worth it. It's valuable if you are creating real connections either by the way you communicate, attending regularly and developing collegial alliances in which you do have the confidence to provide good referrals to each other. It's also worth it if the topic of the networking session interests you and brings people together in a supportive way. I'm going to mill this question over some more because it will affect the way that I approach and talk about the networking I do.

What do you think? Is general networking a waste of time? What has been your best networking experience? I invite your comments.