Just the other day I spilled tomato soup on a blouse a dear friend had given me.

I should have known better than to have tomato soup anywhere near anything precious to me. I quickly removed it and stuck it in my bathroom sink to wash out the soup before it stained the fabric.

As I vigorously applied soap to the potential stains, a thought came to me. Our actions sometimes spill the proverbial soup on those we care about.

Let's try and avoid soup spilling when we network, and when we do business with those people we have gotten to know well.

Read 6 ways soup gets spilled, and what to do instead.

Six "Soup Spilling" Moves

Be very interested in beginning a conversation only for the purpose of pitching your business

What to do instead:

Be interested in conversations to learn, to build rapport, and to support. Be curious, the business will come as the relationships build.

Promising what you can't deliver

What to do instead:

Put systems in place that ensure you are delivering quality products or services. Niche down if you have too many clients and not enough business infrastructure to support them.

Talk ill of a third party in a conversation before you understand if the person you are talking to has a relationship with said party.

What to do instead:

If "John" comes up in a conversation between you and Mary, you ask Mary a simple question. "How do you know John? If her answer does not make plain how she feels about John, repeat the last thing she said in a questioning voice. She will elaborate, making your best next words obvious.

Interrupting Conversations

What to do instead:

Listen when others are talking. Listen to understand, be curious. The more curious you are, the less likely you will want to interrupt.

Not following up on referrals you receive

What to do instead:

You work hard to build relationships! Nurture them by immediately following up on any referrals you receive, and thank the person who sent them to you.

Not properly vetting the referrals you give before you give them

What to do instead:

This is a hard one. I've been guilty of letting someone down because the person I referred delivered poor customer service. When you give the recommendation, tell the person that you have not personally used the professional you are recommending. In addition, always follow up with your person you referred the professional to, and ask about the experience.

Go network my friend, and remember;

If you care about networking, you'll be careful with your soup.

Faithann Basore and her husband Dave have owned Window Cleaning Plus (WCP) for 10 years. Growing WCP through networking has given Faithann the desire to guide other small business owners through the networking terrain so they can feel comfortable and build long lasting relationships in their business.

Got networking questions? Email me at [email protected].