I'm old enough to have memories of domestic life before the microwave. No worries though, my mom had us covered. She would fill a large pot with about a quarter inch of oil, pour in corn kernels, put the lid on, turn the burner on, and intermittently move the pot back and forth over the burner. By and by (man this blog post is getting older by the word) I would hear the wonderful "pop" "pop" "popping" of the corn and my mouth would start to salivate. Soon there would be perfect, buttery popcorn, and probably a TV show or movie to watch.

I was never brave enough to try this myself, but I loved watching my mom do it.

When we finally did get our microwave, and the bagged version of popcorn appeared, mom abandoned her methods, for the faster alternative.

Considering the microwave version no longer involved my mom's perfect timing, we soon learned we needed a substitute to ensure the popcorn turned out alright. To that end, there was diligent monitoring of the bag in the microwave while it was being popped. Our ears helped us determine the perfect moment to pull the bag, and it was usually just a few seconds before the timer went off.

The perfect time to microwave popcorn was different every time it was microwaved. There was no standardizing this phenomenon. The only thing to do was stand in front of the microwave and listen for just the right time in between kernel pops. If the bag was pulled too early, there were too many un-popped kernels. Pull the bag too late however, and disaster followed. When ears failed us, noses paid the price.

There was no salvaging the bag once the delicate timing miscalculation occurred.

Our best hope was that our favorite TV show hadn't come on yet, and there was another bag in the box and time to try again.

If our timing proved victorious however, we had a bowl of greatness.

If we manage our networking timing, we too can have something special.

Avoid 2 timing traps when you network, and you'll delight in perfectly "popped" relationships and referral partners.

Not Spending Enough Time Learning about the Other Person

Dale Carnegie famously said, "You can make for friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years than by trying to get other people interested in you."

Recently I eagerly accepted an invitation to appear as a guest on a podcast of someone I didn't know, but was provided an opportunity to be featured on the podcast. A day before the interview was to occur, the host reached out to ask a few questions about who my ideal clients might be.

It turns out she was only asking me questions about who my ideal clients were because she wanted to pitch a monthly membership subscription. I was pitched two questions in. She feigned interest in me so that she could gain an opportunity to extend an offer. This made any advantage I would gain by going on her podcast null and void, because I knew she wasn't really interested in me.

She didn't want me on her podcast because she wanted to hear what I had to say. She wanted to invite me to be on her podcast because I was a prospect.

I sniffed out feigned interest as quickly as I smelled the bag of burnt popcorn in the microwave as a child. I did the same thing with this interview as I did with bags of burnt popcorn; I canceled my appearance.

Take the time to know a person, with thoughtfulness and integrity, before you expect that person to be open to hearing about you, especially if this person is someone you would like to put an offer in front of in the future.

Ask good questions, think of everything for her, be respectful of her time, and you will increase your chances of both being referred and maybe even gaining her as a client.

Not Following Up on Your Referrals

Letting too much time elapse between the time you receive a referral and the time you follow up on that referral is like leaving the bag of popcorn in the microwave too long.

Make the referrals you receive top priority in your business, always.

Express gratitude to the individual who provided the referral and reach out to the new contact quickly, even if you may not be able to help the person. If you aren't the solution, try your best to refer someone else.

If you are the perfect solution, think about how ahead of the game you will be when you reach out to this new connection, because you've received a personal recommendation.

Dr. Misner reminds us that when we extend a referral, we essentially share a fragment of our reputation with the referred business owner. It's vital to honor that risk, with a quick follow up, otherwise you probably won't be referred a second time.

Go network my friend, and remember:

Stand out among your fellow networkers with kindness and reliability, to avoid being "discarded" like a bag of burnt popcorn.

The Networker's Tour Guide, 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].