I heard a great quote from a speaker the other day who said, "Networking is about farming for new contacts – not hunting them." He went on to say that most people go about networking similar to the way our cave-dwelling ancestors did for food – aggressively and carrying a very big stick.

In other words, most people were so busy looking to make the big sale or meet the "right" person, that they approached networking as simply having to meet enough people until the "right" contact emerged.

On the other hand, he said, farming was a much more effective approach towards building your business. (And this is not the kind you"re thinking about, where you"re handing out postcards throughout the neighborhood.)

People who do this don"t focus on hunting down the "right" person at any one event, but instead take the time to plant the seeds for a new business relationship – wherever that may lead. If it means getting a listing, then great. If not, that"s not a problem either. The point is to focus on developing a relationship with that person, rather than on what they can do for you right now.

As a real estate professional, making this distinction is absolutely crucial.

When going to networking events, it"s easy to fall into the trap of hunting for the "right" contact – the person looking to buy (or sell) their house right now. Not six months down the road, or sometime next year, but a person who"s actively engaged in the process right now.

And for good reason too. Time is money, and conventional wisdom says you want to focus your time on prospects that are "seriously" interested in buying a house and not just window-shopping.

Fair enough. The problem is when it comes to networking, that"s the exact wrong approach to take.

When you"re out networking and meeting people for the first time, you want to plant the seeds for an ongoing relationship. You shouldn"t be interested in whether this person is looking to buy a house right now, but instead are focused on what you can do to develop a rapport.

Maybe it"s a quick piece of advice for someone who"s not in the market, but is looking for some thoughts on how to start their search. Or perhaps it"s learning about this other person"s business, and then pointing him towards another individual from your contact base who could move their enterprise forward.

In a word, you want to become more "people-focused" (as opposed to "business-driven") when networking and meeting new folks. That"s the difference between the Realtor who"s hunting for a potential customer, and someone who"s willing to take the time and allow it to grow.

Oh and don"t worry, when the event is over and you"re driving back to the office, you"ll have plenty of time to shift gears and start prioritizing your new contacts into two groups: People who are interested in buying/selling a house over the next few months and warrant more of your time, and those who just get a nice little email saying it was good talking to them.

So remember, when it comes to building your business through networking, it"s infinitely more effective to stay "people-focused" and plant the seeds for an ongoing relationship.

Ask questions about their business. Listen to their answers. Make an insightful point about the real estate industry, and maybe even draw a parallel as to how your respective businesses are similar. Those are all things you can start doing right now to build that rapport, and start sowing the seeds of success.

Published: July 27, 2004

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As a popular speaker and author of the resource How to Get More Business in Today's Tough Market, Brian specializes in helping busy agents get more leads and close more deals - even in a market as "challenging" as this. For a free report on 2 Easy Ways to Get More Business in Today's Tough Market, just email my office and we'll send it right over.