Have you ever come across Referral networkers who are basically so dull that watching paint dry is a day out at Alton Towers in comparison to talking to them? People whose idea of an exciting Saturday night consists of completing their tax return while pushing the boat out with two cups of cocoa. The next time one of these walking cures for insomnia corners you at a meeting, don’t make your escape plans just yet. There are things you can learn from these people.

1. Networking Bores
By John Fisher - Business for Breakfast
January 2011

2. A Few Thoughts
Have you ever come across Referral networkers who are
basically so dull that watching paint dry is a day out at Alton
Towers in comparison to talking to them?
People whose idea of an exciting Saturday night consists of
completing their tax return while pushing the boat out with two
cups of cocoa.
The next time one of these walking cures for insomnia corners
you at a meeting, don’t make your escape plans just yet.
There are things you can learn from these people.

3. The Signs
What is it that they are doing wrong?
This is the question that you can ask yourself while
listening to their pitch or chatting to them.
Is their tone of voice monotonous?
Do they talk exclusively about themselves and/or
their business?

4. The Signs
Do they concentrate on the features of their
product or service?
Is their small talk only related to problems – in other
words, are they professional complainers?
Do they lack social skills such as maintaining eye
contact, the ability to listen and ask relevant
questions about others?

5. The Solution
Once you have assessed what causes them to be such
bores, you can decide how you would improve their Referral
networking skills.
There is also another question to ask yourself – how can you
improve on your networking technique?
Nobody is a perfect Referral networker, so before you
mentally write someone else off for their lack of skills in this
area, take a long, hard look at yourself and work out how you
can do better.k