There is a difference.

I have had many discussions with women that are trying to actively build their business. In these discussions, I find that many are confusing self-promotion with networking. Understanding this key difference will help you avoid negatively impacting your business.

Last night, my girlfriend called me after her first date with a man she met a few weeks ago. After listening to her story, I thought her outing with this man was the perfect example of self-promotion vs. networking.

She met this man at a party. He was well groomed, elegantly dressed and smelled of nice cologne. Unfortunately, she was running late to pick up her son and the extent of their conversation with him was just an exchange of phone numbers. When he called her few weeks later, he was polite and brief. He asked if she could meet with him for coffee.
After only few minutes into their date she was ready to leave. Why?  The entire conversation was about him, his career, his accomplishments, his awards, his, this and that. She quickly made up an excuse and soon departed. Upon her departure she called me and recited her story; she said that he appeared to be charming and good looking, but turned out to be self absorbed and conceited.

In this man's defense he might not of been a bad guy. Perhaps he was insecure and felt the need to blab about himself, however, had he focused on his audience, in this case, my friend, he could have potentially developed a connection that could have lead to a great relationship. All he really had to do was put her ahead of him self and just get to know her.

This is a simple example of networking vs. self-promotion, but one that we can all relate too.  

5 Networking Tips To Live By:

Take the time to get to know your audience prior to blatantly promoting yourself or agenda.

Keep in touch with, friends and colleagues by phone, email or fabulously40. When you initiate a conversion don't forget to inquire about their life prior to blabbing about yours.
Providing valuable information to others is the best way to promote your business.

Networking events are great, but don't feel that you are obligated to give your elevator speech to everyone that approaches you.  

Be generous. Get involved by providing your service or offering your product to those who can't afford it, they will be your number one cheerleaders.

To your success.
Yana