Networking Is Not About Clients in the Room

Networking Is Not About Clients in the Room — It’s About Clients Beyond the Room

Have you ever walked into a networking event, scanned the room, and thought: “None of these people are my clients”?

That’s the exact comment a few people made to me recently:

“Networking groups are usually sole traders or very small business, which makes a lot of sense for them to want to grow, but it doesn’t really make sense for me.”

I smiled, because this is the biggest misunderstanding about networking I see everywhere.

Networking is not about finding your ideal client sitting across the table from you.

It’s about building the relationships that connect you to the people who already have access to the clients you’re looking for.

That’s the difference between casual networking and strategic global networking.

And when you shift your thinking like this?

Networking stops feeling like a waste of time and starts turning into a powerful engine for opportunity, visibility, and growth.

Recent Feedback That Lit Me Up

When I recently spoke at the BRM Network (Business Relationships Matter), where I shared my approach to strategic networking for business growth,

the feedback was incredible.

Susan Sheehan, a seasoned business coach, said:

“Can I just say that that has to be the…most excellent explanation of networking that I’ve ever heard? It was so simple and clear… a lot of people get more into the fluff and the guff of it, but that was very on point and, so correct. So, thank you.”

What she appreciated most?

That I took networking out of the “small talk and coffee chats” zone and turned it into what it really is — a marketing activity that, done with intention, creates trusted connections, collaborations, and opportunities that stretch far beyond the room.

5 Networking Shifts That Get Results

Here are five takeaways I shared — and they may just change the way you approach networking:

1.- Understand the Three Types of Networking

There’s social networking (great for relationships), closed business networking (BNI, chambers, local groups), and global online networking (what I focus on).

Each serves a different purpose, but when you integrate them strategically, your business visibility multiplies.

2.- Always Have a Plan

Networking is not “just showing up.” It’s part of your marketing strategy. Decide what you want from the event — is it introductions, visibility, collaboration?

When you walk in with a plan, you walk out with results.

3.- Prepare Multiple Introductions

Your 60-second introduction is your most powerful tool. Every word counts. I recommend having three variations ready, so you can adapt to the audience. One clear, visual imagery creating sentence can make you unforgettable.

4.- Consistency and Follow-Up Win

The gold isn’t in the meeting — it’s in what happens afterward. Following up, nurturing connections, and staying visible is what transforms “someone you met” into a collaborator, referrer, or client.

5.- Visibility Leads to Profitability

You cannot be the world’s best-kept secret. Being consistently visible — whether on LinkedIn, YouTube, or inside strategic networking groups — builds authority and trust. And trust always precedes sales.

If you’d like me to expand on how to craft a magnetic intro, I’ve written a post about it.

Click Here and Learn how to Powerfully Introduce yourself

Why Global Online Networking Is Different

Now, here’s the shift that matters most: global online networking is not about who’s in the room.

When you network globally, you connect with people across industries, across time zones, and across markets you would never access locally.

You meet a consultant in Canada who has corporate clients in the US you’d never reach.
You talk to a publisher in the UK who introduces you to five authors in Europe.
You build trust with a coach in Asia who refers their network in Australia.

In other words: you don’t need your client in the room. You need the connector, the collaborator, the referrer in the room.

And that’s where the real power lies.

The Bonus Power of Linkability Membership:

One of the reasons I’m so confident in what my networking delivers is because of the partnerships I’ve built.

For example, my members are also members of Linkability, founded by Global LinkedIn Authority, Lynnaire Johnston.

This means you don’t just learn how to connect strategically. You also get hands-on LinkedIn training from one of the best in the business.

It’s the combination of visibility, credibility, and connection that makes my networking membership a unique and powerful place to grow your business.

The Heart of It All: Human Connection

Yes, AI, automation, and technology are changing how we work.

But the one thing that never changes?

Human connection.

At our last women-only networking session, (it happened, not by design but by attraction) we even talked about AI and the future of business.

The consensus was clear: AI is a tool — but it will never replace the trust that comes from real conversations, authentic introductions, and shared experiences.

That’s what networking gives you — when it’s done right.

Your Next Step

If you’ve been to networking events that felt flat, or you’ve dismissed them because your clients weren’t in the room, let me leave you with this:
Networking is not about who you meet today.

It’s about who those people can introduce you to tomorrow.

And when you approach it with intention, structure, and strategy — the world opens up.

That’s exactly what we do inside my Global Business Networking Online Membership.