Got chewed out at a networking event in Austin for being too salesy

I was at this B2B meetup in Austin 2 weeks ago, just talking to people like normal. This one founder I was chatting with straight up told me I sounded like a used car salesman. I thought I was being friendly but she said I asked for her email before even asking what she did. Stung pretty bad honestly. Made me realize I'd been treating every conversation like a pipeline instead of a real chat. I went home and changed my whole approach now I just listen first and see if there's a fit. Has anyone else had a wakeup call like that at a live event?

2 comments

2 Comments

angelaellis21d ago

Austin's a funny town for that, it's really relationship-driven. I had a guy at a chamber mixer there hand me his card before I'd even got my name out, wouldn't even look at my truck's logo. You're right about listening first, that's the part I was missing too. But I think you might've overcorrected a little, sometimes a little push is okay if you're genuinely interested in what they're building. The real trick is finding that middle ground, not the hard sell or total silence.

skylerg1720d ago

Well actually I think the handshake thing might be more of a generational gap than a listening problem. Some folks still see a firm handshake as a way to show you mean business, not as a power move. But yeah, that card before a name thing is pretty bad form no matter how you slice it.