Ditch the business cards — networking as we know it is dying

Traditional networking events may still fill diaries, but growing evidence suggests that authentic, relationship-driven connections — not transactional handshakes — are what truly unlock long-term business opportunity.If you’re a dedicated fan of networking and have already taken Umbridge at the title, I don’t blame you. If you go out of your way to network and meet people, don’t stop doing that but don’t stop reading either. I’ve just had my thinking around networking challenged and I’m passing that challenge on. I had a conversation at the end of the week which I’ve been mulling over since. Is networking as we know it, the answer? Has it had its day in its current form? Are there more efficient ways to form lasting, effective business relationships?

On another call last week, with someone I’ve met once online, left a message for once, and made some business connections for, my contact said, ‘I feel as if I have a working relationship with a kindred spirit’. I’ve come to the conclusion that networking has its place, and I will still do some of it (I’d have FOMO otherwise) but it’s the building of genuine human connections that matter and will bring the real business opportunities.

The emerging consensus across business research and commentary is that transactional networking is dying, while relationship‑driven, human‑centred connection is becoming the way to find opportunity and have influence.

Conventional networking with business cards, elevator pitches, quick‑fire introductions and then all the follow-up in the hope of getting a response, is being viewed as ineffective. It often creates superficial exchanges that rarely lead to meaningful collaboration, leaving people drained and disengaged. It relies too much on visibility and performance rather than substance and trust.

Increasingly I’m hearing businesspeople I know say that their networking encounters don’t translate into real opportunities. The pressure to “perform” undermines authenticity and follow‑ups tend to fizzle out.

In the meantime, genuine human connection is becoming the new business currency

Authentic, long‑term relationships now matter more than transactional interactions for many. It’s the difference between taking the scattergun approach and being more focussed on your own business needs and those of the people you’re interacting with. When people feel genuinely understood, respected, and valued, they’re more likely to trust, collaborate, refer, and advocate. Deeper relationships create a supportive community that drives sustainable business growth. I also think this is true for relationships between bigger businesses and their suppliers.

The shift in the networking approach is being driven by overwork and fatigue. How many times have you agreed to go along to an event and got to the end of a punishing day where you feel drained and can’t to string a valuable sentence together never mind put a face on and ‘enjoy’ meeting new people. We have overload of all sorts: digital, marketing, finance, regulations, employees, customers. We want shared values and trust, long‑term collaboration rather than one‑off deals, and hybrid or remote working makes that harder and more important. Authenticity, vulnerability, and mutual support are reaching the top of the agenda.

However, genuine human connection requires effort. Instead of collecting contacts, we need to build circles of aligned, trusted relationships which lead to stronger referrals, more resilient partnerships, and the opportunities that materialise organically from that. In a way, it’s still networking but with depth, breadth and intent. We’re talking about conversations that add value for everyone involved rather than pitches or sales. We also have to intend to follow up the conversations and actively do something such as sharing resources without expecting a return on that investment immediately.

For small businesses, where few people have very little time, genuine relationships can:

• Lower the barriers to entry into established networks
• Build trust faster than formal networking events
• Create advocates who open doors that marketing budgets can’t
• Support collaboration and partnership working
• Strengthen resilience during economic and geopolitical uncertainty.

Human connection levels the playing field in ways traditional networking never did. I’m most certainly not advocating you stop networking. I’m suggesting there’s a more effective way to do it if we go into it with the intent to be authentic, reciprocate and build long‑term trust.

The businesses that thrive over the next decade will be those that build communities, not contact lists, prioritise relationships overreach, show up consistently and authentically and invest in people, not transactions. I must admit all of that is what my first business mentor told me many years ago. It’s all there in his book which I still have on my shelf (out of print sadly). Time to dust it off, re-read and apply, effectively this time.

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