Why platforms that offer professional networking are falling short…

B2B platforms that don't deliver

As a business owner, I have tried both business networking platforms like Alignable and LinkedIn, at the recommendations of others who knowing what I do felt that these platforms could help grow my business by helping me make valuable connections. However, what I found was more of the same ole, same ole. Grandstanding, exclusivity, and inauthenticity. People try to sell you on their business without wanting to get to know you. Marketing dressed up as connection. As a therapist by trade, this was not my cup of tea.

I was made to feel like “a means to an end.” Like not a person but a prospect that could help create some cash flow for someone’s business. Inboxes full of sales pitches with no greetings that left me feeling cheap. People who wanted to sell me their services but did not want to have a relationship with me. This method of marketing was predatory and screamed capitalism. I was wondering if I was the only one feeling this way…

I talked to some other friends and did some research online (mostly Reddit because those people are brutally honest) and found that I was not alone. Posts complaining about the same themes with Alignable and LinkedIn and feeling like they were both very Spammy. One person cited that Alignable had sent emails to all their phone contacts without their permission and it had damaged their reputation. Another sharing that LinkedIn felt more like Facebook than a place to grow your professional network. All of these sentiments I concur with as I’ve spent several months on both and have only taken a few connections off that platform, despite spending a lot of time on each.

So not being invested was not the issue. The issue is these platforms which were once curated to deliver valuable connections, help people find jobs, or grow one’s business are not measuring up to their initial premise for many. I understand as a business owner the feeling of being hungry and wanting to get your business off the ground but we must respect the boundaries of others at the same time. No one wants to be sold to. No one wants to feel like when they are talking to you that you have an agenda. People want to feel a sense of belonging and community and that is the real reason that most people join these platforms.

I can’t say I am not guilty of making the same mistake but I can say I have a better approach when it comes to the business of selling than most. I am not pushy and will not even attempt to continue discussion about our platform if the person on the receiving end is not interested. We have the right to decline things that do not serve our interests. We also have the right to match and unmatch from connections that were never really about connecting but just getting your business. We have the right to feel like the people that are a part of our virtual world are genuinely interested in our growth and our success as much as we are invested in their own.

Reciprocal business relationships are hard to find but not impossible to identify. There are people out there that genuinely want to help others. Not to line their pockets, but because giving back fulfils them. Giving back is something that they enjoy doing and they yearn to expand their reach. These are the types of people I meet all the time in my line of business and can tell that this philanthropic spirit lives inside of them. They just need an avenue to be able to do this more because of their lack of visibility on social media.

I call these “hidden gem mentors.” People who are steadfast in working their business but are humbly successful and don’t need a lot of fanfare. They know what they are talking about but are not loud about it on social media. They are not identified as thought leaders on the internet but they most certainly have the knowledge to impart on others once you speak with them one on one. Speaking to these types of mentors is not only refreshing but restores your faith that they are good people in this world. I am glad to know a few of them.

Anyway, I am realizing that what we have built on Wite Collar is exactly the platform I have been searching for and that the relationships we have curated with our members are the model that we want to create for this world. We may not be an established brand or big business but what we are is just as valuable. We are bringing back “good humanship” where people are more invested in helping others than helping themselves. A people helping people community that creates a straightforward path to career or business success.

If you haven’t found your “right fit” for a community either, consider joining ours.

See you soon,

Kira~ Wite Collar app founder