Your networking’s wrong and your marketing kinda sucks: 5 mistakes I made and how to do it better

When I first started networking for my group nutrition practice, Doherty Nutrition, in 2019, I had good intentions for telling people about my new nutrition practice. I spent hours making goodie bags, creating flyers, driving across town to doctors’ offices, setting up provider meetings, sending emails, putting flyers on cars… You name it, I did it.

Sure, some things worked, but a lot of it was a waste of time and energy, or the messaging just didn’t land right. 

Here are 5 networking lessons I learned and what I’d do differently if I could do it all again:

1. Know your audience

You want to know my very first marketing campaign in 2019? It’s the epitome of good intentions, but zero clue about who my audience was.

So here’s the story… I bought brown paper bags and made sack lunches for the homeless. I made homemade peanut and jelly sandwiches, then added chips, water, and fruit in each brown paper bag. I proudly stuck my business card in the sack lunch with a business sticker on the front. I filled my car with 10 sack lunches, hopped in my car, and hit the road to Dallas.

Of course, on this day, the usual spots where people stood were empty. I ended up driving around for 30 minutes and only giving out 2 bags.

I thought they might want to come for a nutrition visit, then while I was driving- I realized they probably didn’t have health insurance. And probably couldn’t pay for a self-pay visit. And I also wasn’t in a position to give pro bono sessions away.

I thought people driving by might see the logo on the lunch bag and want to learn more about Doherty Nutrition, but then I realized the logo was too small and also… people driving by weren’t scanning lunch sacks for dietitian branding.

I thought it was just a nice thing to do- and it was. But it wasn’t going to generate a return on investment (ROI) in terms of networking or marketing.

What did I learn? It’s kind, gracious, and thoughtful to give back to the community, serve the underserved, and donate food to those in need. But, do it as an act of service - not marketing.

I went back to the drawing board the following week and realized I needed to actually understand my target market and ideal client before I did any marketing.

2. Focus on your audience, not you.

Want to hear my biggest networking turn-off? When someone only talks about themselves and their services.

You might think, “But wait, Maggy… isn’t that what networking is? Talking about your services and learning about others?”

No. Not really.

One time, I was at a networking event and this lady came up to me. She handed me her business card, told me about the treatment center she worked for, rattled off the services they offered, why they were unique, and yada-yada-yada. She finished her pitch, didn’t ask about me, and then moved right along to the next person… rinse, wash, repeat.

I was frankly annoyed, turned off, and felt used.

I threw her business card away.

And you know what? A lot of people network this way. They give the ick in their pitch and it lands wrong.

After this, I promised myself I’d never start a networking conversation by talking about myself. Instead, I’d focus on the other person by asking genuine questions, approaching the conversation with curiosity, and focusing on how I could help them.

When I made this shift, people responded differently. They felt heard, cared for- and in turn, wanted to work with someone who made them feel that way.

3. Be of service to your audience

Before I focused on the audience, I also focused on providing my services to people I networked with… primary care doctors, pediatricians, therapists, or you name the healthcare provider.

I made these super cute marketing folders that had information about myself, my dietitians, my practice, my services, my handouts…. You know what the keyword is there? MY, MY, MY!

EW…. Imagine when you get a marketing folder from a fellow practitioner. What do you do with it? Let me guess… You skim it and you throw it away (No? Just me? Okay, fine. It’s probably sitting with all the other marketing material that’s collecting dust then…).

When I realized I was throwing out other providers’ marketing material that looked just like mine, I realized others were probably doing the same.

I thought, how can I create content that the providers actually want AND actually use?

So, I asked… In the meeting with providers, I asked if there were certain nutrition topics their clients asked them about, and if they wished they had educational handouts for them. I showed the variety of handouts I had. Then, I custom-made a handout for their practice.

One provider had us deliver these handouts multiple times a year and even requested a version in Spanish because he used them so much (and we had Spanish speaking RDs!).

Now, that - that my friend is an effective business card and marketing strategy!

4. Don’t network, instead create and build relationships

Remember that lady I told you about who shoved business cards in my face? Yeah, I’ve been that lady too.

I used to send mass e-mails, attend networking events, talk mostly about myself, and set up provider meetings, saying the same old script time and time again. I thought it was working, but really, I was just spinning my wheels. Like James Clear says, I was pretty much in motion, but thinking I was in action.

So, I stopped networking. Seriously.

Instead, I started building relationships.

I’d ask therapists out for happy hour. I’d see the doctor at an event and ask how they were really doing. I’d go on a walk with a dietitian.

Stop networking. Start caring about the other human, treat them like a person, and build a real relationship- possibly even a friendship.

And, you know who these people want to refer to? People they like, people who are nice, and people they care about.

5. Stop sending mass e-mails and personalize everything

I spent so much dang time crafting amazing (IMO, obviously) personalized e-mails that I sent out to over 50 providers at once.

So, it wasn’t actually personalized.

It was a unique e-mail that became as basic as can be when it went to so many people.

It was basically spam.

And, you know what I do when I get an e-mail that looks generic? I delete it. At most, I skim it and take note of what not to do.

So, if I was deleting mass emails, what made me so special that other people weren’t doing this to me? Nothing. Absolutely jack didlity squat, nothing.

I started creating a base e-mail template, then personalizing parts of the e-mails. And you know what, people began to respond.

It may feel like it takes more time, but the reality is is that you’ll get a legit ROI. You’ll get responses, you’ll get meetings, you’ll get more out of this than feeling like you’re getting more out of it by sending dumb mass e-mails.

Networking & Marketing Wrap

The truth is I marketed wrong for many years - I didn’t know my audience, I was selfish focusing on myself, I gave them what I wanted them to have, I focused on handing out business cards, and I was a generic basic b*tch.

After I made these mistakes, I learned how to do networking right. I deeply knew who my audience was, I focused on their needs, I delivered things that made their life and their patients’ lives better, I built relationships, and I personalized everything. And that, my friend, changed the game.

Ready to network and market better, faster, and stronger?

In April’s Masterclass on networking, “Networking for Dietitians Who’d Rather Be Doing Anything Else: Your Collab Without the Cringe Playbook,” we’re diving deeper into all the above.

Plus - I’m sharing templates, scripts, and more ideas to make building relationships that people want to refer to you seamless. 

Click here to RSVP before 4/22 to join live from 9-10:30 AM (CST) or submit your questions in advance, then get the post-event recording. Reading this after 4/22? Head to the shop to snag the masterclass with all the goodies!