Oh no, not again…

Another day, yet another new networking group springs up in my local area, and I experience yet another networking nightmare.

This group facilitates up to 10% commission payments in return for referrals, in the hope that people who ‘give’ but don’t ‘gain’ will stay members after the first year. Fair enough. They meet fortnightly, in the evening, with a one-off £99 joining fee and £40 per month membership fee (so there’s no long-term tie-in), and a guarantee to refund any difference between money paid out and money earned.

So far, so good.

But the man sitting next to me introduced himself by saying: “Let’s swap cards.”

I asked: “Why?”

He put his card in front of me. I pushed it away slightly, and didn’t offer mine.

By then, other people had joined our table. He said: “Quick, business cards, let’s all pass them out like confetti!”

I said: “No thank you, my cards are precious. I only give them out for good reason.”

He heckled the speakers throughout the 1-minute speeches.

He pressed his knee against my thigh. I edged my chair away. He did it again. I moved again and glared at him. He apologised, but later, did it a third time.

I left early.

I think he’s planning to join the group. One thing I’m sure of – I won’t be!