What do you think about the idea of marketing to your network contacts?

Personally, I frown on it.  But, before you get the wrong impression, you should know I don’t get all puritanical about it.  It’s just a frown.  Y’know:  furrowed brow, quizzical expression (why’d he do that?), maybe a smirk.  Then I quietly place a checkmark next to my new contact under the “Remove Connections” page.

Recently I was invited to connect on LinkedIn by a Realtor-turned-mortgage broker.  (Out of the frying pan, into the fire?)  Well, it’s not really so important that he was a Realtor and then redefined his business.  I find that admirable.  What’s more salient is the pretense I felt about his request to connect and how that connection evolved.

His initial email request established rapport by introducing himself as someone who shares with me the fact that we both once worked for the same real estate company and how he’d like to stay in touch with past colleagues to share knowledge, potential opportunities where they might arise and mutual support.  Good enough.  After all, that’s why I network.

So, I accepted and sent him an e-mail back thanking him for the invitation.  And, since I noticed his business was in the next county over from mine, I suggested we meet sometime for lunch when he was down in my neck of the woods, or me in his.

I received no reply -- not even a non-committal “sure, sounds good.”  But, no problem, as these things often go, they remain open invitations.

But here’s the deal:  Within a week after connecting with this guy, and with no further inquiries about me or what I do, or what I stand for, I started getting e-mails pitching his mortgage services, rate quotes, fee quotes, “mortgage broker for life,” and on an on.  Clearly, I was now in some e-mail database drip campaign.  And though I didn’t much like it, I have to at least concede his e-mail drip was at least consistent.  Every few days, there’d be another one reminding me of his services, new rate quotes, “mortgage broker for life...”  His drip campaign was definitely working as designed... to be in my FACE.  And he was.  Until I removed him.

Now, I have my own thoughts about why/how I participate with my online business connections.  And I’ll share that in a future post.  But in the meantime, I’d be curious what your thoughts are and what your philosophy is of online networking?  Also, am I too sensitive about e-mail drips?  Should I be more tolerating?  After all, isn’t networking about getting opportunities for more business leads?