When I first started reading this I thought it was about focusing on personal relationships for mutual benefit rather than networking out of pure self interest. That's a good message!
But then it started to sound like bad dating advice from one of those creepy "Dating 101" books. Without genuine interest in making personal connections, the best you can do is temporarily trick people into thinking you care about them. Effective or not, it's sort of sad.
The introduction talks about "networking whores". The last line is, "[D]on’t expect your networking to pay off within a few weeks or months, it can take years before you see a ROI".
When do friendships ever "pay off"? Thinking in terms of return on investment with regards to meeting people is specifically being a networking whore.
There are no secrets to meeting people. Just be a good person.
But then it started to sound like bad dating advice from one of those creepy "Dating 101" books. Without genuine interest in making personal connections, the best you can do is temporarily trick people into thinking you care about them. Effective or not, it's sort of sad.