The Magic of Networking: Why Real Connections Matter More Than Quick Wins

Twenty years in tourism has taught me something magical about networking. But it took me a long time to understand it.

The Misconception

When I started in the industry, I had no idea what networking actually was. I worked for companies that thought it was just an excuse to avoid real work. A chat over coffee? Slacking off. A lunch meeting? Wasting time. Getting out of the office to attend an industry event? Just looking for a break from actual responsibilities.

I watched colleagues get questioned about their meetings, their lunches, their conference attendance. The underlying message was clear: if you are not at your desk, you are not working.

The Reality

But here is the truth I have learned over two decades: when you work in sales, marketing, or business development, networking is not slacking off. It is the work. And the connections you make? They become something far more valuable than you could ever imagine.

Let me give you some real examples from my own experience.

The accountant I met at a conference three years ago? I reached out to her last month about a tax situation that would have been an absolute nightmare without her help. She saved me hours of stress and potentially thousands of dollars. That fifteen-minute conversation at a networking breakfast three years earlier turned into a lifeline when I needed it most.

That former colleague who moved to a different industry? She just connected me with our newest client. We had stayed in touch over the years, nothing formal, just the occasional message or comment on social media. When she heard about someone looking for exactly what I offer, I was the first person she thought of.

And that random coffee chat with someone from a completely different field? It changed the way I see things. Genuinely shifted my entire perspective on how I approach problems in my own business. Sometimes the most valuable insights come from people who have nothing to do with your industry.

The Global Connection

I have networked with people from all around the world. Tourism is an inherently international industry, and those relationships have created opportunities I never saw coming. A conversation in Singapore led to a partnership in Melbourne. A chance meeting in Korea resulted in a referral from someone in India. The threads of connection weave in ways you cannot predict or plan.

A Message for Leaders

If you are a boss who thinks networking is useless, I need you to think again. Your sales, marketing, and business development people know exactly what they are doing.

You might not see a sale the day after that meeting. It might not happen next week or even next month. But two months from now? Three years later? That person your team member met will remember them. And they might just bring one of the biggest sales or contracts your way.

I have seen it happen again and again. The connection made at a Tuesday morning breakfast turns into a major contract eighteen months later. The casual conversation at an industry conference becomes a strategic partnership three years down the track. The lunch meeting that looked like a waste of time? That person recommended us to five other potential clients over the following year.

Those conversations are planting seeds that bloom in the most unexpected ways. But you have to give them time and space to grow.

What Networking Actually Is

Networking is not about collecting contacts. It is not about having the most connections on LinkedIn or the thickest stack of business cards. It is not even about what you can get from other people.

Real networking is about genuine curiosity. It is about having real conversations with interesting people. It is about building relationships that surprise you years down the track. It is about being the kind of person others want to help, and being ready to help others when you can.

Some of my strongest professional relationships started with no agenda at all. Just a genuine interest in what someone else does and how they think. Those are often the ones that turn into the most valuable connections, because they are built on authenticity rather than transaction.

The Long Game

The hardest thing about networking is that it requires patience. In a world that demands immediate results and instant ROI, networking is definitely slow. It is an investment that pays dividends on a timeline you cannot control or predict.

But that is also what makes it so powerful. The connections you make today might not matter tomorrow. But they might change everything five years from now. And you will never know which conversation is going to be the one that matters until it does.

After twenty years, I can tell you with absolute certainty: the people you know genuinely change what you can accomplish. Not because they owe you something, but because real relationships create opportunities that simply do not exist otherwise.

So if you have been putting off that coffee meeting, or hesitating to reach out to someone interesting, or wondering if that conference is really worth attending, consider this your sign.

The magic is real. You just have to give it time to work.