Sometimes I worry that these networking tips are too basic or simplistic. Yet so much of good networking is about getting lots of little things right, and many of the little things are really just common sense. Unfortunately I repeatedly see misses on some of the most basic little things.

It amazes me how many people are late when planning to meet someone. I know Austin is a pretty laid back town, and sure there can be unexpected traffic. That's still not a very good excuse. It doesn't change the fact that committing to meet someone at a set time and then showing up even a minute late is just plain disrespectful. Disrespect and good quality networking never mix.

Last week I may not have been the perfect person to give fashion advice. I am however the perfect person to give being on time advice. I suffer from some type of personality flaw that makes me early, often exceedingly so, to just about everything. Perhaps this comes from having grown up in California where there is always traffic, and it can never quite be considered unexpected.

1. Plan to arrive early. Give yourself at least a 5-10 minute buffer for any meeting, and add more time the further away it is.
    
2. If you're going someplace for the very first time give yourself an extra buffer so that you have time to be lost.
    
3. When you're planning to meet an individual be sure to get their cell phone number when you schedule the appointment. That way you can give them a quick heads up if you think you're going to be late. It's ok to call even if you're going to be a minute or two late. That's much better than having them worry that you may have forgotten the meeting.
    
4. Set an alarm or reminder on your calendar to remind you to leave at the appropriate time, and don't dive into a new project thinking it'll only take 2 minutes. Next thing you know you'll be getting off to a late start.

This applies to meetings you plan to attend as well. There are tons of benefits to arriving a few minutes early for a networking event. That's probably worthy of its own blog post. Just trust me on this and plan to arrive at these events at least a few minutes early. Being late only harms you. Many will notice your late arrival and may draw their own conclusions. You also miss out on getting to at least meet the people seated near you.

Now you may be thinking: Scott, what do I do when I'm 10 minutes early to everything? That's pretty simple. Just bring along a book, magazine or something else portable that you can work on. It's a great opportunity to catch up on something without being interrupted.

So there is no downside! Be truly respectful and arrive early to all of your meetings and events.

Happy Networking!