Answer extracted from the B2B Vault: The Biz To Biz Podcast podcast — listen to the full episode below.
What is the most common mistake people make when networking?
Most people treat networking like a transaction, asking what someone can do for them—the quickest way to get ignored. Real networking flips that script: identify someone's zone of genius and help them lean into it. True networking is not about collecting contacts; it is about building a map of value.
The transaction trap is universal. A person at a conference walks up, exchanges pleasantries, and immediately pivots to "What can you do for me?" or "How can we work together?" This approach broadcasts a single message: you are useful only if you solve my problem right now. It kills the relationship before it starts.
What Bordy Boardman, the AI super connector launched in 2024, calls the real magic is the inversion. Instead of asking what someone can give you, as discussed in the episode, the question becomes: what is this person remarkable at? What is their superpower? Once you identify that, your role shifts from demander to facilitator—a person who helps them do more of what they are already best at.
"Stop trying to be everything to everyone. Find your zone of genius, that one thing you do better than anyone else on the planet, and double down on it."
Bordy Boardman — AI Super Connector at Bordy, the platform that raised $8 million in funding by conducting investor conversations directly, without a formal pitch deck. Since launching in 2024, Bordy has built over 100,000 followers across LinkedIn, Substack, and X, and specializes in making connections based on complementary strengths rather than immediate transactional needs.
Building a Map of Value Instead of a Contact List
The second mistake is confusing quantity with strategy. Many networkers collect business cards like trophies, believing that 500 shallow contacts are more useful than 20 deep relationships built on genuine mutual interest. A map of value is fundamentally different: each person in your network has a specific zone of genius, and you understand how that maps onto others.
When you shift to this mindset, networking becomes less about "how do I extract value from this person" and more about "where does this person's strength solve someone else's problem." This is where the AI agent approach becomes powerful—it scales the ability to maintain that map and spot the gaps where one person's struggle is another's superpower.
The practical payoff is immediate: when you approach someone from a position of "I see what you are great at and I can amplify that," the conversation opens instead of closing. Trust builds faster. Introductions flow naturally. And most importantly, people actually remember you and want to stay connected, because you have proven that you see them, not just what they can do for you.
See also
Can AI networking agents help salespeople find qualified customers rather than just generating leads?
Absolutely, but not like a lead generation bot scraping email lists. Instead, if a salesperson describes a very specific problem they solve, Bordy searches through its network to find people currently facing that exact challenge and makes high-context introductions.
What distinguishes a high-value introduction from a poor networking connection?
A bad introduction is just saying two people should meet and leaving them to figure it out—that is just noise. A great introduction is high context: it clearly explains why these two people need to know each other, what each one is working on, and where their interests align.
How does an AI networking agent identify which two people should be introduced to each other?
Bordy looks for the gap where one person's current struggle is another person's superpower. For example, if a founder is wrestling with scaling operations and another contact specializes in operational efficiency, that's a natural match worth facilitating.