5 common networking mistakes pros never make

Author, investor, and efficiency guru Tim Ferriss credits much of his current success to his attendance at South by Southwest (SXSW) in 2007.

The event is an annual series of festivals and conferences where everyone from startup founders to filmmakers convenes. It's where Ferriss was able to promote his upcoming book, "The 4-Hour Workweek" by starting to build his professional network.

At last year's SXSW, Ferriss delivered a presentation highlighting the most important lessons he learned about networking while promoting the book. A recording of that presentation is now available on Ferriss's podcast, "The Tim Ferriss Show."

In it, Ferriss outlines what not to do while trying to connect with people at conferences. Read on and see if you've been guilty of any of these all-too-common faux pas.