One of the keys to successful networking is consistently showing up to the networking events, as well as consistently doing other networking activities that help you bring value to the group. When I go to lead referral networking groups and people in the group only attend such a group on occasion, what it creates is a poison to the group. The morale of the group goes down and the consequent leads also go down because people in the group don't believe in it. Recently, at one of my own groups, a fellow member pointed out that when people miss the networking meeting because they choose to meet with clients, they also are missing out on developing relationships with all the people their fellow networkers know. He's right. He also pointed out that people who show up regularly get more leads and do better in their business and this is also true because they are actively making the effort to be in the group and pass leads, building trust and relationships in the process.
When you don't go to networking meetings regularly, it becomes harder for people to refer you. They don't get to know you, which makes it harder for you to effectively convey why people should refer to you. Networking is built on trust and trust is reinforced by consistency. When people don't show up they break trust, especially if this happens repeatedly. What they've demonstrated is consistency in their inconsistency.
When you show up consistently, then you take pride in your networking group. You take pride in what you are offering to the group. This is important because a networking group cannot thrive unless the people in it actually take pride in being part of it. When you are proud of your group, you don't want to miss a meeting. You make the effort to make your meeting a priority, because you know that in doing so what you are also doing is establishing the trust that is necessary to make the relationships and community thrive.
When I visit small networking groups, the attrition I see in those groups usually occurs because some members join and then only show occasionally. They find reasons not to show up because they feel no pride in belonging to the group. The members who do show up feel frustrated because the group is small and because their own efforts aren't respected. They become disengaged from the group. The guests who visit the group don't come back because they see how small the group is and they know that the group won't produce the leads they are looking for. Such a group can be turned around, but only if every member makes the commitment to show up each week and also makes the effort to do other networking activities that will support the group as a whole. If that occurs, then you can grow the group and make it a lead referral machine for everyone involved.