1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:22,600 Hello, and welcome to Networking Unleashed Building Profitable Connections. 2 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:23,600 Welcome to the show. 3 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:29,320 I'm your host, Michael Foreman, and you're listening to the podcast where networking 4 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:33,560 is more than just awkward handshakes and bad coffee. 5 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:35,640 It's an art and a talent. 6 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:37,140 But here's the twist. 7 00:00:37,140 --> 00:00:40,560 It's an art and a talent you can actually learn from. 8 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:46,600 Yes, even if you're a person hiding in the corner at every event pretending to check 9 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:48,360 emails. 10 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:51,240 Networking isn't just a nice skill to have. 11 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:53,080 It's a game changer. 12 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:57,040 When you get good at it, you wonder why it didn't start sooner. 13 00:00:57,040 --> 00:01:02,720 More connections, more opportunities, more profits, it's like unlocking the cheat code 14 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:04,200 for life. 15 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:09,880 So whether you're the life of the party or let me stay in the corner tight, we've got 16 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:10,880 something for you. 17 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:12,200 So stick around. 18 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:17,680 Let's turn those awkward small talk moments into things. 19 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:20,960 Now I would like to introduce my guest. 20 00:01:20,960 --> 00:01:27,520 His name is Eric Eden and Eric has been a chief marketing officer for 20 years and has 21 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:30,320 always been with world of thumbies. 22 00:01:30,320 --> 00:01:35,920 He has his own startup called World of Thumbs, which is focused on better business networking 23 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:39,640 and is the host of the Remarkable Marketing Podcast. 24 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:40,640 Eric, hi. 25 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:41,640 How are you doing? 26 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:42,640 What's going on? 27 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:43,640 You're doing great. 28 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:46,400 Thanks for having me on the show. 29 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:47,400 Glad to be here. 30 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:48,400 Great. 31 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:55,680 I'm so glad that I have you because you've got loads of experience in networking communications 32 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:58,840 and you really tell it like it is. 33 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:08,480 So let's just start off with what was your journey and how you made it to now? 34 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:10,440 Yeah, absolutely. 35 00:02:10,440 --> 00:02:16,920 So I've had the privilege of getting to work in tech marketing for 25 years. 36 00:02:16,920 --> 00:02:22,680 I'm very old, older than Google, older than the internet, but a big part of that journey 37 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:25,280 has been building a network. 38 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:34,160 So I was on LinkedIn when it first started way back in 2005 and I have built up like 10,000 39 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:35,160 connections. 40 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:39,120 Plus I have been big in events. 41 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:43,920 I worked for an event software company for 10 years as the head of marketing. 42 00:02:43,920 --> 00:02:50,680 And so I've been to events all over the world and learned best practices for in-person event 43 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:52,560 networking. 44 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:59,400 And I think that I've worked for web-based software companies, software as a service for 45 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:05,440 the last 10 years or so, 10, 15 years or so, and I've really loved it. 46 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:11,120 And one of the things I'm working on now with my startup is how can we do better business 47 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:12,120 networking? 48 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:21,800 I think we deserve a better next generation social media experience for business networking 49 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:23,960 and that's what I'm creating with Workverse. 50 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:29,400 So happy to talk a little bit about that today because I think it has some foundational 51 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:35,320 things in what does better business networking look like? 52 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:36,320 That's great. 53 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:37,320 Okay. 54 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:46,360 So with all that, can you just share with me and with my audience what a personal experience, 55 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:48,760 how it affected your career? 56 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:55,960 Yeah, I think that a lot of really great experiences working for the growth companies 57 00:03:55,960 --> 00:04:03,320 and also very difficult at times because working in fast-paced, high-growth environments where 58 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:07,920 they really push you every day. 59 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:12,400 And so I've worked in some really great organizations. 60 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:14,640 I've worked with some great people. 61 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:23,120 But I think what I've realized over the years is people's greatest weakness is always their 62 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:25,480 greatest strength. 63 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:31,440 And that's a very interesting sociological thing for me to realize as I'm meeting new 64 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:38,200 people and networking is getting to really know them and understanding what people's 65 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:42,160 strengths really are is really where it's at for me. 66 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:48,440 And I think that the personal experience that I've had from this is that I'm a driver of 67 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:49,440 growth. 68 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:51,160 I just drive, drive, drive. 69 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:55,600 And when I was young in my career, I would just write over people because I was so excited 70 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:59,320 about getting to the goal and I would do anything in my way. 71 00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:01,440 And that was also a negative. 72 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:10,080 So that's what I mean by the biggest thing I've learned is that you have to sort of, 73 00:05:10,080 --> 00:05:15,000 even with yourself, manage your greatest strength and your greatest weakness together. 74 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:17,880 And so I think I've personally made some progress on that. 75 00:05:17,880 --> 00:05:24,360 And I've also just noticed this dynamic in other people, how they work on their strengths 76 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:25,360 and weaknesses. 77 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:27,960 And it's just a really interesting sociological thing to... 78 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:30,120 You hit on something big. 79 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:37,680 You hit on, first of all, building a personal relationship far outweighs building a customer 80 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:38,920 base. 81 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:45,160 So you're trying to get really involved with the customers, with those relationships. 82 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:52,200 But I think the most important part is that you're listening more, that you have to listen 83 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:58,320 to your prospective relationship or your prospective client. 84 00:05:58,320 --> 00:06:03,840 And you really have to listen and see what they're saying because you can't sit down 85 00:06:03,840 --> 00:06:10,360 at a table and just think about the next thing that you want to say. 86 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:13,360 But listen to what they have to say. 87 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:16,160 Pause, that's very, very important. 88 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:21,620 You're pausing and then you're responding to what they have to say. 89 00:06:21,620 --> 00:06:25,760 So it means a whole lot more to somebody, don't you think? 90 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:26,760 Absolutely. 91 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:36,680 And I think this leads to quality is so much more important than quantity and networking 92 00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:37,680 and connections. 93 00:06:37,680 --> 00:06:42,640 When I've gone to events and people said, how many business cards did you come back with? 94 00:06:42,640 --> 00:06:47,120 I'm like, it's not about the number, it's about the quality of the connection you had 95 00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:52,960 with them people and is that really going to turn into a relationship or just free 96 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:58,680 chashkis you got like t-shirts and coffee mugs that you'll never use again. 97 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:04,280 So I just think that that's very interesting is that it's really these days, I think people 98 00:07:04,280 --> 00:07:10,120 drive for the quantity of how many thousands of connections or followers you have. 99 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:13,640 And it's really not about that, it's about engagement. 100 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:19,360 So I think that's a very interesting thing for people to look at. 101 00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:21,840 I used to go to networking events. 102 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:27,800 I was in a mortgage field and I used to come home with a shoebox filled with business cards 103 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:30,640 saying, look how great I did. 104 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:36,600 And when you really think about it, I didn't speak to anybody more than like two minutes. 105 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:43,480 So the whole idea, what I tell everyone now is when you go to a networking event, let's 106 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:49,800 say it's three hours, four hours, you shouldn't come back with more than 15 or 20 business 107 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:56,200 cards because those business cards are people that you sit down with, you talked with, and 108 00:07:56,200 --> 00:08:02,680 that you'll follow up with because you know as well as I do, the follow up is more important 109 00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:06,600 than actually meeting the person themselves. 110 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:09,400 So you really have to go through this. 111 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:11,560 Absolutely. 112 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:21,160 So with everything, what do you think your personal vision is? 113 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:31,960 What gives me excited every day to get going and run hard at it is I like to create something 114 00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:34,080 and to grow it. 115 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:39,000 I'm a driver of growth and that's what excites me. 116 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:43,240 That's why I've always worked for private equity and venture capital back companies is 117 00:08:43,240 --> 00:08:49,000 because I wanted to create something that has value for the people at the company, the 118 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:51,000 investors, the customers of the company. 119 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:54,480 I wanted to create that value. 120 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:59,440 I never really wanted a job that was like, oh, just maintenance mode. 121 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:02,680 You can go in there, you can grow it a little bit and get a paycheck and you can have good 122 00:09:02,680 --> 00:09:04,320 life work balance. 123 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:07,640 For some people, that's what they want and that's great. 124 00:09:07,640 --> 00:09:09,880 What I wanted is I want to work for high growth companies. 125 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:16,560 I want to work for companies that create a lot of value, double in size every year and 126 00:09:16,560 --> 00:09:24,520 really deliver something that people find helpful in reducing their costs, doing things more 127 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:26,880 efficiently or driving more revenue. 128 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:27,880 That's really what software does. 129 00:09:27,880 --> 00:09:30,120 Some people are like, how do you get so excited about software? 130 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:33,240 I'm like, it makes people's lives better. 131 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:35,440 And so that's my vision. 132 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:36,440 Yeah. 133 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:37,880 No, that's good. 134 00:09:37,880 --> 00:09:38,880 That's good. 135 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:46,000 Well, you told me your vision, but what are some challenges that you faced and how did 136 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:48,520 you overcome those challenges? 137 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:50,720 Yeah. 138 00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:58,000 So in the different companies that I've worked for, you're running the challenges of being 139 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:05,800 able to achieve growth and make it a win for everybody involved, the investors, the people, 140 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:09,720 the company, and the customers, all of those groups. 141 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:13,160 If you don't have good product market fit is one issue. 142 00:10:13,160 --> 00:10:17,760 So you have a product that doesn't really solve the issues the right way. 143 00:10:17,760 --> 00:10:23,200 And the best way to solve that is to talk to the customers and get their direct input. 144 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:31,840 The second problem I had is that certain products that were almost too niche. 145 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:38,000 So they were focused on one industry and maybe one part of one industry. 146 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:42,720 It's not necessarily a big enough idea in a lot of cases. 147 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:45,560 And so that was sort of limiting. 148 00:10:45,560 --> 00:10:54,880 Other businesses were more limited by geography to not only a country, but even local areas 149 00:10:54,880 --> 00:10:56,720 for different reasons. 150 00:10:56,720 --> 00:11:02,360 And so those sorts of limitations on business, there's ways to always solve them. 151 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:12,360 But thinking through how to walk through those steps of overcoming those obstacles takes 152 00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:17,040 a lot of practice and thought. 153 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:20,760 And some people just don't work through them and the companies just don't succeed. 154 00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:23,240 And that's sort of hard to watch. 155 00:11:23,240 --> 00:11:27,160 But when it does happen, it's amazing to watch. 156 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:28,160 It's really great. 157 00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:29,160 It's really great. 158 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:30,160 So, all right. 159 00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:39,040 So if there was one essential tip that you can give somebody to improve their networking 160 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:42,040 or sales skills, what would it be? 161 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:46,720 I learned this actually at a really young age. 162 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:51,040 There was a family friend who owned a car dealership. 163 00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:54,640 And he used to always come and spend time with my family. 164 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:57,880 And I was like, wow, that guy is like really amazing. 165 00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:00,720 What is it about that guy that is really amazing? 166 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:05,160 And my dad said, well, Eric, he runs a car dealership. 167 00:12:05,160 --> 00:12:06,360 He sells cars. 168 00:12:06,360 --> 00:12:08,200 He knows how to build relationships with people. 169 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:09,360 I'm like, well, what do you mean? 170 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:16,320 And he said, well, do you notice how he always takes an interest in you more than telling 171 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:17,320 you about himself? 172 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:18,320 And I thought about it. 173 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:20,680 I was like, wow, that's right. 174 00:12:20,680 --> 00:12:26,760 And so I think about this in terms of networking because a lot of times, whether it's at an 175 00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:31,880 in-person event or whether people call me or email me, a lot of people walk up and they'll 176 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:35,720 just start talking about themselves for like 10 minutes straight. 177 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:37,400 That's just very awkward. 178 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:44,200 Like, it's the opposite of my friend who ran the car dealership is that he would say, how 179 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:45,720 are you doing? 180 00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:47,480 Tell me, why are you here? 181 00:12:47,480 --> 00:12:49,680 What are you hoping to learn at this event? 182 00:12:49,680 --> 00:12:55,560 And he would just really take a genuine interest in everything related to me. 183 00:12:55,560 --> 00:13:01,720 And then once he had done that, I was completely willing to talk to him and hear about things 184 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:03,880 that was going on with him. 185 00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:08,720 But people don't necessarily balance that properly. 186 00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:13,240 I get emails from people all the time that it's just like, it's 100% about them. 187 00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:16,560 I get phone calls where people just jump in and there's 100% about them. 188 00:13:16,560 --> 00:13:18,120 And I even see it in-person events. 189 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:19,880 It's super awkward. 190 00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:21,560 What happens? 191 00:13:21,560 --> 00:13:26,000 Well, you know, there's a mantra in networking. 192 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:30,120 If they know you, like you, and trust you, they'll do business with you. 193 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:31,680 And I say this all the time. 194 00:13:31,680 --> 00:13:37,040 I say, you know, to know you, well, you know, everybody knows you, but likes you. 195 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:40,280 Well, that kind of cuts the numbers down in half. 196 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:44,440 But trust you, that's the kicker. 197 00:13:44,440 --> 00:13:48,360 That's what really will have those people purchase from you. 198 00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:53,040 If they know you, like you, and trust you, they will do business with you. 199 00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:58,680 So when you go to that networking table at your networking event, that's always in the 200 00:13:58,680 --> 00:14:00,560 back of your mind. 201 00:14:00,560 --> 00:14:09,640 But I use something called form, F-O-R-M, family, occupation, recreation, and a message 202 00:14:09,640 --> 00:14:12,520 that you both can be on the same level at. 203 00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:13,520 Okay? 204 00:14:13,520 --> 00:14:18,200 So I'm thinking every time when I'm talking to somebody, well, tell me about your family, 205 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:21,960 about your husband, your wife, your sister, your brother, your son. 206 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:27,040 You know, once somebody begins to talk about themselves, they love it. 207 00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:30,600 You know, they can talk about themselves for hours. 208 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:31,600 But you know what? 209 00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:36,760 You're getting them to lower the wall that's between the two of you, and they're learning 210 00:14:36,760 --> 00:14:42,640 to trust you and ask them questions about their occupation, what do they do, or, you 211 00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:48,120 know, whatever, recreation, do they like to go skiing, do they like to play baseball, 212 00:14:48,120 --> 00:14:49,120 anything like that. 213 00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:50,120 Okay? 214 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:57,640 Get them to talk about themselves, and that feeling of trust will far outweigh any other 215 00:14:57,640 --> 00:14:58,640 thing. 216 00:14:58,640 --> 00:14:59,640 Right? 217 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:04,160 So that's what I've learned with networking so far. 218 00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:05,160 Absolutely. 219 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:06,160 I agree. 220 00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:07,160 100%. 221 00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:08,160 That's great. 222 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:10,720 So it is. 223 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:20,200 So tell me, do you have something like that when you go to a networking event that you 224 00:15:20,200 --> 00:15:21,200 employ? 225 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:29,120 Yeah, I would just say take a genuine interest in other people. 226 00:15:29,120 --> 00:15:34,240 And I always start off very similar to the acronym that you have. 227 00:15:34,240 --> 00:15:39,160 If I'm at a conference where people have traveled in, I always start off, where are you from? 228 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:44,080 You know, and then I can take clues from where they're from. 229 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:48,480 Are they in sports teams from that area? 230 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:55,400 Often you can tell people they're interest by different things that they're wearing, 231 00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:56,400 that they have with them. 232 00:15:56,400 --> 00:15:59,120 And you just take a general interest in other people. 233 00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:02,920 And it's fascinating that if you get into the conversations like you were just saying, 234 00:16:02,920 --> 00:16:08,420 and you let people talk about themselves for a majority of the conversation, when those 235 00:16:08,420 --> 00:16:13,880 people walk away from the conversation, they're like, the other person's like, wow, that was 236 00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:18,160 an amazing conversation because people love to hear themselves talk about themselves. 237 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:25,240 Whereas if the ratio is flipped, if you went in and talked 80, 90, 100% about just yourself, 238 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:27,280 people would be like, that was a terrible conversation. 239 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:34,120 So that's sort of my formula is let the other person do the majority of the talking, not 240 00:16:34,120 --> 00:16:38,120 to the extreme where it's awkward, but I think you don't want to be like questioning people 241 00:16:38,120 --> 00:16:39,920 and just asking question, question, question. 242 00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:42,440 But having a good natural conversation. 243 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:47,760 And I think the real art form of that is just taking a genuine interest. 244 00:16:47,760 --> 00:16:54,560 People can tell when you're genuinely interest or when you're just trying to say something. 245 00:16:54,560 --> 00:16:58,400 Like if you bring up things like the weather, that's not super helpful. 246 00:16:58,400 --> 00:16:59,400 Right. 247 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:04,760 Well, I always inject humor into everything that I do. 248 00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:10,920 And when you have somebody who is not funny and they're injecting humor, they can always 249 00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:17,080 tell when you're forcing the humor to come out because you're like, that really wasn't 250 00:17:17,080 --> 00:17:18,080 that funny. 251 00:17:18,080 --> 00:17:20,240 So I'm going to walk over this way. 252 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:25,360 So you really have to be careful with what you say and how you do it, but you're right. 253 00:17:25,360 --> 00:17:27,320 Let them talk about themselves. 254 00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:34,720 And I think the conversation will go in the direction which you would like it to. 255 00:17:34,720 --> 00:17:42,800 And with everything that you've said, what's your favorite marketing tactic? 256 00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:50,720 My favorite marketing tactic is really if I want people to spend time with me, then 257 00:17:50,720 --> 00:17:54,800 there needs to be an offer of value for them. 258 00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:58,560 And this is also my biggest pet peeve is when people ask me for my time and they're not 259 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:01,960 really offering me any value because I place a value on my time. 260 00:18:01,960 --> 00:18:03,720 And most other people do too. 261 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:13,480 So if someone comes to me and says, for example, hey, Eric, we will do an assessment of your 262 00:18:13,480 --> 00:18:17,080 website with no obligation on your part. 263 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:23,680 Would you take 20 minutes to hear the result of the analysis that we did? 264 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:27,160 I'd be like, yeah, I'm interested because there's value in that for me. 265 00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:28,160 They've made me an offer. 266 00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:29,520 They're going to give me some insights. 267 00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:33,640 I may or may not do anything with those insights, but they're made an offer. 268 00:18:33,640 --> 00:18:37,560 What I really hate is when people are just like, hey, can you just give me 30 minutes 269 00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:38,560 of your time? 270 00:18:38,560 --> 00:18:41,040 And I'm like, no. 271 00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:42,600 My time is $400 an hour. 272 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:46,560 So why would I just give you 30 minutes so you can sell me something? 273 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:47,560 No. 274 00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:51,880 So I think having a valuable offer for people, it can be content. 275 00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:58,360 It can be an analysis that you give to someone on a complimentary basis. 276 00:18:58,360 --> 00:19:03,240 It can be some value that they would get from it, specific to the use case to what you're 277 00:19:03,240 --> 00:19:04,240 selling. 278 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:05,240 It can be related to what you're doing. 279 00:19:05,240 --> 00:19:10,880 You don't have to do things that are unrelated, but walk into it and give other people value 280 00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:14,280 and don't require a commitment out of them to get it. 281 00:19:14,280 --> 00:19:16,240 That always works. 282 00:19:16,240 --> 00:19:22,040 100% of the times I've done that sort of marketing, campaigning program. 283 00:19:22,040 --> 00:19:23,280 Okay. 284 00:19:23,280 --> 00:19:33,080 So give me one takeaway that anybody who's listening, that they can use today or tomorrow 285 00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:40,000 that they're going out, what's one takeaway that they can use right away? 286 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:51,520 I think the takeaway is be clear about who you want to serve as a customer and find out 287 00:19:51,520 --> 00:19:57,040 how you can give them some value before you enter into a formal relationship where they're 288 00:19:57,040 --> 00:19:58,040 paying you. 289 00:19:58,040 --> 00:20:03,280 And if you can figure out something that would be truly valuable to the customer you want 290 00:20:03,280 --> 00:20:10,000 and you can offer that to them, your conversion rates on networking and selling will go through 291 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:12,000 the roof. 292 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:13,000 Absolutely. 293 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:14,000 Absolutely. 294 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:20,480 I always felt that you have to find what their problem is. 295 00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:24,760 You have to find because wherever you go to a networking event, they're selling something, 296 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:28,320 doing something, that is their problem. 297 00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:38,200 And what you have to do is offer a solution to the problem and then everything will happen 298 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:39,880 almost immediately. 299 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:46,520 So it's a matter of you getting to that point of offering what you can offer, you can have 300 00:20:46,520 --> 00:20:53,760 a solution to their problem, whatever it may be at the time, and it would go far. 301 00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:54,760 Absolutely. 302 00:20:54,760 --> 00:20:58,680 Okay, so let me ask you a question. 303 00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:04,360 If somebody were to get a hold of you, how would they do it? 304 00:21:04,360 --> 00:21:11,760 So they can do it on LinkedIn, of course, and they can also check out my company's website, 305 00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:12,760 WorkForce.com. 306 00:21:12,760 --> 00:21:14,480 They can connect with me there as well. 307 00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:20,800 So either of those places is great and always welcome the opportunity to meet new people 308 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:24,280 and get to know them. 309 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:25,280 That's great. 310 00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:26,640 Eric, thank you very much. 311 00:21:26,640 --> 00:21:32,240 I had a great time, a great conversation, and I think we'll both be doing a lot of networking 312 00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:33,800 in the future. 313 00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:34,800 Likewise. 314 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:36,680 Thanks for having me on the show. 315 00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:38,040 Appreciate it. 316 00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:41,040 Well, that's a wrap, folks. 317 00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:46,600 A huge thank you to our special guests for sharing such incredible insights today and, 318 00:21:46,600 --> 00:21:52,640 of course, a big shout out to you, our amazing listeners, for tuning in and spending your 319 00:21:52,640 --> 00:21:54,240 time with us. 320 00:21:54,240 --> 00:21:57,960 Remember, networking isn't about being perfect. 321 00:21:57,960 --> 00:21:59,640 It's about being present. 322 00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:04,960 So take what you've learned today, get out there, and make some meaningful connections. 323 00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:10,000 If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave us a review, and share 324 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:14,360 it with someone who could use a little networking inspiration. 325 00:22:14,360 --> 00:22:16,680 Let's keep the conversation going. 326 00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:23,520 You can find me on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or my website, MichaelAForman.com. 327 00:22:23,520 --> 00:22:30,680 Remember, until next time, keep practicing, keep connecting, and keep building those relationships. 328 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:33,280 This is Michael A. Foreman signing off. 329 00:22:33,280 --> 00:22:45,480 Take care, and happy networking.