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Hello, and welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building Profitable Connections.

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Welcome on your host, Michael Forman, and you're listening to the podcast where networking

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is more than just an awkward handshake and bad coffee.

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It's an art and talent.

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Yep, even if you're the person hiding in a corner at every event pretending to check

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emails, this is for you.

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Networking isn't just a nice skill to have, it's a game changer.

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When you get good at it, you'll wonder why you didn't start sooner.

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More connections, more opportunities, more profits.

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It's like unlocking a cheat code for the life of the party, or let me just stay in

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the text type.

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Let me just stay home and text type.

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We've got something for you.

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Stick around and let's turn those awkward small talk moments.

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Her name is Erica, and I will say here, let me just say, Erica is a cost reduction expert

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dedicated to helping businesses save on expenses and maximize their bottom line.

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A born entrepreneur, she launched her career at just 21 by developing a patent in the cosmetic

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industry, later building a successful marketing agency.

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Now Erica combines her expertise and innovation and strategy to deliver a real value to her

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clients.

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Hi, Erica.

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How you doing?

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I'm great.

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How are you, Michael?

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Not so bad.

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Did I do okay with your introduction, or you want to add a little bit?

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Absolutely.

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The only thing that I would add is that it's been a world win, and especially for young

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people having to really adapt to a lot of different changes during the pandemic, but

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you got my bio pretty good.

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All right, and it's funny that you mentioned the pandemic because that was really the beginning

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of networking and going back to networking, the way we used to do it 100 years ago, but

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it's the face-to-face networking that we're missing.

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But how would you approach building a genuine connection?

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Okay.

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So, Michael, this is a loaded question, and I want to feed off of in-person as well as

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online.

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So what I typically try to do is first and foremost, try to pick a target audience when

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you're networking, because if you're on LinkedIn and you're trying to connect with people, it's

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going to be a lot easier to connect with people in a niche versus just having a broad topic.

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So I'd say that's the first and the biggest one that I found to be helpful when trying

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to make connections with people before even becoming genuine.

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The second piece to that is go in on LinkedIn and start connecting and commenting on people's

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posts.

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So you'll see a lot of people, they're liking, but they're not commenting.

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So when you start to create a comment, and you're the first one to create a comment,

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you create this recall and recognition in people's heads.

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Now, hey, I know, let's go check out so-and-so, let's look at their profile, let's see what

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they do.

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Then the second piece is what I've done to create that genuine connection is I don't

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go spamming people.

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I don't go right into their messages and say, hey, here's what I do.

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I will look at their posts and try to create something genuine out of it, like, hey, I really

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like this that you posted about today.

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So someone posted about the trades and how parents and schools need to get on board with

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promoting it.

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And it's, you know, university is not always for everybody.

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And in the trades, it's another way or another angle to get into the workforce if you don't

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have that intellectual ability to sit and focus and read a textbook from beginning to

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end.

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Then into the person's DM and I said, hey, you know, I really like this post and now we're

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having a conversation.

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So you find things that you're building on to get into their direct messages.

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Then I would also say, and that's just a very broad overview of what you can do on LinkedIn.

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Now the other piece and the other genuine way I try to stay connected and when I go to

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events and in person events is I like to look at who first and foremost, who's going to

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this event.

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There's been many times from somebody like myself that has gone to women events where

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their MLMs, their real estate agents, great, that's not my target audience.

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So what I do is I always look to see who's going, who potentially is going, what kind

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of event it's going to be and I'll actually reach out to them on LinkedIn and say, hey,

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I'm going to be at this event.

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Love to meet you in person.

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That helps get the ball rolling because you're not going to be able to meet everyone all

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at once.

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You want to be able to connect with let's say 10 to 15 people if it's a two hour window.

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And if you're lucky that those 10 to 15.

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So from there, when I get into that networking event, I like to let them do the talking to

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see if I'm also a fit.

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And then you try to find what we call distinctive value.

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So try to find something within that networking event that they like or it's a hobby or something

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outside of business that you can bring back in that creates that genuine connection.

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What you're saying resonates so much because what you're saying is exactly what I promote.

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All right.

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So when I go up and I meet a person, I think of the word form, F-O-R-M, it's family, occupation,

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art creation, and a message, anything to get onto the same level as them.

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So what you're saying truly comes in very handy when you're just walking up to a table,

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you don't start talking, you listen and you listen for the conversation to see whether

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or not it's a good fit for you.

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And if it is, that's great.

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If not, then you very politely back out and move on.

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But more importantly, what you said about going and seeing the type of people that attend

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this event is so important because otherwise you're wasting your time.

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And your time is so valuable that you can't really do that much.

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So when you said you're collecting 10 to 15 business cards, that is perfect.

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I say in a three-hour event, three to four-hour event, you collect 15 to 20 business cards.

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And that's it.

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I used to collect a shoebox full of business cards and say, oh, look how great I did until

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I realized I want to build a relationship more so than just a client.

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So can you share a specific example of how a strategic networking relationship significantly

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impacted your business?

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Okay.

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I would say connecting sometimes with somebody that's not a direct client but could help

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you in so many other ways.

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And to me, that's also a strategic partner.

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So I'll give you an example.

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I connected with this guy named Jonathan.

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He was actually one of the first people that got me into the construction space.

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What makes him strategic and how we help each other out is every single week we have a 15

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minute call.

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Hey, how's it going?

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Who can I refer you to?

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You know, what's happening here?

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What's happening there?

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So we were having a call yesterday.

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I was at this firm out in Stony Creek and they're looking for grants.

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I said, hold on.

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I think I have somebody that can help you.

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And right this morning, I made an introduction to a person that can help with, it's called

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the Shred Program here in Canada, which helps manufacturing people that are in the scientific

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space get grants.

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So I would also encourage people to look at strategic partners as, hey, they could be

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direct clients, but he's just one of the examples where because we're always top of mind of

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each other, I'm always saying, hey, you know what?

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Let's go talk to Jonathan.

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Let's go talk to this person.

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Otherwise, they're going to forget who you are if you don't follow up.

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And it's not just following up after networking events saying, great to meet you, but does

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that CPA, does that marketer, does whoever it is that they do come to mind when you're

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also talking to other people?

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That's great, but it's great for one or two people.

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But if you have five or six or 10 strategic partners, I'm using that term loosely, how

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do you stay in contact with them?

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Quarterly events.

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I also do posts about them.

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It's all about connection and it can happen in different ways.

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It's sending a text message.

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It's sending an introduction.

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It's a Christmas card.

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A follow-up card on their birthday.

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It's also what you mentioned earlier and your acronym.

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What about that distinctive value?

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Can you relate back to them?

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So if I call someone and you know what, maybe you might not have a connection in six months

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from now, but they are a swimmer, send them something about swimming or a competition

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that's going on.

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That's great.

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That's wonderful advice and everybody listening should really pay attention.

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But now let's switch it around a little bit.

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People usually have a fear of networking, of getting involved.

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Now what would you say is the biggest fear that you can think of and how would you overcome

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it?

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Okay.

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So when I first started networking, my biggest fear was that I was too young because a lot

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of these networking events that I go to, I'm one of the youngest people in the room.

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And some advice that was given to me, especially if you're an introvert, contact the director

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or the person that's hosting and say, hey, listen, I'm a little shy.

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This is what I do for some of the people that I can get in contact with at this event that

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you think could be a good fit for me to meet.

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This way, that person, when you get to the event, will direct you to that person.

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You can have a conversation and then sometimes other people will join in.

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And by the time you know it, the networking event is already over.

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You've made so many connections.

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Right.

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That's so true.

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With doing all of this, everybody is bound to make a mistake.

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And so what's a common mistake that you have seen made or you've made personally and had

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you overcome?

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Talking too much.

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So I mentioned this a little bit earlier.

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Let them do the talking and figure out if they're the right fit for you.

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Because sometimes not everyone's going to want what I came from in this space before.

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Not everyone wants us to talk to a marketer.

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Not everyone wants to talk to a cost reduction expert.

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Let them do the talking, see what they're looking for, because it goes also back to

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your strategic partners.

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If they might not be a fit for you, they could be a good fit for somebody else.

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And at least you can say, hey, after the event, you know what?

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I'm not a good fit for you, but you know what?

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I know somebody that can do this.

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Let me get you in contact.

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So it's kind of like a first date.

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Just ask the questions or like a sales call.

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Just ask the questions, let them answer.

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Then go into what you're trying to achieve.

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That was great.

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It's great advice.

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And I'm sure that everybody listening has gone through something like that.

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And that's a great way to overcome it.

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Okay, give me your top three strategies for ensuring networking interaction that leads

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to actionable results.

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Okay.

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So first and foremost, yes, give them their business card, but make sure that every business

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card that you're getting, you're following up with them within 24 hours, within three

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months.

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Make sure you have almost like a schedule because if you don't keep up with them, they

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don't keep up with you.

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That card goes right into the garbage.

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That's something I would say the first thing that is actionable.

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Second thing that I would say is don't just go to one networking event a month.

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Try three or four.

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See what you like.

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Go to different industries.

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See what other people are doing.

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And I would also say it doesn't have to be a B&I meeting.

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Before this call, I got someone that messaged me to go to a museum out in Kleinberg where

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I am.

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Look at different types of networking.

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Look at Gallas.

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Look to see what's online.

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Just get yourself out there and also make a schedule and say, okay, if I'm going to these

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five events, how many people, like you said earlier, how many people are there?

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How many people do you want to connect with each hour?

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And what do you want to get out of it?

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And I think when you start putting together your CRM and putting tasks, hey, follow up

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with this person, reconnect with this person, you're on the path to success.

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And then the third thing that I want to also say is sometimes, and the third piece of this

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is some people you got to let go.

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Something is like a needle in the haystack.

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To find good strategic partners is not easy.

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And it takes time to build.

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And some people you got to let go.

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So another piece of advice someone gave to me is you're going to give a referral.

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Let's say I give a referral today.

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You're going to do one next week, maybe one from a month from now, and then let's say

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two months from now.

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So you're always staying top of mind.

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But if that person cannot give you one referral back, they're going into the yellow zone, like

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proceed with caution.

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I just gave you four leads.

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And not only did you not say thank you, but also it's a two-way street here.

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That's very good.

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Now, what do you do with that business card?

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Flip it over, write down the date of the event, the name of the event, and something you spoke

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about so that when in two weeks, when you look at that business card, you remember, it jogs

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your memory, oh, you know what?

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I talked about that with him, and we can talk even further.

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So that's one.

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As putting it on your calendar, that is so important.

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Because one thing I profess is for you to get out there and just start going.

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Just listen, you're going to be horrible at it.

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The first one's going to be a mess.

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Don't want to go.

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Then go to a second one and a third one.

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Put it on your calendar for every other week, every three weeks.

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Doesn't matter.

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But put it on a calendar.

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Okay?

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So those are very important strategies, and that's just a little help.

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Now, I always put a lot of emphasis on the follow-up.

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Okay?

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What type of follow-up do you have when you meet somebody, let's say that evening, what

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would your follow-up strategy be for that person?

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The first thing that I do is I go on LinkedIn, and I look to see if they're active.

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If they're active, I go and follow them, and I connect the first thing.

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The second thing that I do is I will send an email just to say, hey, thank you for connecting

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or I'll send them a message on LinkedIn.

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And then depending on if I haven't got anything back, then I pick up the phone and call.

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Okay.

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So my secret sauce, so to speak, with the follow-up, because I feel that the follow-up

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is probably either close to just meeting the person or even more important.

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So when you get back from the event, either your office or home, you send that email and

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say thank you for your time.

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Right?

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Hey, Erica, this is Mike.

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I met you tonight.

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Wonderful time.

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Thank you for your time.

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Mike, that's it.

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And just leave it as that.

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The next morning, the very next morning, you write a handwritten thank you note.

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You write almost the same thing.

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Hi, Erica.

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This is Mike.

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I met you on such and such date, such and such an event.

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We spoke about your husband, son, brother, whatever.

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Michael, put your business card in it and send it to them.

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Now what does that do?

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Could you imagine sitting down and receiving that thank you note?

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Nobody does that, except for the people, of course, that I coach, but nobody does that.

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So they picked up that thank you note.

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So if that doesn't prompt them to send an email, almost nothing will.

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But a thank you note, you write them another email.

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Hey, Erica, this is Michael.

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I met you on such and such a week.

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It's open.

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Do one of those days work for you and sign and send it.

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Okay?

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So each time, increasing the probability of a response, you have to practice.

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The more you practice, the better you get, the better you get, the more you will enjoy.

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So what are some common challenges that business professionals face and how can they overcome

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them?

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Okay.

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I just want to dive into this question at networking or just in general?

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Networking.

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Okay.

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So I would say one of my common challenges or things that I had to learn is when to cut

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people off and even on a Zoom call.

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So what I always do is I always say, now, hey, I have a hard stop at three o'clock.

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I have a hard stop at four, 15, or I've also set an agenda so that if I'm having this virtual

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coffee and let's say they go into a straight pitch and they're not building a relationship

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whatsoever, I set that agenda.

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And then if I think it's going out of hand, I ended as well and say, hey, you know, I

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forgot I had this meeting at three o'clock.

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That would be one thing.

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Second thing that I also find it's hard for business professionals, including myself,

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is let's say you're networking on LinkedIn.

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So it's kind of hard to see right now, but on my piece of paper here, I have for today

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that I need to do 20 comments.

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I need to follow 20 followers, connect to 25 new people, and send 15 messages.

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Having that consistency every single day, especially when you have meeting after meeting

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or you're trying to, you got this networking event and so many other things, it is hard

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to stay consistent.

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But I would also say that that can be challenging for business professionals sometimes.

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But when you are consistent and when you put that goal in and you say, hey, I'm going to

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do this, you're doing the time for the crime that you that you wanted to get out and you

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got it.

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Good.

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Very good.

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Very good.

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Okay.

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Last two questions.

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What's your favorite marketing tactic?

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My favorite marketing tactic.

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So coming from the marketing world, this is a tough question to answer because they all

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work in unison sometimes and you have to be doing different things to create that recall

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and recognition.

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But my favorite marketing tactic has to be organic content.

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When you're putting out a lot of pieces of content and let's say you're shy or you're

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not good at the networking piece, this is also networking because you're building trust

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and creating relationships and you're doing it through pieces of content.

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So if you're consistent with it, you're going to gain traction.

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You're going to gain followers.

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You're going to understand also what works, what doesn't work and people are going to

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come into your funnel and say, hey, you know what, I'd love to sit down and chat because

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of the reach that you're going to get versus the 10 to 20 people that you have intimately

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at a networking event.

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It's also another way to expand that reach.

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Okay.

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Okay.

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Last question.

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Give me one takeaway that my audience can use today.

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I want to go back to what you said earlier about the Hen written notes.

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And being someone that actually received only three of them out of the amount of people

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that I've networked in the past two years, I still remember who sent it to me.

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And it's still top of mind.

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And it's something that even I want to do now and I forgot about to do.

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So that's what I would say.

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What my one piece of advice is, but also yours moving forward.

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It's a great tactic.

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Okay.

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It's true, but it is so powerful.

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And as many people as I coach, as many workshops as I do where I tell them to do this, nobody

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does it outside of the people that I coach, of course, but it becomes so powerful and

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you remain top of mind.

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So that's why it's so important.

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Erica.

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So if anybody wants to get hold of you and enlist your services, how would they do it?

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You can reach me on LinkedIn.

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My last name is a little bit tough, but it's spelled G I U G G I O.

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I'm a phone person.

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I am a millennial, but I promise I will pick up the phone.

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You can call me at 416-605-0193 or you can just shoot me an email at EricaJujo at SchoolieMetal.com.

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Perfect.

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That's perfect.

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Erica, I want to thank you so much for coming on.

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You have it.

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You have, you know what you have to do.

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You're doing it and you're showing results from it.

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So if anybody wants to take note and talk to Erica, please contact her and ask her how

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she's doing it or hire her as a coach.

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I'll talk to you soon.

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Thank you so much, Michael.

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You're welcome.

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Well, that's a wrap, folks.

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A huge thank you to our special guests for sharing such incredible insights today.

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And of course, a big shout out to you, our amazing listeners for tuning in and spending

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your time with us.

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Remember, networking isn't about being perfect.

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It's about being present.

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So take what you've learned today, get out there, and make some meaningful connections.

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If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave us a review, and share

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it with someone who could use a little networking inspiration.

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Let's keep the conversation going.

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You can find me on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or my website, MichaelAForman.com.

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Remember, until next time, keep practicing, keep connecting, and keep building those relationships.

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This is Michael A. Foreman signing off.

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Take care, and happy networking.