WEBVTT 00:00:16.429 --> 00:00:20.589 Yes, and welcome to Networking Unleashed, building 00:00:20.589 --> 00:00:23.789 profitable connections. Welcome back to the show, 00:00:23.829 --> 00:00:27.170 folks. I'm your host, Michael Foreman, and you're 00:00:27.170 --> 00:00:29.809 listening to the podcast where networking is 00:00:29.809 --> 00:00:32.770 more than just awkward handshakes and bad coffee. 00:00:33.170 --> 00:00:36.530 It's an art and a talent. But here's the twist. 00:00:36.750 --> 00:00:39.950 It's an art and talent you can actually learn. 00:00:40.250 --> 00:00:43.030 Yes, even if you're the person hiding in the 00:00:43.030 --> 00:00:46.320 corner at every event. pretending to check emails. 00:00:47.340 --> 00:00:50.740 Networking isn't just a nice skill to have. It's 00:00:50.740 --> 00:00:53.820 a game changer. And when you get good at it, 00:00:53.920 --> 00:00:57.280 you'll wonder why you didn't start sooner. More 00:00:57.280 --> 00:01:00.520 connections, more opportunities, more profits. 00:01:00.799 --> 00:01:04.340 It's like unlocking a cheat code for life. So 00:01:04.340 --> 00:01:06.840 whether you're the life of the party or the just 00:01:06.840 --> 00:01:09.459 let me stay at home and text type, we've got 00:01:09.459 --> 00:01:12.379 something for you. So stick around and let's 00:01:12.379 --> 00:01:15.480 turn those awkward small talk moments. into big 00:01:15.480 --> 00:01:19.859 wins. Now, I have a guest today. Her name is 00:01:19.859 --> 00:01:23.680 Amanda Greenberg, Amanda Brooke Greenberg, and 00:01:23.680 --> 00:01:27.799 she's got quite an extensive background. I'm 00:01:27.799 --> 00:01:30.519 going to read you a little part of it. Amanda 00:01:30.519 --> 00:01:34.079 is the founder of the A -Initiative and social 00:01:34.079 --> 00:01:37.799 media influencer with, ready, with the at symbol, 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:42.560 From Apple to Orange, a Miami resident by way 00:01:42.560 --> 00:01:45.909 of New York City. With over 15 years of experience 00:01:45.909 --> 00:01:50.530 in marketing, communications, marketing and communications, 00:01:51.049 --> 00:01:55.010 Amanda has a broad experience. Amanda has a broad 00:01:55.010 --> 00:01:59.890 expertise in working with clients in the fashion, 00:01:59.950 --> 00:02:02.870 lifestyle, beauty, and hospitality industries. 00:02:03.409 --> 00:02:07.090 So before I butcher this any more than I already 00:02:07.090 --> 00:02:11.560 have, Amanda, welcome to the podcast. And please 00:02:11.560 --> 00:02:14.280 introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about 00:02:14.280 --> 00:02:17.139 your background. Thank you. Thank you for having 00:02:17.139 --> 00:02:22.020 me here today. I'm honored. And yeah, so my background 00:02:22.020 --> 00:02:26.300 started in New York City. I interned for a magazine 00:02:26.300 --> 00:02:29.280 in college and then immediately moved the city 00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:33.120 right after I graduated, took a job doing PR 00:02:33.120 --> 00:02:36.479 for a fine jewelry brand. I was the assistant 00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:39.810 level at that time. Learned everything I could 00:02:39.810 --> 00:02:42.490 from my first boss. She was incredible. Still 00:02:42.490 --> 00:02:45.490 in contact with her today and soaked up all the 00:02:45.490 --> 00:02:48.349 information I could and then made my way up in 00:02:48.349 --> 00:02:51.830 that company. Then I switched over to an agency 00:02:51.830 --> 00:02:54.909 where I had a range of clients in the fashion 00:02:54.909 --> 00:02:59.189 space, big retailers and e -tailers like Bergdorf 00:02:59.189 --> 00:03:02.569 Goodman and Net -A -Porter Group and Home Shopping 00:03:02.569 --> 00:03:05.500 Networks. And then also some... contemporary 00:03:05.500 --> 00:03:08.919 and luxury fashion brands so we worked with everybody 00:03:08.919 --> 00:03:13.900 from Marquesa to Aritzia and Uniqlo and then 00:03:13.900 --> 00:03:16.180 some smaller less known brands that we helped 00:03:16.180 --> 00:03:20.159 build and create and then after being in New 00:03:20.159 --> 00:03:24.099 York for a decade I moved down to Miami and went 00:03:24.099 --> 00:03:27.860 into hospitality PR because there isn't such 00:03:27.860 --> 00:03:31.419 an amazing fashion industry down here and I wanted 00:03:31.419 --> 00:03:34.400 to make sure that I was you know working in the 00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:37.500 industry that made sense for the market. And 00:03:37.500 --> 00:03:41.099 I took a job as PR director and communications 00:03:41.099 --> 00:03:44.560 director for Nikki Beach, which is a global hospitality 00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:47.439 brand. They have restaurants, beach clubs and 00:03:47.439 --> 00:03:50.080 hotels and resorts all around the world across 00:03:50.080 --> 00:03:53.120 their social media division. I did all the internal 00:03:53.120 --> 00:03:56.879 and external communications and then. I also 00:03:56.879 --> 00:04:00.520 did a lot of networking there and learning and 00:04:00.520 --> 00:04:04.259 growing as an in -house professional. And then 00:04:04.259 --> 00:04:08.000 I also simultaneously had just started my social 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:10.699 media platform, which is from Apple to Orange, 00:04:10.800 --> 00:04:12.840 as you said. So from the Big Apple, New York, 00:04:12.860 --> 00:04:16.519 to the Florida Orange and started parallel pathing 00:04:16.519 --> 00:04:20.399 with that, growing a following on my Instagram 00:04:20.399 --> 00:04:24.920 platform. And then right after COVID, I took 00:04:24.920 --> 00:04:28.250 a step back. looked at my life as many of us 00:04:28.250 --> 00:04:31.470 did at the time and said, where am I going? What 00:04:31.470 --> 00:04:33.769 are my goals? How am I going to reach them? And 00:04:33.769 --> 00:04:36.990 I realized that while I loved my job, it was 00:04:36.990 --> 00:04:39.370 time to step out on my own. And I started the 00:04:39.370 --> 00:04:43.170 A Initiative, which is my marketing and PR agency. 00:04:43.709 --> 00:04:46.769 I work with a range of clients now pulling in 00:04:46.769 --> 00:04:49.970 from all of my background experience. So fashion, 00:04:50.089 --> 00:04:54.850 lifestyle, beauty, hospitality, F &B, and nonprofit. 00:04:55.610 --> 00:04:59.870 So that's a quick overview. Not so quick. That's 00:04:59.870 --> 00:05:02.990 OK, but you can see why I handed it over. So 00:05:02.990 --> 00:05:05.310 I didn't want to butcher it any more than I already 00:05:05.310 --> 00:05:09.209 have. So I thank you for that. OK, so first off, 00:05:09.389 --> 00:05:13.329 how has your approach to networking evolved over 00:05:13.329 --> 00:05:16.829 your 15 year career in marketing and communications? 00:05:17.750 --> 00:05:21.509 Yeah, so. That is a great question, and it's 00:05:21.509 --> 00:05:24.250 definitely evolved as I've gotten more mature 00:05:24.250 --> 00:05:27.790 and confident. I think confidence is a big part 00:05:27.790 --> 00:05:30.110 of it. And in order to have confidence, you really 00:05:30.110 --> 00:05:32.509 have to understand what you're doing. When I 00:05:32.509 --> 00:05:35.509 started my first PR job at the fine jewelry brand 00:05:35.509 --> 00:05:38.550 in New York City, my boss at the time kept saying 00:05:38.550 --> 00:05:41.009 to me, you need to make editor relationships. 00:05:41.370 --> 00:05:43.889 These magazine editors are going to be the bread 00:05:43.889 --> 00:05:46.250 and butter of your success as you grow in your 00:05:46.250 --> 00:05:50.389 career for traditional PR. And she would challenge 00:05:50.389 --> 00:05:53.110 me to take out a certain amount of editors to 00:05:53.110 --> 00:05:56.689 lunch or dinner or manicures, whatever it was, 00:05:56.689 --> 00:06:00.209 or a walk at least once a week. And that was 00:06:00.209 --> 00:06:03.370 like part of my measurement of success in that 00:06:03.370 --> 00:06:07.350 role. So she really pushed me into it. I remember 00:06:07.350 --> 00:06:09.889 feeling so uncomfortable at times, especially 00:06:09.889 --> 00:06:12.589 if I was taking out editors that were my senior. 00:06:13.279 --> 00:06:15.759 And not really always knowing what to say to 00:06:15.759 --> 00:06:18.420 them. And then as I did it more, I got more and 00:06:18.420 --> 00:06:22.720 more comfortable. Now, over 15 years later, I 00:06:22.720 --> 00:06:25.560 feel like I can walk into a room, commands the 00:06:25.560 --> 00:06:28.899 attention of a conversation as I need to learn 00:06:28.899 --> 00:06:32.600 from people that I'm speaking with. And I'm a 00:06:32.600 --> 00:06:35.519 completely different type and style of networker 00:06:35.519 --> 00:06:39.899 at this point. Yeah, everybody has that certain 00:06:39.899 --> 00:06:43.819 somebody that kind of pushed them. That was either 00:06:43.819 --> 00:06:46.819 their mentor or something else. But everybody 00:06:46.819 --> 00:06:51.420 has that person. And it sounds like she was very 00:06:51.420 --> 00:06:53.759 good to you and pushed you in the right direction. 00:06:54.420 --> 00:06:57.480 Yeah, she was great to me. And when I went out 00:06:57.480 --> 00:07:00.800 and started my own agency, she actually is the 00:07:00.800 --> 00:07:03.620 first person that really threw me business and 00:07:03.620 --> 00:07:06.699 let me also work on some of her clients so that 00:07:06.699 --> 00:07:09.899 I could get my footing. So I am forever appreciative 00:07:09.899 --> 00:07:13.980 and indebted to her. Wow, that's great. Yeah. 00:07:14.100 --> 00:07:17.680 Okay, so let's change it to your industry itself. 00:07:17.899 --> 00:07:22.300 How does networking differ in the fashion, lifestyle, 00:07:22.500 --> 00:07:26.579 beauty, and hospitality industries compared to 00:07:26.579 --> 00:07:30.639 other sectors? It's much more casual. I think 00:07:30.639 --> 00:07:34.079 that even going on a job interview in this industry 00:07:34.079 --> 00:07:37.560 is much more casual than I would imagine a finance 00:07:37.560 --> 00:07:40.699 interview or a legal interview or a medical professional. 00:07:41.500 --> 00:07:44.519 For fashion, for example, the way you show up, 00:07:44.540 --> 00:07:48.160 what you're wearing matters. If you want to look 00:07:48.160 --> 00:07:51.019 and feel the part for whatever job you're trying 00:07:51.019 --> 00:07:53.720 to get, and it's similar with networking, right? 00:07:53.920 --> 00:07:57.160 In this industry, you want to understand who 00:07:57.160 --> 00:07:59.899 you're stepping into a room with and make sure 00:07:59.899 --> 00:08:04.000 that you're appropriate for that group of people. 00:08:04.139 --> 00:08:06.139 So if I'm going somewhere and I know it's going 00:08:06.139 --> 00:08:09.529 to be like... a bunch of restaurant industry 00:08:09.529 --> 00:08:13.569 professionals, bartenders, servers, general managers, 00:08:13.810 --> 00:08:16.029 like they're probably going to be more chill. 00:08:16.050 --> 00:08:18.910 So I'm probably going to wear jeans and come 00:08:18.910 --> 00:08:22.509 with a more vibrant approach and have a cocktail 00:08:22.509 --> 00:08:25.649 with them and chill and relax versus maybe a 00:08:25.649 --> 00:08:27.709 fashion industry event. I'm for sure putting 00:08:27.709 --> 00:08:30.990 on heels. I'm definitely going to make sure I 00:08:30.990 --> 00:08:34.279 look really polished. And I'm going to have probably 00:08:34.279 --> 00:08:36.580 just read Women's Wear Daily the past couple 00:08:36.580 --> 00:08:39.000 issues so I know what's going on. So I have things 00:08:39.000 --> 00:08:43.000 to speak to them about. I love networking in 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:47.480 my type of industry because I think that people 00:08:47.480 --> 00:08:50.100 are so passionate about what they do. So the 00:08:50.100 --> 00:08:53.879 communication on the topic of what we do is so 00:08:53.879 --> 00:08:58.159 important versus maybe. At an illegal event, 00:08:58.419 --> 00:09:00.799 you don't want to talk about your caseload as 00:09:00.799 --> 00:09:04.019 heavily, but we are talking about our industry 00:09:04.019 --> 00:09:08.500 nonstop because we're creative and it's so much 00:09:08.500 --> 00:09:12.879 in our DNA. It's great. You mentioned your Instagram 00:09:12.879 --> 00:09:16.259 handle and how much you increase your followers. 00:09:16.539 --> 00:09:20.399 How do you balance the digital and the traditional 00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:23.740 networking that you've experienced? That's a 00:09:23.740 --> 00:09:26.919 great question. Digital networking should feel 00:09:26.919 --> 00:09:31.919 a lot like in -person networking. In order to 00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:34.980 form relationships with people, you need to reach 00:09:34.980 --> 00:09:38.460 out to them and connect on a point that resonates 00:09:38.460 --> 00:09:41.179 with them, right? If you want to make a digital 00:09:41.179 --> 00:09:44.360 relationship, you're going to comment on somebody 00:09:44.360 --> 00:09:48.220 else's post. Find things that are a commonality 00:09:48.220 --> 00:09:51.059 that you can speak to. Maybe you're going to 00:09:51.059 --> 00:09:53.299 send them a direct message and tell them that 00:09:53.299 --> 00:09:55.259 you loved something or that you did something 00:09:55.259 --> 00:09:58.580 similar. And you're going to start building friends 00:09:58.580 --> 00:10:02.000 online by doing that. It's imperative when you're 00:10:02.000 --> 00:10:05.039 networking in my industry to have some sort of 00:10:05.039 --> 00:10:09.159 digital presence because that footprint is almost 00:10:09.159 --> 00:10:12.190 like your business card. I put as much emphasis 00:10:12.190 --> 00:10:16.169 on digital marketing as I do on in -person marketing. 00:10:17.429 --> 00:10:20.850 Wow, that's good. So tell me, what's your secret 00:10:20.850 --> 00:10:27.309 to turning initial connections into long -term 00:10:27.309 --> 00:10:33.049 relationships? Being authentic really helps. 00:10:33.070 --> 00:10:35.529 You need to, I've said this, but you need to 00:10:35.529 --> 00:10:39.159 find a commonality with the person. Whether you 00:10:39.159 --> 00:10:42.679 approach a conversation and you ask them about 00:10:42.679 --> 00:10:46.519 their family or you create a genuine friendship 00:10:46.519 --> 00:10:50.279 because you compliment somebody's earrings or 00:10:50.279 --> 00:10:53.679 ordering the same drink at the event. Find a 00:10:53.679 --> 00:10:56.639 commonality and kind of use that as a kickoff 00:10:56.639 --> 00:11:00.080 to the conversation. And then try not to be awkward. 00:11:00.220 --> 00:11:02.460 Try to have some questions in your head before 00:11:02.460 --> 00:11:05.100 you go somewhere to network that you can ask 00:11:05.100 --> 00:11:08.919 everybody. For example. It was just South Beach 00:11:08.919 --> 00:11:11.720 Wine and Food Festival here in Miami. So maybe 00:11:11.720 --> 00:11:14.139 if I was at an event this week trying to network 00:11:14.139 --> 00:11:16.820 and it was within that hospitality crowd, I would 00:11:16.820 --> 00:11:20.019 say to everybody, did you go to events for Sobe 00:11:20.019 --> 00:11:23.799 Wine and Food Festival? Did you enjoy them? Did 00:11:23.799 --> 00:11:26.700 you meet any cool chefs? Have things in your 00:11:26.700 --> 00:11:28.960 head that you can speak about. And I think the 00:11:28.960 --> 00:11:31.460 other point that I always like to make is that 00:11:31.460 --> 00:11:35.460 follow up is really important. So figure out. 00:11:36.120 --> 00:11:39.179 In that scenario, what type of follow -up makes 00:11:39.179 --> 00:11:42.139 the most sense? As we talked about, my industry 00:11:42.139 --> 00:11:44.039 is a little bit more casual. So people don't 00:11:44.039 --> 00:11:47.259 really have business cards on them as much. So 00:11:47.259 --> 00:11:49.679 people will generally connect through social 00:11:49.679 --> 00:11:52.460 media or maybe they'll give you an email address. 00:11:52.740 --> 00:11:55.559 And I always like to be in control of the follow 00:11:55.559 --> 00:11:58.679 -up. So I'll make sure to get everybody's contact 00:11:58.679 --> 00:12:01.860 information that I have spoken to. And I will 00:12:01.860 --> 00:12:03.960 do the follow up the next morning as opposed 00:12:03.960 --> 00:12:06.500 to relying on somebody else to follow up with 00:12:06.500 --> 00:12:09.179 me. And I will always bring in something that 00:12:09.179 --> 00:12:12.820 we talked about in person when I do the follow 00:12:12.820 --> 00:12:16.159 up. So, hey, so great to meet you last night. 00:12:16.480 --> 00:12:19.820 Don't forget to send me the link to the earrings 00:12:19.820 --> 00:12:22.220 you were wearing so I can order them too. Or, 00:12:22.259 --> 00:12:25.080 oh, my God, that chef that you met sounds that 00:12:25.080 --> 00:12:26.919 you met at South Beach Food and Wine Festival 00:12:26.919 --> 00:12:30.279 sounds like. Such a great guy. I'm going to go 00:12:30.279 --> 00:12:33.179 try out his restaurant next week. Just so you 00:12:33.179 --> 00:12:35.840 can continue the conversation in an organic way. 00:12:36.100 --> 00:12:43.480 Yeah. You hit on so many points that is so important 00:12:43.480 --> 00:12:46.840 that I don't know if everybody got what you were 00:12:46.840 --> 00:12:49.899 saying. It's important to be authentic, to be 00:12:49.899 --> 00:12:52.620 present. That's first and foremost, confidence. 00:12:53.059 --> 00:12:57.409 That's another very important part of this. The 00:12:57.409 --> 00:13:00.850 know you, like you, trust you really comes into 00:13:00.850 --> 00:13:04.169 it because they'll do business with you. I've 00:13:04.169 --> 00:13:07.090 said this on a thousand podcasts. To know you, 00:13:07.190 --> 00:13:10.570 everybody knows you. You're a great girl. That's 00:13:10.570 --> 00:13:13.509 just the way it is. But like you, that narrows 00:13:13.509 --> 00:13:16.750 down the field just a little bit because everybody's 00:13:16.750 --> 00:13:20.210 not going to like you. But trust you, that's 00:13:20.210 --> 00:13:24.070 so crucial. That is the crucial factor in all 00:13:24.070 --> 00:13:28.519 of this. Once you gain that trust factor, you 00:13:28.519 --> 00:13:30.240 have the things in your head that you want to 00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:33.740 ask and everything else to keep you calm, so 00:13:33.740 --> 00:13:36.700 to speak. But another point that you hit the 00:13:36.700 --> 00:13:40.539 nail right on the head was the follow -up. And 00:13:40.539 --> 00:13:44.139 the follow -up is probably more important than 00:13:44.139 --> 00:13:47.019 actually meeting the person. Yeah. Because your 00:13:47.019 --> 00:13:50.139 follow -up is so, so very important. So I can 00:13:50.139 --> 00:13:52.740 go on all day with your answers just from that 00:13:52.740 --> 00:13:56.220 one point. Thank you. And I think one other thing 00:13:56.220 --> 00:13:59.179 that I always like to mention is put your ego 00:13:59.179 --> 00:14:02.740 away because when you lead with that, you're 00:14:02.740 --> 00:14:05.419 never going to make a genuine relationship and 00:14:05.419 --> 00:14:10.600 no one will trust you. Just be chill, be kind 00:14:10.600 --> 00:14:15.379 and genuinely interested. And if you're not connecting 00:14:15.379 --> 00:14:18.860 with somebody like that, then OK, maybe that's 00:14:18.860 --> 00:14:21.279 not the best person to have a conversation with 00:14:21.279 --> 00:14:24.100 at that moment and move on. Not everybody, like 00:14:24.100 --> 00:14:27.340 you said, is going to like you, and that's fair. 00:14:28.620 --> 00:14:32.100 That's fair because, listen, you're not everything 00:14:32.100 --> 00:14:35.279 to everybody. You have to pick your lane. And 00:14:35.279 --> 00:14:36.559 if they don't like you, they don't like you, 00:14:36.580 --> 00:14:39.860 you move on. It's very simple. How important 00:14:39.860 --> 00:14:44.360 is personal branding in networking, especially 00:14:44.360 --> 00:14:48.600 in image -conscious industry like fashion and 00:14:48.600 --> 00:14:53.580 beauty? A million percent important. My PR agency 00:14:53.580 --> 00:14:57.360 job in New York was very intense. We were working 00:14:57.360 --> 00:15:02.159 with such major brands. We were with celebrities 00:15:02.159 --> 00:15:04.419 all the time. There were celebrities in and out 00:15:04.419 --> 00:15:08.299 of the office. It was like top tier. And the 00:15:08.299 --> 00:15:12.639 owner of the agency would walk around and make 00:15:12.639 --> 00:15:15.440 sure that we were all dressed appropriately. 00:15:15.600 --> 00:15:18.600 And if not, I would have to send people home 00:15:18.600 --> 00:15:22.419 for my team. to change and come back to the office, 00:15:22.600 --> 00:15:24.860 which candidly probably wouldn't be appropriate 00:15:24.860 --> 00:15:28.799 today. But at the time it flew. And that was 00:15:28.799 --> 00:15:31.720 because they would always say to us, if you can't 00:15:31.720 --> 00:15:34.740 go to Anna Wintour's desk right now, who was 00:15:34.740 --> 00:15:38.299 the editor in chief of Vogue or is, then you 00:15:38.299 --> 00:15:41.799 can't wear that. So that was a fashion PR job, 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:46.019 right? But that taught me that. The image that 00:15:46.019 --> 00:15:50.000 you present is always important. And I pay attention 00:15:50.000 --> 00:15:53.940 to those details on other people. I think if 00:15:53.940 --> 00:15:57.320 you're a content creator, what is your vibe? 00:15:57.460 --> 00:16:00.720 Aside from what you're saying, right? But what 00:16:00.720 --> 00:16:03.779 are you trying to convey? I think sometimes people 00:16:03.779 --> 00:16:08.299 discount how much of your exterior image can 00:16:08.299 --> 00:16:12.000 impact your ability to do business in certain 00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:14.830 industries. And it's not. It shouldn't be looked 00:16:14.830 --> 00:16:18.769 at as fluffy or a negative. I actually look at 00:16:18.769 --> 00:16:22.289 it in the opposite way. Take control of it. You 00:16:22.289 --> 00:16:24.909 know what's going to work, so do it. And if you 00:16:24.909 --> 00:16:26.870 don't know what's going to work in a specific 00:16:26.870 --> 00:16:29.990 industry, research it. See what successful people 00:16:29.990 --> 00:16:34.970 in that career field have done and figure out 00:16:34.970 --> 00:16:37.529 how to interpret what they're doing in a way 00:16:37.529 --> 00:16:40.070 that feels organic to you. Don't ever do anything 00:16:40.070 --> 00:16:44.700 that doesn't feel organic to you. Try to pull 00:16:44.700 --> 00:16:47.879 in inspiration from other people to influence 00:16:47.879 --> 00:16:53.500 what you're doing. That's so true. Listen, I 00:16:53.500 --> 00:16:56.659 was in the Air Force for nine years, so I always 00:16:56.659 --> 00:16:59.559 had to make sure that I looked tight, as they 00:16:59.559 --> 00:17:02.620 called it. But when I got out of the Air Force 00:17:02.620 --> 00:17:06.680 and into corporate, I realized that I would look 00:17:06.680 --> 00:17:10.000 at somebody, but I would look down at their shoes. 00:17:11.339 --> 00:17:14.180 and see whether or not they had polished shoes. 00:17:14.559 --> 00:17:17.480 Not today's day that they wear sneakers with 00:17:17.480 --> 00:17:19.720 suits, and I don't know. I don't get all that. 00:17:19.900 --> 00:17:22.420 But you look down at their shoes. If their shoes 00:17:22.420 --> 00:17:25.519 are polished and clean, then they're okay that 00:17:25.519 --> 00:17:27.920 they dressed appropriately. If they're dressed 00:17:27.920 --> 00:17:31.380 nicely but unpolished shoes, then that leaves 00:17:31.380 --> 00:17:33.940 the door open a little bit. But, yep, that's 00:17:33.940 --> 00:17:41.839 my way. Nails are also a big one for me. chem, 00:17:41.839 --> 00:17:45.859 you know, is there dirt under your nails? Because 00:17:45.859 --> 00:17:49.220 I don't want somebody cooking for me that has 00:17:49.220 --> 00:17:51.660 dirt under their nails. I wouldn't want my doctor 00:17:51.660 --> 00:17:54.140 having dirt under their nails. So that's like 00:17:54.140 --> 00:17:57.539 a huge one for me. Absolutely. And a big one 00:17:57.539 --> 00:18:00.740 for me. I'm glad you said it, but it's the same 00:18:00.740 --> 00:18:04.960 thing for me. This next question, everybody has 00:18:04.960 --> 00:18:09.329 to take a moment and think about it. Okay. What's 00:18:09.329 --> 00:18:13.410 the biggest networking mistake you've made, you've 00:18:13.410 --> 00:18:17.009 seen in your career, and how can my listeners 00:18:17.009 --> 00:18:23.269 avoid it? See, everybody does that double take. 00:18:23.670 --> 00:18:28.109 So I see people do this all the time, and it's 00:18:28.109 --> 00:18:31.529 not just in networking. It's in communication, 00:18:31.869 --> 00:18:36.880 conversations with people, not listening. to 00:18:36.880 --> 00:18:39.859 what the other person is saying and only thinking 00:18:39.859 --> 00:18:42.460 about what you want to say and the point you 00:18:42.460 --> 00:18:45.880 want to make so that when you reply, you're not 00:18:45.880 --> 00:18:49.980 replying accurately and you make the person that 00:18:49.980 --> 00:18:54.599 you're speaking to feel completely discounted 00:18:54.599 --> 00:18:57.240 because you're not addressing the point that 00:18:57.240 --> 00:18:59.700 they just said because you so badly need to make 00:18:59.700 --> 00:19:02.700 your point. In networking, that can be detrimental 00:19:02.700 --> 00:19:05.890 because people are going to be like, wow. person 00:19:05.890 --> 00:19:09.049 only wants to talk about themselves or needs 00:19:09.049 --> 00:19:11.430 to drive something home so hard that they don't 00:19:11.430 --> 00:19:14.930 care what I have to say. And they're going to 00:19:14.930 --> 00:19:16.869 remember you, but they're not going to remember 00:19:16.869 --> 00:19:20.109 you for the right reason. Absolutely. Listen, 00:19:20.170 --> 00:19:22.789 I'm paid to go on stages, to breakout sessions, 00:19:23.049 --> 00:19:28.069 keynotes. I do workshops for companies. And that's 00:19:28.069 --> 00:19:31.269 a very important point that I bring out. I call 00:19:31.269 --> 00:19:34.569 it active listening. You listen to the person. 00:19:34.990 --> 00:19:38.029 Completely. And then you pause at the end of 00:19:38.029 --> 00:19:41.049 it. What does that pause do? It tells the other 00:19:41.049 --> 00:19:43.930 person you are listening to them and you don't 00:19:43.930 --> 00:19:46.309 respond by the next thing that you want to say. 00:19:46.650 --> 00:19:49.769 You respond to something that they said. And 00:19:49.769 --> 00:19:52.329 it goes such a long way, but that listening and 00:19:52.329 --> 00:19:56.930 that pause is so very important. Okay. How do 00:19:56.930 --> 00:20:00.450 you measure the success or ROI of your networking 00:20:00.450 --> 00:20:06.779 efforts in the marketing world? I guess with 00:20:06.779 --> 00:20:12.700 the ability to do things quickly. So what I mean 00:20:12.700 --> 00:20:16.880 by that is that if I have the right relationships 00:20:16.880 --> 00:20:22.279 on behalf of a client, I should be at this point 00:20:22.279 --> 00:20:27.220 in my career able to move things forward for 00:20:27.220 --> 00:20:31.920 a project or a partnership or an event or a press 00:20:31.920 --> 00:20:36.779 placement. In a rather speedy way, because I 00:20:36.779 --> 00:20:39.519 have the right connections to lean on to get 00:20:39.519 --> 00:20:46.220 the job done. That's good. OK, so give me a strategy 00:20:46.220 --> 00:20:51.779 for maximizing networking opportunities at industry 00:20:51.779 --> 00:20:57.759 events or trade shows. So, again, it's dependent 00:20:57.759 --> 00:21:00.819 on the industry, but generally speaking, I would 00:21:00.819 --> 00:21:05.460 say walk into the room. survey the room, look 00:21:05.460 --> 00:21:09.900 around, take it in, maybe walk to the bar, get 00:21:09.900 --> 00:21:13.079 a drink, even if it's a cup of water, just so 00:21:13.079 --> 00:21:15.740 you have something in your hand and figure out 00:21:15.740 --> 00:21:20.019 who you want to speak to and then observe for 00:21:20.019 --> 00:21:23.559 a second and then walk over to them, try to start 00:21:23.559 --> 00:21:26.059 a conversation if they're already speaking to 00:21:26.059 --> 00:21:29.329 a group of people. Maybe you pause and you listen 00:21:29.329 --> 00:21:30.890 to what they're saying and you figure out how 00:21:30.890 --> 00:21:33.829 you can actually get involved in that conversation. 00:21:34.430 --> 00:21:37.670 If it's a one -on -one conversation, do what 00:21:37.670 --> 00:21:39.670 I said before, which is have something in your 00:21:39.670 --> 00:21:43.410 head in advance that you can say to them or compliment 00:21:43.410 --> 00:21:49.210 them on something and then wrap that up, get 00:21:49.210 --> 00:21:51.690 their contact information and move on to the 00:21:51.690 --> 00:21:54.490 next person. If you're in a networking situation 00:21:54.490 --> 00:21:57.890 like that, I imagine your objective is to speak 00:21:57.890 --> 00:22:00.289 to as many people in the room as possible, or 00:22:00.289 --> 00:22:03.589 that's what my objective would be. Politely wrap 00:22:03.589 --> 00:22:06.809 up conversations. Don't make people think that 00:22:06.809 --> 00:22:09.529 you're doing that in a rude way. And I'm sure 00:22:09.529 --> 00:22:11.769 we've all also been part of conversations where 00:22:11.769 --> 00:22:14.230 you feel the person that you're speaking to looking 00:22:14.230 --> 00:22:17.809 beyond you, knowing that they want to talk to 00:22:17.809 --> 00:22:20.109 somebody maybe that's behind you. Do not do that. 00:22:20.150 --> 00:22:24.069 That's so uncomfortable. So stay focused when 00:22:24.069 --> 00:22:25.759 you're with. the person that you're speaking 00:22:25.759 --> 00:22:28.200 to be present in that conversation and then say, 00:22:28.279 --> 00:22:31.359 okay, great. I know we're here both to meet other 00:22:31.359 --> 00:22:33.460 people. I'll follow up with you tomorrow. It 00:22:33.460 --> 00:22:37.059 was lovely to meet you and then move on. Yeah. 00:22:37.160 --> 00:22:41.460 And you hit so many points of correct networking 00:22:41.460 --> 00:22:46.400 that I can't even begin to say what, because 00:22:46.400 --> 00:22:48.759 I'm telling you, because every time that you 00:22:48.759 --> 00:22:51.299 said when, especially when you're listening, 00:22:51.440 --> 00:22:54.920 when you're pausing. When you have to build that 00:22:54.920 --> 00:22:57.779 rapport with the other person, I use something 00:22:57.779 --> 00:23:02.019 called form, F -O -R -M, family, occupation, 00:23:02.559 --> 00:23:06.119 recreation, and a message. And I pick anyone 00:23:06.119 --> 00:23:08.819 to talk to them about, talk to the person about. 00:23:09.039 --> 00:23:13.619 So I just have that word in my head. So a family 00:23:13.619 --> 00:23:17.680 with a wife, a husband, a sister, a son, a daughter, 00:23:17.799 --> 00:23:20.559 whatever, little league, football, junior football, 00:23:20.759 --> 00:23:24.869 I can talk about anything. But occupation, whatever 00:23:24.869 --> 00:23:28.269 their occupation might be. So I pick something. 00:23:28.369 --> 00:23:32.170 And most of all, I have them talk about themselves. 00:23:32.990 --> 00:23:37.049 Because what? People love to talk about themselves. 00:23:37.450 --> 00:23:41.869 The more that they talk, the higher the trust 00:23:41.869 --> 00:23:45.029 level goes up and the barrier comes down slowly. 00:23:45.150 --> 00:23:48.309 So it opens up relations a little bit. But that's 00:23:48.309 --> 00:23:52.599 for another conversation. Okay. Given your extensive 00:23:52.599 --> 00:23:56.880 experience, what emerging networking trends do 00:23:56.880 --> 00:23:59.700 you foresee for the next five years, in the next 00:23:59.700 --> 00:24:04.380 five years? A heavier play on digital and social 00:24:04.380 --> 00:24:09.740 media networking. A lot of people who have been 00:24:09.740 --> 00:24:13.640 in their industries for longer don't totally 00:24:13.640 --> 00:24:18.319 understand or value. those digital relationships 00:24:18.319 --> 00:24:21.759 through Instagram or Facebook or TikTok or LinkedIn. 00:24:21.980 --> 00:24:26.259 But as they shift out of the career industry 00:24:26.259 --> 00:24:29.660 and the younger generations continue to step 00:24:29.660 --> 00:24:32.819 in, I think that the emphasis on digital and 00:24:32.819 --> 00:24:36.519 your digital footprint will become more and more 00:24:36.519 --> 00:24:40.660 important. That's great. Amanda, I can't begin 00:24:40.660 --> 00:24:45.059 to tell you how great you did on this podcast. 00:24:45.690 --> 00:24:49.029 You hit the networking right on the head. I just 00:24:49.029 --> 00:24:53.910 expanded what you had to say because networking, 00:24:54.089 --> 00:24:59.190 I feel, is the base of all businesses. You have 00:24:59.190 --> 00:25:02.450 to network in order to go out and get more business, 00:25:02.509 --> 00:25:07.269 but you have to network correctly so you don't 00:25:07.269 --> 00:25:09.190 look bad, you don't look this way or that way. 00:25:09.309 --> 00:25:12.509 So if you do it correctly, you'll do it very 00:25:12.509 --> 00:25:16.009 well, such as yourself. Amanda. If anybody wants 00:25:16.009 --> 00:25:18.569 to get hold of you for whatever the reason, for 00:25:18.569 --> 00:25:21.809 any of your multiple categories, how would they 00:25:21.809 --> 00:25:25.329 do it? Thank you for asking that. So you can 00:25:25.329 --> 00:25:28.910 find me on Instagram at from Apple to Orange 00:25:28.910 --> 00:25:32.950 and slide into my DMs. I will definitely reply 00:25:32.950 --> 00:25:36.509 to you there. And then my business handle is 00:25:36.509 --> 00:25:40.910 at the A initiative. So the T -H -E -A and then 00:25:40.910 --> 00:25:44.119 initiative. Nobody can ever spell some for some 00:25:44.119 --> 00:25:48.319 reason, but I -N -I -T -I -A -T -I -V -E. And 00:25:48.319 --> 00:25:52.240 you can also message me there. I would love to 00:25:52.240 --> 00:25:55.920 hear from everyone. That's great. Amanda, thank 00:25:55.920 --> 00:25:59.079 you very much. And hopefully we'll talk soon. 00:25:59.500 --> 00:26:06.519 Sounds good. Thank you for having me. Wait, we 00:26:06.519 --> 00:26:10.440 are sponsored by author Rodney Davis. Struggling 00:26:10.440 --> 00:26:14.410 to reach success? Maybe it's time to quit. In 00:26:14.410 --> 00:26:18.029 Quit Your Way to Success by Rodney Davis reveals 00:26:18.029 --> 00:26:21.769 the 27 steps to breaking bad habits that hold 00:26:21.769 --> 00:26:25.390 you back. This powerful book helps you to rewire 00:26:25.390 --> 00:26:28.809 your mindset, take control of your actions, and 00:26:28.809 --> 00:26:32.430 turn setbacks into stepping stones with real 00:26:32.430 --> 00:26:36.049 -life examples, motivational quotes, and actionable 00:26:36.049 --> 00:26:39.250 lessons. especially for sales professionals. 00:26:39.630 --> 00:26:42.809 You'll gain the tools to quit while stopping 00:26:42.809 --> 00:26:46.450 you and start winning. Transform your future 00:26:46.450 --> 00:26:50.690 today. Get Quit on Your Way to Success by Rodney 00:26:50.690 --> 00:26:57.430 Davis, available now on Amazon. Well, that's 00:26:57.430 --> 00:27:00.220 a wrap, folks. A huge thank you to our special 00:27:00.220 --> 00:27:03.240 guests for sharing such incredible insights today. 00:27:03.420 --> 00:27:07.299 And of course, a big shout out to you, our amazing 00:27:07.299 --> 00:27:10.259 listeners, for tuning in and spending your time 00:27:10.259 --> 00:27:14.140 with us. Remember, networking isn't about being 00:27:14.140 --> 00:27:17.480 perfect. It's about being present. So take what 00:27:17.480 --> 00:27:20.059 you've learned today, get out there and make 00:27:20.059 --> 00:27:23.059 some meaningful connections. If you enjoyed this 00:27:23.059 --> 00:27:26.029 episode. don't forget to subscribe, leave us 00:27:26.029 --> 00:27:28.670 a review, and share it with someone who could 00:27:28.670 --> 00:27:31.950 use a little networking inspiration. Let's keep 00:27:31.950 --> 00:27:35.670 the conversation going. You can find me on Apple, 00:27:35.789 --> 00:27:40.349 Spotify, YouTube, or my website, michaelaforman 00:27:40.349 --> 00:27:43.789 .com. Remember, until next time, keep practicing, 00:27:44.069 --> 00:27:46.990 keep connecting, and keep building those relationships. 00:27:47.529 --> 00:27:50.569 This is Michael A. Foreman signing off. Take 00:27:50.569 --> 00:27:52.230 care and happy networking.