WEBVTT

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And welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building

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Profitable Connections. Welcome back to the show,

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folks. I'm your host, Michael Foreman, and you're

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listening to the podcast where networking is

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more than just awkward handshakes and bad coffee.

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It's an art and a talent. But here's the twist.

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It's an art and talent you can actually learn.

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Yes, even if you're the person hiding in the

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corner at every event pretending to check emails.

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Networking isn't just a nice skill to have. It's

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a game changer. When you get good at it, you'll

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wonder why you didn't start sooner. More connections,

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more opportunities, more profits. It's like unlocking

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a cheat code for life. Now, I have a guest today.

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His name is Dr. Michael, I'm sorry, Ayalon? That's

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right. All right. And he is an award -winning

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speaker, author, social media figure, hazing

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prevention expert, host of the Fraternity Footy

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podcast, and CEO of Greek University. That is

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a mouthful, but I have to tell you. So, Michael,

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instead of me butchering your background, why

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don't you introduce yourself and just tell us

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a little bit more about it? Happy to do it, Michael.

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Thank you so much for having me on the show.

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Yes, I am Dr. Michael Ailon, and I am the CEO

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of Greek University. And I would say the path

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that got me to this point was pretty wild. I

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was a student at the University of Buffalo in

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Buffalo, New York. I had a very good experience

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within my fraternity, became chapter president,

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and that really contributed to all kinds of leadership

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skills and communication skills and even motivational

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skills for my team. And I was an entrepreneur

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in the New York City and Long Island area for

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a number of years, really enjoyed that. And all

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of a sudden I got an email from the fraternity

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that I joined in college. And they said they

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were looking for a new executive director of

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the entire national fraternity. And we have 120

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chapters all throughout the country and 120 ,000

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members. And I looked at that job description.

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I said, wow, I can actually making a living.

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just doing fraternity work. It sounds like a

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dream job. And sure enough, I applied for the

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job and I got it. And they were located in the

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Nashville, Tennessee area where I went a few

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times, had a really good time. And I brought

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my wife out there to come and check it out. She

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absolutely loved it. And we made the decision

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to move to the Nashville area, bring our two

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children and start this. in professional fraternity

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life. And I have to tell you, I really enjoyed

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every moment of it. I went to visit a majority

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of our chapters throughout the country. And when

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I went to go visit these chapters, I saw the

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same thing over and over again on just about

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every single college campus. It was either hazing.

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sexual assaults, or alcohol and drugs. These

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are the three main problems that we see on just

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about every single college campus. And after

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seeing that on a loop for three years, eventually

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I said, you know what? Enough. I have to stop

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worrying about just my own organization. And

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I have to work with every fraternity, every sorority,

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every college campus, regardless if my fraternity

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is there or not. Because if you're not a member

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of the Greek community, you don't really know

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the difference between these organizations anyway.

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You just see it as a Greek problem. And if I

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wanted my children and future generations to

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get that same leadership experience that I had

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in college, then I was going to have to fight

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really hard to make some adjustments within fraternity

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and sorority life to make sure that we sustain

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ourselves for the next century. And so I started

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just speaking on college campuses myself. Then

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some of the college campuses that I would work

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on, they'd say, hey, Mike, this was a great presentation

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here. But next semester, we want to talk about

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mental health. Or next semester, we want to talk

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about something else. And so I said, well, that's

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great, but that's not really what I talk about.

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So I have a whole bunch of friends that I could

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recommend to come and speak on your college campus.

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And before you know it, the team started getting

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larger and larger. And now we're up to 22 speakers

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that speak every week on college campuses across

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the country. Actually, tomorrow, I'm going to

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be heading to High Point University in North

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Carolina. That is very exciting. And then next

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week, I'll be at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania.

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It's just been a really fun adventure and it

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just, it really helps that every single day I

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get to go to work and make college campuses safer.

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It's just very meaningful and impactful work.

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You know, I don't even know how to second everything

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that you just said, because I believe in that

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wholeheartedly and I have such a passion for

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it. I think I told you about the local. group

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that we have, Revved Up Kids, and what they're

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doing within Georgia. And I help them whenever

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possible. So it's a very important aspect of

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who I am and what I talk about, but it's very

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good. Okay, so let me just dive right into this.

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How did your background in fraternity and sorority

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life shape your approach to networking? I think

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you basically covered this, but I'm going to

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ask you again. Yeah, it's a great question. And

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I think that because I am a member of the fraternity

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and sorority community, and because I do take

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that oath that I took when I joined the organization

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very seriously, we commit to certain values when

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we join the organization. And so when we join

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the organization, we talk about things like scholarship,

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we talk about things like community service,

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we talk about things like academics. And so I

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live my life that same way today as I did when

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I joined the fraternity back in college in terms

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of those values. In the approach to networking,

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now I'm constantly thinking about things like

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community service as an example. And how do we

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integrate that into our careers? Because ultimately,

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if you want to be a really good leader, you have

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to be a servant leader. You have to be giving

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back some way to society. Even if you're just

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selling widgets. really want to have employees

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that are going to go the extra mile for you,

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the question is, how are you making the world

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a better place with those widgets? And even if

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you don't with the widgets itself, perhaps once

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a month, you could take your entire team of workers

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and go and give back to the community in some

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way. Maybe you all go to work at a soup kitchen,

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or you all go to paint a fence at a local church

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that needs repainting. Whatever it is, at least

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you're giving back in some way so that way your

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employees feel good. about the work that they're

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doing. It's more than just getting their hands

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to do particular work. You have to essentially

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get and capture their minds and their hearts.

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And how do you do that? You do that through community

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service. And so when I'm networking, I'm constantly

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thinking about, hey, tell me something that's

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going on great at your company right now, something

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you're really proud of. And I'm always listening

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about things like community service and giving

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back. in some way, because that's ultimately

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how you capture your employees and you make them

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really just go the extra mile for you, is to

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give back and make each other feel good in terms

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of the work that you're doing. So those are the

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kind of the ways that I use the fraternity and

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sorority experience within the networking atmosphere

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is to key in on, hey, what are you doing that's

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giving back to your community in some way? And

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that foundation all started in the fraternity

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and sorority experience. That's great, because

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the foundation of networking, because this is

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what I go around and talk about, is how can I

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give, not receive? And whenever you sit down

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with somebody and explain, you're not explaining

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what you do, but you're listening to what they

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do. And you say, how can I make you more successful?

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How can I be a good referral source for you?

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Zig Ziglar says it the best, but what goes around

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comes around. OK, so if you do that often enough,

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it's going to come back around to you. But that

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is the foundation of true networking. So hats

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off to you, Michael. That's the best way to say

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it. OK, how has your work in hazing prevention

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influenced your networking strategies? That's

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also a really good question. I just recently

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completed my doctorate and it's over at MTSU

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and the degree is in assessment learning and

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student success in higher education. And I wrote

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my dissertation on the early warning signs of

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hazing in college fraternities and sororities.

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So now I actually have 173 pages published on

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that work. And so when I'm networking many times,

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again, just like you said, it's always about

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being a giver. giving people other information

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that's going to help them. And ultimately, I

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agree with you. I think it's all about karma.

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If you just keep freely giving to other people,

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eventually that's going to come back around and

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it might not actually be the person that you're

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helping. It might actually be somebody else.

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So I freely give information. So when I'm networking,

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I love to hear what are some of the issues that

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people in, let's say I'm at a higher ed conference,

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right? And I'm meeting a whole bunch. bunch of

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people that are in higher ed administrators,

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staff, et cetera. I'm always asking them, Hey,

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what are some of the things that are keeping

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you up at night right now? And you just sit and

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listen and you hear what their pain points are.

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I'm not necessarily telling them that, Hey, I'm

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a hazing prevention expert and I'm forcing it

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on them. I'm more about listening to what their

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problems are. And then I can make sure that I

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get them to the right person. It may or may not

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be me. So if they have a problem with, let's

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say, mental health, that's not going to be me.

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However, I have a bunch of people that I can

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refer them to. And so that's really the key in

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terms of networking and using all of that experience

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within hazing prevention is listening to what

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your customers want. What are their pain points?

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And then if you can help to solve that pain point,

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wonderful. You have a match. If not, refer them

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to somebody else. So that way, the next time

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they have a problem, they'll come back to you

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again. And that might be the time that ultimately

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you're going to be able to help them. And also

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think about the person you're referring them

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to. That person is going to think that you know

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everybody because you're sending this lead over

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to that speaker. And so they're going to return

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the favor somewhere down the road when they have

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somebody that needs hazing prevention work. So

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I love to share as an example, my dissertation,

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because I think that if you're helping people

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and they get a lot of value out of it, I freely

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do that. I don't charge people for access to

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all of that research. I freely give it out. And

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ultimately, if they like it, that's wonderful.

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If it helps them, that's wonderful. forward it

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to their friends that ultimately need this kind

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of help and support. And so I just, I really

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believe in what you said before, just freely

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giving. And ultimately the world is going to

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find a way to reward you for that. And I've been

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able to build a career from that exact plan.

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Exactly. And you hit so many nails on the head

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just by what you said, but the crux of it is

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you are a problem solver. OK, you promote active

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listening and listening isn't hearing. OK, listening

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is listening. And you pause after you listen,

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because that tells you the person that you were

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listening and you're going to respond to what

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he said, not the next thing that you have to

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say. OK, so you're responding to it and you're

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a problem solver. Say, you know what? I may not

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be able to help you, but I know somebody who

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can. So the fact is that you get somebody within

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the same day and have that person call, you are

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the person that they can trust. for just about

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any of their problems. Yeah. And they come to

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me anytime they're having a problem, they're

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conditioned to coming to me. And that's a beautiful

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thing because now I have over 20 speakers that

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I can refer them to that are in -house and I

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can get them to the expertise that they want.

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Or even if it's not even in my company, I'll

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send those leads over to my competitors at times,

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because again, I'm only one person and I speak

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about hazing prevention, but I can't be on every

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single college campus every single day. And so

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there are times when I'm booked and I can't be

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in two places at the same time. So I really do

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have to rely on some of my competitors and I'll

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send some of those leads over to them so they

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can fill it. And then vice versa, they're able

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to send me over some leads when I'm looking for

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work. So I really believe in that. I think that

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there's enough business out there for everybody.

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And ultimately I just freely give. And I tell

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you what, we're now in September, we're going

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to celebrate our 10th year of being in business.

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Greek university. And that is really, I think

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the key to our success is not really just promoting

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our own speaking services, but really just being

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a problem solver and getting our clients to the

00:13:31.649 --> 00:13:34.409
right person, whether that's with us or somebody

00:13:34.409 --> 00:13:38.809
else. That's great because that just goes with

00:13:38.809 --> 00:13:41.970
the fact that you have a servant's heart. Okay.

00:13:42.049 --> 00:13:46.299
You're there to assess and you're there to figure

00:13:46.299 --> 00:13:48.679
out what their problem is and you're going to

00:13:48.679 --> 00:13:51.480
solve it whether you're the answer or not even

00:13:51.480 --> 00:13:55.000
like you said the competition and you don't think

00:13:55.000 --> 00:13:57.059
of it as competition no you just think of it

00:13:57.059 --> 00:13:59.580
as helping the person Correct. I look at just

00:13:59.580 --> 00:14:01.899
helping my client first and foremost. It's all

00:14:01.899 --> 00:14:04.259
about serving the client and making sure that

00:14:04.259 --> 00:14:06.460
they're happy. Sometimes that's with us. And

00:14:06.460 --> 00:14:08.240
obviously, that's a wonderful thing. We want

00:14:08.240 --> 00:14:10.740
our company to grow. We want to add new employees.

00:14:10.879 --> 00:14:13.100
But sometimes it's not. You also have to be realistic

00:14:13.100 --> 00:14:15.559
about what their needs are and who would be the

00:14:15.559 --> 00:14:18.879
best person to help them expertly. And I think

00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:21.620
our clients remember that. They know that I'm

00:14:21.620 --> 00:14:23.100
going to help them and I'm going to get them

00:14:23.100 --> 00:14:24.860
to the right place, whether that's with me or

00:14:24.860 --> 00:14:27.100
not. They appreciate that. They appreciate the

00:14:27.100 --> 00:14:29.559
honesty. And then that way they come to me for

00:14:29.559 --> 00:14:32.139
every single opportunity. And that's a really

00:14:32.139 --> 00:14:34.139
good thing long -term over a 10 -year period.

00:14:35.019 --> 00:14:36.960
That's a really good thing. That's what I try

00:14:36.960 --> 00:14:41.740
to tell people, that if you do this enough, it's

00:14:41.740 --> 00:14:43.580
going to come around, it's going to come back

00:14:43.580 --> 00:14:47.179
to you. But don't think of it as part of your

00:14:47.179 --> 00:14:50.840
thing that you say. You know, you have to truly

00:14:50.840 --> 00:14:53.620
believe it. And if you do it and you believe

00:14:53.620 --> 00:14:56.080
it, that's what will come around to you. Yes.

00:14:56.940 --> 00:15:01.159
Okay, so what role has networking played into

00:15:01.159 --> 00:15:04.960
your entrepreneurial ventures? Oh boy, it's a

00:15:04.960 --> 00:15:07.179
huge part of being a successful entrepreneur.

00:15:07.620 --> 00:15:09.779
It's funny because in college, they don't really

00:15:09.779 --> 00:15:12.840
teach you how to be an entrepreneur. I was an

00:15:12.840 --> 00:15:14.860
accounting major in the business school, and

00:15:14.860 --> 00:15:17.200
you would think that they would be teaching networking,

00:15:17.399 --> 00:15:20.120
but they really don't. Ultimately, the key to

00:15:20.120 --> 00:15:22.379
business, and I learned this in being an accountant

00:15:22.379 --> 00:15:25.240
for my first job, it was a networking company

00:15:25.240 --> 00:15:28.000
on Long Island, and immediately he showed us

00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:30.919
a CRM. And I'm like, a CRM? What the heck is

00:15:30.919 --> 00:15:33.460
a CRM? I have nobody in college ever. taught

00:15:33.460 --> 00:15:36.200
me once what a CRM was. And it's really this

00:15:36.200 --> 00:15:40.080
customer relationship management database. And

00:15:40.080 --> 00:15:42.340
that's just a database essentially of all of

00:15:42.340 --> 00:15:45.299
your clients. And in there, we're able to put

00:15:45.299 --> 00:15:48.860
in all of our contacts and you're able to keep

00:15:48.860 --> 00:15:51.500
notes on all of the conversations that you have

00:15:51.500 --> 00:15:54.080
with your clients. And the system will actually

00:15:54.080 --> 00:15:56.460
remind you when it's time to send them an email,

00:15:56.600 --> 00:15:58.940
or it's time to give them a call, or it's time

00:15:58.940 --> 00:16:02.559
to go and visit their office as an example. Every

00:16:02.559 --> 00:16:04.879
single day when I wake up, it actually tells

00:16:04.879 --> 00:16:06.940
me what are the things that I need to work on

00:16:06.940 --> 00:16:10.259
today. It's a wonderful thing to stay organized

00:16:10.259 --> 00:16:13.399
and to actually reach your customer when they

00:16:13.399 --> 00:16:16.480
actually need you. I would say that ultimately,

00:16:16.620 --> 00:16:18.700
that's one of the biggest lessons that I learned

00:16:18.700 --> 00:16:20.879
in being an entrepreneur is if you want to be

00:16:20.879 --> 00:16:22.940
successful as an entrepreneur, you better have

00:16:22.940 --> 00:16:26.340
some CRM package, some database that you're able

00:16:26.340 --> 00:16:29.799
to track these hundreds or thousands of clients

00:16:29.799 --> 00:16:32.259
that you have and be able to to reach out to

00:16:32.259 --> 00:16:35.320
them at the right time. Ultimately, it's a big

00:16:35.320 --> 00:16:37.519
sales funnel. You have all of these clients that

00:16:37.519 --> 00:16:39.460
are out there and they're all going to close

00:16:39.460 --> 00:16:41.980
deals for you at various points throughout the

00:16:41.980 --> 00:16:44.679
year. Some might be in January, some might be

00:16:44.679 --> 00:16:46.399
in February, some might be in March, et cetera.

00:16:46.519 --> 00:16:49.600
So you have to know exactly when they are needing

00:16:49.600 --> 00:16:52.440
your service and reach out to them at exactly

00:16:52.440 --> 00:16:55.139
the right time. The only way to do that in a

00:16:55.139 --> 00:16:58.240
way that stays organized without your head exploding

00:16:58.240 --> 00:17:01.730
from just too many clients. and too much to remember

00:17:01.730 --> 00:17:04.789
is having that CRM package. So that's really

00:17:04.789 --> 00:17:08.230
the key to my success is having that CRM package

00:17:08.230 --> 00:17:11.250
and ultimately going and networking at the various

00:17:11.250 --> 00:17:14.529
conferences where my clients are at. So that

00:17:14.529 --> 00:17:17.089
way I'm always staying on top of my clients in

00:17:17.089 --> 00:17:19.390
terms of what's going on in their world. I'll

00:17:19.390 --> 00:17:21.609
take notes on the back of their business card

00:17:21.609 --> 00:17:24.210
when I see them. So that way it tells me, okay,

00:17:24.250 --> 00:17:26.329
this is what's going on. This is what they're

00:17:26.329 --> 00:17:29.349
looking to get over the next year. This is when

00:17:29.349 --> 00:17:32.470
they're planning. on executing a contract, all

00:17:32.470 --> 00:17:34.430
of those things. And then I'll go back home and

00:17:34.430 --> 00:17:36.289
then update my database with everything that

00:17:36.289 --> 00:17:39.130
I found out in that networking session at that

00:17:39.130 --> 00:17:41.650
conference. And also sometimes it alerts you

00:17:41.650 --> 00:17:44.069
to new people in the industry. Sometimes people

00:17:44.069 --> 00:17:46.089
leave the industry and they leave one of your

00:17:46.089 --> 00:17:48.569
clients and a new person comes in. So networking

00:17:48.569 --> 00:17:50.950
allows you to meet them in person and have that

00:17:50.950 --> 00:17:53.430
handshake. So that way, the next time you call

00:17:53.430 --> 00:17:56.849
on them, we can talk about when I saw them at

00:17:56.849 --> 00:17:59.029
the conference and we ended up bumping into each

00:17:59.029 --> 00:18:03.599
other. at the bar downstairs after the sessions

00:18:03.599 --> 00:18:06.140
let out. So when you remember all of those things

00:18:06.140 --> 00:18:08.220
and you remember those conversations, of course,

00:18:08.220 --> 00:18:11.000
I'm typing all of that into my CRM package, then

00:18:11.000 --> 00:18:14.339
immediately it brings that customer to life and

00:18:14.339 --> 00:18:16.940
they remember that networking meeting that you

00:18:16.940 --> 00:18:19.059
had, what you talked about, and then we start

00:18:19.059 --> 00:18:21.940
getting right into what their needs are going

00:18:21.940 --> 00:18:24.099
forward over the next year. So that's a little

00:18:24.099 --> 00:18:27.140
bit of a synopsis in terms of how I network with

00:18:27.140 --> 00:18:30.019
my clients and the tools. that I need, a CRM

00:18:30.019 --> 00:18:33.039
package to make all of that happen. Michael,

00:18:33.140 --> 00:18:36.640
it's like I kept on feeding you cards to touch

00:18:36.640 --> 00:18:39.819
on certain points of networking and you hit them

00:18:39.819 --> 00:18:43.200
all. You hit them all. And everything that you

00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:45.920
said, including the follow -up and that writing

00:18:45.920 --> 00:18:49.640
on the back of the card is something that I strongly

00:18:49.640 --> 00:18:53.980
suggest. I suggest writing the date, the name

00:18:53.980 --> 00:18:56.240
of the function and something you spoke about.

00:18:56.990 --> 00:18:59.390
And you carry that with you until you put it

00:18:59.390 --> 00:19:02.009
to your CRM. Using a CRM is something that I

00:19:02.009 --> 00:19:04.569
go around to the high schools and the colleges.

00:19:04.930 --> 00:19:07.990
And I tell them, saying that you need to start

00:19:07.990 --> 00:19:11.650
this now. Because if you start it once you graduate

00:19:11.650 --> 00:19:14.609
and you're looking, you know what? It's a little

00:19:14.609 --> 00:19:18.470
too late. So you have to do it now. And it's

00:19:18.470 --> 00:19:21.670
the follow -up. It's so important what you said

00:19:21.670 --> 00:19:23.849
with the follow -up. Because I think it's more

00:19:23.849 --> 00:19:27.420
important than meeting the person directly. Because

00:19:27.420 --> 00:19:29.940
the follow -up, and I have a secret sauce for

00:19:29.940 --> 00:19:33.460
follow -up so that it really works, but it does.

00:19:33.599 --> 00:19:38.539
And everything that you said is so on point that,

00:19:38.640 --> 00:19:41.140
you know, anybody that's listening, you have

00:19:41.140 --> 00:19:44.640
to listen to Michael because he knows what he's

00:19:44.640 --> 00:19:49.400
talking about. Okay, so what is your top tip

00:19:49.400 --> 00:19:52.980
for building meaningful connections in professional

00:19:52.980 --> 00:19:57.210
settings? Oh boy. Again, if you want to have

00:19:57.210 --> 00:20:00.630
meaningful connections with clients in professional

00:20:00.630 --> 00:20:03.950
settings, it goes way beyond just a business

00:20:03.950 --> 00:20:07.069
card. Okay. Most business cards, I got to tell

00:20:07.069 --> 00:20:09.529
you, they end up in the trash. Okay. That is

00:20:09.529 --> 00:20:11.609
the God's honest truth. And I hate to say that,

00:20:11.670 --> 00:20:13.650
especially to college students, because they

00:20:13.650 --> 00:20:15.799
think that just handing out a bunch of. business

00:20:15.799 --> 00:20:18.900
cards is networking. It's really not. The key

00:20:18.900 --> 00:20:21.819
to getting results is building relationships.

00:20:22.440 --> 00:20:24.940
That is the key. And that's got to, you can't

00:20:24.940 --> 00:20:28.460
microwave a relationship. You can't have a relationship

00:20:28.460 --> 00:20:31.940
and fully develop that in 30 seconds over, let's

00:20:31.940 --> 00:20:34.099
say a meeting at a conference. It's just not

00:20:34.099 --> 00:20:37.650
going to happen. You have to. really nurture

00:20:37.650 --> 00:20:41.430
that relationship over time. And so what does

00:20:41.430 --> 00:20:43.509
that mean? That means that you need to be regularly

00:20:43.509 --> 00:20:48.450
checking in and providing value to those. potential

00:20:48.450 --> 00:20:51.109
new customers. And that means reaching out to

00:20:51.109 --> 00:20:53.150
them on a regular basis. And that could mean

00:20:53.150 --> 00:20:55.549
a whole bunch of various things. For example,

00:20:55.670 --> 00:20:58.710
I send out a newsletter to all of the contacts

00:20:58.710 --> 00:21:02.109
in my CRM. Why am I sending out a monthly newsletter?

00:21:02.309 --> 00:21:05.710
By the way, if you look at how often that newsletter

00:21:05.710 --> 00:21:09.210
is opened up, Typically, out of all of the newsletters

00:21:09.210 --> 00:21:14.569
that I send out, about 70%, 7 -0, 70 % of those

00:21:14.569 --> 00:21:17.309
email newsletters get opened up. That is a ridiculously

00:21:17.309 --> 00:21:22.930
high open rate for emails today. And why is that?

00:21:23.009 --> 00:21:25.970
Because I'm always providing value in those newsletters.

00:21:26.049 --> 00:21:27.890
You really have to look at that newsletter and

00:21:27.890 --> 00:21:29.789
figure out what is the value to the customer

00:21:29.789 --> 00:21:31.890
for opening this up and reading it. There has

00:21:31.890 --> 00:21:35.210
to be some content that is of value to them in

00:21:35.210 --> 00:21:37.829
some way. So make sure you're delivering that

00:21:37.829 --> 00:21:39.890
value and make sure that you're sending out this

00:21:39.890 --> 00:21:42.670
newsletter on a regular basis. It can't be like

00:21:42.670 --> 00:21:44.650
once a year because then they're forgetting about

00:21:44.650 --> 00:21:47.210
you. It's got to be on a regular basis. I send

00:21:47.210 --> 00:21:49.490
it out once a month. I know others in business

00:21:49.490 --> 00:21:51.210
that are very successful. They'll send out their

00:21:51.210 --> 00:21:53.269
newsletters once a week. You really have to figure

00:21:53.269 --> 00:21:55.829
out what works for your clients. However, I would

00:21:55.829 --> 00:21:57.730
say that make sure you're really giving a lot

00:21:57.730 --> 00:21:59.710
of value and make sure that you're staying consistent

00:21:59.710 --> 00:22:02.789
in terms of sending that out. Why is that consistency

00:22:02.789 --> 00:22:05.970
so important? Because I want to create top. of

00:22:05.970 --> 00:22:09.490
the mind awareness in the minds of all of my

00:22:09.490 --> 00:22:13.009
potential customers. So that means that if an

00:22:13.009 --> 00:22:16.089
opportunity opens up and let's say they just

00:22:16.089 --> 00:22:18.789
received the newsletter from me three days ago,

00:22:18.910 --> 00:22:22.029
then immediately when the opportunity comes up

00:22:22.029 --> 00:22:24.089
and they say, wow, we need a speaker on our college

00:22:24.089 --> 00:22:26.890
campus, I want them to instantly think of Dr.

00:22:26.990 --> 00:22:29.269
Mike Ailan at Greek University. I'm building

00:22:29.269 --> 00:22:31.049
that top of the mind awareness. So that way,

00:22:31.069 --> 00:22:33.230
when the opportunity comes up, they say to themselves,

00:22:33.490 --> 00:22:36.730
I have to send this lead. to Mike. That's what

00:22:36.730 --> 00:22:39.089
I'm trying to build. And so that's why it's important

00:22:39.089 --> 00:22:41.630
for you to stay consistent and always be delivering

00:22:41.630 --> 00:22:44.589
value. And you have to nurture that relationship

00:22:44.589 --> 00:22:47.650
over time. Again, you can't microwave relationships.

00:22:47.829 --> 00:22:50.650
This is something that you build long -term over

00:22:50.650 --> 00:22:53.450
a long period of time and really start talking

00:22:53.450 --> 00:22:56.470
to your clients about little things. As an example,

00:22:56.650 --> 00:22:58.829
I found out one of my potential clients loves

00:22:58.829 --> 00:23:01.109
the New York Yankees. And I happen to be a big

00:23:01.109 --> 00:23:03.630
Yankees fan. Aaron Judge is having a phenomenal

00:23:03.630 --> 00:23:06.349
start to the season. The Yanks. are rolling at

00:23:06.349 --> 00:23:08.529
six and three. They're looking really good this

00:23:08.529 --> 00:23:10.849
season. So immediately I'm sending an email to

00:23:10.849 --> 00:23:13.049
my potential client saying, hey, did you see

00:23:13.049 --> 00:23:15.089
the Yankee game last night? Aaron Judge is just

00:23:15.089 --> 00:23:17.690
on fire. And it's these little things. And I

00:23:17.690 --> 00:23:19.630
put that all into the CRM package, of course,

00:23:19.670 --> 00:23:22.210
that he's a Yankee fan. So immediately when I'm

00:23:22.210 --> 00:23:24.450
reaching out to him, we're talking about Yankees

00:23:24.450 --> 00:23:27.829
and things that we can instantly bond on. And

00:23:27.829 --> 00:23:30.089
then we can start talking about whatever opportunities

00:23:30.089 --> 00:23:32.569
exist. But those are the types of things that

00:23:32.569 --> 00:23:34.910
really take you to the next level is when you

00:23:34.910 --> 00:23:37.390
know their favorite sports team, when you call

00:23:37.390 --> 00:23:39.710
them to wish them a happy birthday, when you

00:23:39.710 --> 00:23:42.789
know their wife's name and what's going on with

00:23:42.789 --> 00:23:46.230
her. All of these little things add up. And the

00:23:46.230 --> 00:23:48.710
key is really having that CRM database fully

00:23:48.710 --> 00:23:51.009
populated with all this information. So that

00:23:51.009 --> 00:23:52.690
way, when you're calling them, you're reviewing,

00:23:52.869 --> 00:23:56.930
OK, they have a Siberian cat named Klondike.

00:23:57.170 --> 00:23:59.990
Their birthday is coming up in a month. They

00:23:59.990 --> 00:24:02.950
love Italian food. They're a big New York Yankees

00:24:02.950 --> 00:24:05.000
fan. So you're right. through this list and you

00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:07.740
know exactly what to hit on. And they're saying,

00:24:07.799 --> 00:24:10.740
my God, Michael, how do you remember all of this

00:24:10.740 --> 00:24:13.079
stuff? Your memory is insane. And I'm like, I

00:24:13.079 --> 00:24:15.279
just have a really good CRM package and I took

00:24:15.279 --> 00:24:17.859
great notes. So that's a little bit how it's

00:24:17.859 --> 00:24:21.700
done. Yeah. It's so important in what you hit

00:24:21.700 --> 00:24:24.960
upon was the difference really between the relationships

00:24:24.960 --> 00:24:29.180
and just a customer. Okay. And really ever since

00:24:29.180 --> 00:24:33.809
the pandemic, kids today. They forgot how to

00:24:33.809 --> 00:24:36.609
communicate with one another. They lost networking

00:24:36.609 --> 00:24:39.170
completely because they think everything is through

00:24:39.170 --> 00:24:42.789
Zoom or the cell phone. So you have to take that

00:24:42.789 --> 00:24:44.869
out of their minds. And I have to tell you something.

00:24:44.990 --> 00:24:47.750
I was in the mortgage industry 100 years ago,

00:24:47.849 --> 00:24:51.269
and I used to go to networking events. I used

00:24:51.269 --> 00:24:54.069
to come home with a shoebox filled with business

00:24:54.069 --> 00:24:56.549
cards because that was the way that everybody

00:24:56.549 --> 00:25:01.740
did it. And that was 100 % wrong. And now if

00:25:01.740 --> 00:25:04.359
I go to a three or four hour networking event,

00:25:04.480 --> 00:25:07.839
I come back with about 20 business cards because

00:25:07.839 --> 00:25:10.640
those are people that I created that relationship

00:25:10.640 --> 00:25:13.380
with. They're not just, they might be a customer,

00:25:13.480 --> 00:25:15.539
they might not be. They're nice to look at, talk

00:25:15.539 --> 00:25:18.720
to, anything like that. But the relationship

00:25:18.720 --> 00:25:22.180
building is so very important. And for anybody

00:25:22.180 --> 00:25:25.089
listening. Please, that's what you should take

00:25:25.089 --> 00:25:27.470
away from this is that you need to build those

00:25:27.470 --> 00:25:30.849
relationships, not just customer back and forth.

00:25:31.430 --> 00:25:35.210
Okay, so can you share a challenge you faced

00:25:35.210 --> 00:25:39.680
and how you overcame it? Oh boy, business as

00:25:39.680 --> 00:25:42.299
an entrepreneur, there's challenges all over

00:25:42.299 --> 00:25:44.420
the place. I don't even know where to start,

00:25:44.539 --> 00:25:47.619
but there's constantly challenges. And the question

00:25:47.619 --> 00:25:50.420
is, are you able to overcome them? And my suggestion

00:25:50.420 --> 00:25:53.000
is that if you want to overcome challenges, find

00:25:53.000 --> 00:25:56.099
somebody that you can network with that has been

00:25:56.099 --> 00:25:58.740
there and has done. That is really the key to

00:25:58.740 --> 00:26:01.180
success is there's a whole bunch of people out

00:26:01.180 --> 00:26:03.400
there on LinkedIn, et cetera, that you can reach

00:26:03.400 --> 00:26:06.579
out to that are in your dream position or maybe

00:26:06.579 --> 00:26:09.039
even a competitor. or somebody who's just in

00:26:09.039 --> 00:26:10.900
your business who's encountered that problem

00:26:10.900 --> 00:26:13.759
that you've encountered before, call them up

00:26:13.759 --> 00:26:16.740
and ask for advice. That's another really good

00:26:16.740 --> 00:26:19.900
networking tip is ask people for advice. They

00:26:19.900 --> 00:26:22.740
love to be put in that situation because you're

00:26:22.740 --> 00:26:25.480
coming to them and now you're viewing them as

00:26:25.480 --> 00:26:28.400
an authority in that industry. And they love

00:26:28.400 --> 00:26:31.259
that. They love to show off what their skills

00:26:31.259 --> 00:26:33.519
are. And especially if you're a college student.

00:26:34.029 --> 00:26:35.849
People love to talk about themselves and they

00:26:35.849 --> 00:26:38.450
love to talk about how successful they are. So

00:26:38.450 --> 00:26:41.549
get 15 minutes with somebody who works at the

00:26:41.549 --> 00:26:43.990
company that you want to work at or holds the

00:26:43.990 --> 00:26:46.609
dream position that you're angling for and ask

00:26:46.609 --> 00:26:48.569
them for 15 minutes to figure out how they got

00:26:48.569 --> 00:26:51.069
there. So the key is really just to find other

00:26:51.069 --> 00:26:52.710
people in your niche that have been there, that

00:26:52.710 --> 00:26:55.250
have done that, that can advise you and they

00:26:55.250 --> 00:26:58.210
can steer you in the right direction. And the

00:26:58.210 --> 00:27:01.690
problems, they're inevitable. Every entrepreneur

00:27:01.690 --> 00:27:05.130
out there is going to have problems along the

00:27:05.130 --> 00:27:08.170
way. I remember when I first got started as a

00:27:08.170 --> 00:27:10.650
speaker and new in business at Greek University,

00:27:10.769 --> 00:27:13.470
and it was just me. We didn't have dozens of

00:27:13.470 --> 00:27:15.829
speakers that were standing behind me ready to

00:27:15.829 --> 00:27:18.609
help. And the first six months were absolutely

00:27:18.609 --> 00:27:21.730
brutal because typically there's a six month

00:27:21.730 --> 00:27:23.890
lead time before you can actually start getting

00:27:23.890 --> 00:27:26.630
speaking engagements because a lot of people

00:27:26.630 --> 00:27:30.309
plan six months in advance. So here I am needing

00:27:30.309 --> 00:27:32.819
to have immediate revenue and there was none

00:27:32.819 --> 00:27:35.740
because nobody was going to hire me to speak

00:27:35.740 --> 00:27:37.920
next week. They just didn't operate that way.

00:27:38.039 --> 00:27:41.180
Everyone had a six to a year, six months to a

00:27:41.180 --> 00:27:43.440
year in terms of when they're planning out their

00:27:43.440 --> 00:27:46.240
next big event. And so I remember just struggling.

00:27:46.359 --> 00:27:49.119
And the problem was there was absolutely no revenue.

00:27:49.240 --> 00:27:53.000
That was the number one problem. And so I remember

00:27:53.000 --> 00:27:55.559
just reaching out to another speaker in the industry,

00:27:55.640 --> 00:27:58.680
explaining the situation. And immediately they

00:27:58.680 --> 00:28:02.799
ended up helping me with a local engagements,

00:28:02.940 --> 00:28:06.460
probably not the best in terms of return on investment.

00:28:06.619 --> 00:28:09.119
However, it did get me a whole bunch of things.

00:28:09.180 --> 00:28:11.700
Like it got me photos that I could put onto the

00:28:11.700 --> 00:28:14.799
website. It got me video reels. So that way I

00:28:14.799 --> 00:28:18.000
can start building up my portfolio of videos.

00:28:18.160 --> 00:28:21.339
It started getting me testimonials. So now if

00:28:21.339 --> 00:28:23.299
you looked on my LinkedIn account, I have over

00:28:23.299 --> 00:28:26.960
80 testimonials on LinkedIn right now. And all

00:28:26.960 --> 00:28:29.140
of that started in that first six month phase

00:28:29.140 --> 00:28:32.160
when I had absolutely no revenue coming in. So

00:28:32.160 --> 00:28:35.259
you can take a problem such as no revenue. I

00:28:35.259 --> 00:28:37.279
have no money to put food on the table. That's

00:28:37.279 --> 00:28:40.799
a big problem. However, you can use that constructively

00:28:40.799 --> 00:28:44.319
to start getting photos and video for your website,

00:28:44.559 --> 00:28:46.940
testimonials from others who have heard you speak.

00:28:47.119 --> 00:28:49.579
So that way, when the revenue does come pouring

00:28:49.579 --> 00:28:52.960
in six months from now, then you have all of

00:28:52.960 --> 00:28:55.940
those assets that you need in order to keep this

00:28:55.940 --> 00:28:58.539
engine going. And that started in that first

00:28:58.539 --> 00:29:01.250
six month period. So Was it tight the first six

00:29:01.250 --> 00:29:04.069
months? Absolutely. It was really tight. But

00:29:04.069 --> 00:29:05.950
luckily, I did all of those little things and

00:29:05.950 --> 00:29:07.869
got some great advice from another speaker in

00:29:07.869 --> 00:29:10.750
the industry to help me to get going and to at

00:29:10.750 --> 00:29:12.910
least get all those assets in place. So that

00:29:12.910 --> 00:29:14.990
way, when the speaking engagements did start

00:29:14.990 --> 00:29:17.369
rolling in six months, seven months, eight months

00:29:17.369 --> 00:29:19.930
in, then I was prepared and ready to hit the

00:29:19.930 --> 00:29:21.630
ground running. Problems will happen all the

00:29:21.630 --> 00:29:23.289
time. I would just encourage you to reach out

00:29:23.289 --> 00:29:25.430
to others in your industry. They will help you.

00:29:25.470 --> 00:29:29.430
Most people want to be helpful to others. Absolutely.

00:29:29.569 --> 00:29:32.809
People love to talk about themselves. They love

00:29:32.809 --> 00:29:35.089
to give you the advice that they've been through.

00:29:35.509 --> 00:29:38.569
So you're absolutely right. Reach out to them

00:29:38.569 --> 00:29:41.930
because they will be more than happy to give

00:29:41.930 --> 00:29:44.269
you what they know. They'll talk about it. And

00:29:44.269 --> 00:29:47.690
the fact of speaking without getting paid for

00:29:47.690 --> 00:29:51.630
it, I must have spoken at 50 different venues.

00:29:52.119 --> 00:29:54.900
before I started charging. But that helped me

00:29:54.900 --> 00:29:58.680
get my repetition in, hone in my skill, my craft.

00:29:58.920 --> 00:30:02.640
And it also taught me things about networking

00:30:02.640 --> 00:30:06.180
that I didn't even know. So all of that comes

00:30:06.180 --> 00:30:09.420
into play. So it's very good. But listen, the

00:30:09.420 --> 00:30:12.099
people that you reach out to, they're willing

00:30:12.099 --> 00:30:15.880
to give. Very rarely will you find somebody like,

00:30:15.900 --> 00:30:18.039
no, I'm not interested. They'll always give you

00:30:18.039 --> 00:30:20.400
15, 20 minutes at a time, which will turn out

00:30:20.400 --> 00:30:23.079
to be a half an hour because the first 15 minutes,

00:30:23.099 --> 00:30:25.359
they're going to talk about themselves. So that's

00:30:25.359 --> 00:30:27.500
all right. But either way, that's exactly what

00:30:27.500 --> 00:30:31.440
you have to do. Okay. So how did you balance,

00:30:31.579 --> 00:30:35.059
I'm sorry, how do you balance online and offline

00:30:35.059 --> 00:30:40.190
networking in today's digital age? Oh boy, you

00:30:40.190 --> 00:30:42.589
have to do a little bit of both. I think there

00:30:42.589 --> 00:30:44.910
are conferences that are happening in your niche.

00:30:45.130 --> 00:30:47.990
You have to look at that as a calendar and figure

00:30:47.990 --> 00:30:50.069
out which ones are you going to get some good

00:30:50.069 --> 00:30:52.950
return on investment on and then plan out your

00:30:52.950 --> 00:30:55.750
year. So I usually look at it every summer just

00:30:55.750 --> 00:30:58.170
because I'm usually going by the academic calendar

00:30:58.170 --> 00:31:00.829
for colleges. And every summer I'll look at that

00:31:00.829 --> 00:31:03.250
and say, okay, the first conference we have is

00:31:03.250 --> 00:31:04.970
going to be in December. Then we have a bunch

00:31:04.970 --> 00:31:07.170
that are going on in February. So those are going

00:31:07.170 --> 00:31:10.349
to be my in -person. networking attempts. And

00:31:10.349 --> 00:31:12.710
I'll map that out every single year. And I will

00:31:12.710 --> 00:31:15.250
allocate how much money that I need in order

00:31:15.250 --> 00:31:17.950
to be an exhibitor at those in -person conferences

00:31:17.950 --> 00:31:20.950
and be a speaker at those in -person conferences

00:31:20.950 --> 00:31:24.490
and also sponsor some of those in -person conferences.

00:31:24.750 --> 00:31:27.690
So I'm basically, when I do those in -person

00:31:27.690 --> 00:31:30.069
networking events, I'm hitting them from all

00:31:30.069 --> 00:31:32.170
different directions. Yes, they are going to

00:31:32.170 --> 00:31:34.509
see me and meet me and shake my hand at the exhibit

00:31:34.509 --> 00:31:36.789
hall and at the various sessions. Maybe they

00:31:36.789 --> 00:31:38.660
sit in on one of my sessions. where I'm speaking

00:31:38.660 --> 00:31:41.160
and they get a chance to see me in action, which

00:31:41.160 --> 00:31:43.299
is wonderful. But I'm also hitting them at a

00:31:43.299 --> 00:31:45.420
whole bunch of different ways. They're also seeing

00:31:45.420 --> 00:31:49.220
my logo being advertised all over the conference.

00:31:49.500 --> 00:31:51.799
So that might mean in the app that they're using

00:31:51.799 --> 00:31:54.660
for the conference, they'll actually see my logo

00:31:54.660 --> 00:31:57.740
there. They might see my logo in a banner that's

00:31:57.740 --> 00:32:00.700
actually up on the wall. They might see me all

00:32:00.700 --> 00:32:03.000
different ways throughout that conference where

00:32:03.000 --> 00:32:05.859
I'm sponsoring, et cetera. And that really helps

00:32:05.859 --> 00:32:08.359
to kind of drive home. that message and really

00:32:08.359 --> 00:32:11.220
sink in the brand. So that way, again, building

00:32:11.220 --> 00:32:14.079
that top of the mind awareness about my company.

00:32:14.240 --> 00:32:18.279
So now I have all my in -person networking events

00:32:18.279 --> 00:32:21.200
all scheduled for the entire year. And then it

00:32:21.200 --> 00:32:23.200
just becomes, okay, for the rest of the time,

00:32:23.339 --> 00:32:25.299
what am I going to do? How am I going to network

00:32:25.299 --> 00:32:28.279
online? And so that networking online looks,

00:32:28.400 --> 00:32:31.000
it can take all different forms and shapes. Yes,

00:32:31.039 --> 00:32:34.500
I am constantly emailing my clients. I am constantly

00:32:34.500 --> 00:32:37.380
sending videos to my clients. I'm constantly

00:32:37.380 --> 00:32:40.279
calling my clients. I'm constantly sending them

00:32:40.279 --> 00:32:43.220
email newsletters once a month to my clients.

00:32:43.339 --> 00:32:47.339
I also have written six books. So the books act

00:32:47.339 --> 00:32:50.220
as a brochure. So that way they actually learn

00:32:50.220 --> 00:32:52.720
about our services and our various speakers.

00:32:52.940 --> 00:32:56.119
I have a published dissertation. So in my signature

00:32:56.119 --> 00:32:59.539
on my email, I'm actually including a link to

00:32:59.539 --> 00:33:02.539
my published dissertation. So they see me as

00:33:02.539 --> 00:33:05.220
an authority within fraternity and sorority life.

00:33:05.450 --> 00:33:08.690
specifically around hazing prevention. So there's

00:33:08.690 --> 00:33:12.009
all kinds of online networking going on. Also,

00:33:12.109 --> 00:33:14.769
we do all kinds of webinars that we offer for

00:33:14.769 --> 00:33:18.299
free to our clients on Zoom. So that way they

00:33:18.299 --> 00:33:20.619
can actually network with us, see our various

00:33:20.619 --> 00:33:23.579
speakers and engage with us even when those physical

00:33:23.579 --> 00:33:25.819
conferences are not happening. So you really

00:33:25.819 --> 00:33:29.059
have to figure out how can I provide value and

00:33:29.059 --> 00:33:31.579
providing value looks a whole bunch of different

00:33:31.579 --> 00:33:35.380
ways. The other key to my success is also social

00:33:35.380 --> 00:33:38.059
media. So we have a huge social media following

00:33:38.059 --> 00:33:41.079
on TikTok and on Instagram. Instagram Reels is

00:33:41.079 --> 00:33:44.339
very hot. TikTok is very hot for our target clients,

00:33:44.680 --> 00:33:47.059
which are college students. So I've been able

00:33:47.059 --> 00:33:50.299
to build out a huge following on those social

00:33:50.299 --> 00:33:53.160
media platforms. And I'd highly encourage it,

00:33:53.200 --> 00:33:55.200
especially if you have a younger client demographic

00:33:55.200 --> 00:33:58.299
like college students, that's exactly where they're

00:33:58.299 --> 00:34:00.869
hanging out. So you have to figure out for your

00:34:00.869 --> 00:34:03.609
business, where are my ideal clients hanging

00:34:03.609 --> 00:34:07.329
out? So that way I can build a following in that

00:34:07.329 --> 00:34:10.869
area. And I tell you what, that TikTok algorithm,

00:34:11.110 --> 00:34:12.510
it's going to be very interesting to see what

00:34:12.510 --> 00:34:15.070
happens in terms of the sale of TikTok and if

00:34:15.070 --> 00:34:17.570
they're able to pull that off. But the algorithm

00:34:17.570 --> 00:34:20.769
is so good that whatever topic you are engaged

00:34:20.769 --> 00:34:23.510
in as a business, you can create a TikTok account

00:34:23.510 --> 00:34:26.429
and have a ton of targeted followers within a

00:34:26.429 --> 00:34:30.230
week if you are doing the... videos right. I

00:34:30.230 --> 00:34:33.170
would highly suggest looking into some of that

00:34:33.170 --> 00:34:35.909
online networking that happens on social media,

00:34:35.989 --> 00:34:38.909
because that's a great place to engage your target

00:34:38.909 --> 00:34:42.989
customers. Absolutely. Absolutely. I would say

00:34:42.989 --> 00:34:45.789
I couldn't have said it better myself, but you

00:34:45.789 --> 00:34:51.889
did. Thank you. Again, you hit so many points

00:34:51.889 --> 00:34:55.750
that I wanted to go over with you, but you said

00:34:55.750 --> 00:34:59.760
them so well. but especially going over the social

00:34:59.760 --> 00:35:03.519
media and seeing where your target market is.

00:35:03.619 --> 00:35:06.699
You should really, anybody listening, listen

00:35:06.699 --> 00:35:09.280
to Michael because he knows what he's talking

00:35:09.280 --> 00:35:12.860
about. Also, I love to say for the kids that

00:35:12.860 --> 00:35:16.960
are listening about social media, here's my thing.

00:35:17.079 --> 00:35:20.820
I always say it. Don't post anything on social

00:35:20.820 --> 00:35:24.590
media. You wouldn't show your grandmother. Right.

00:35:24.650 --> 00:35:28.690
So that's just because all the employers, everything

00:35:28.690 --> 00:35:32.550
that I talk about is the employers and how they

00:35:32.550 --> 00:35:36.570
are looking and searching social media for their

00:35:36.570 --> 00:35:39.630
employees. And if they don't like something,

00:35:39.769 --> 00:35:41.670
they're going to call you in and say, what about

00:35:41.670 --> 00:35:44.849
this? What about that? So rather than go through

00:35:44.849 --> 00:35:48.329
all that, just don't post that or delete off

00:35:48.329 --> 00:35:50.469
the things you don't want people to see, but

00:35:50.469 --> 00:35:54.760
just adhere to those. OK, so. How do you ensure

00:35:54.760 --> 00:35:59.239
ethical practices in networking, especially given

00:35:59.239 --> 00:36:04.139
your background in hazing prevention? Wow. Ethical

00:36:04.139 --> 00:36:06.619
practices. I think it's really about just getting

00:36:06.619 --> 00:36:09.239
to know your clients. We want to make sure that

00:36:09.239 --> 00:36:11.599
everybody that we work with, whether it be our

00:36:11.599 --> 00:36:15.099
clients or our employees, we obviously ethics

00:36:15.099 --> 00:36:17.800
are incredibly important because we're all fraternity

00:36:17.800 --> 00:36:19.980
and sorority members for the most part. And that

00:36:19.980 --> 00:36:23.079
means that there are certain values that we treasure

00:36:23.079 --> 00:36:25.739
and things like giving back to our community

00:36:25.739 --> 00:36:29.239
and truth and honesty. And all of those things

00:36:29.239 --> 00:36:31.820
are incredibly important to us. And before I

00:36:31.820 --> 00:36:35.199
get in. It could be a client. It could be an

00:36:35.199 --> 00:36:37.780
employee. I really do want to make sure that

00:36:37.780 --> 00:36:40.519
they share our values. And the one way that I

00:36:40.519 --> 00:36:43.340
do that is a lot of times through an interview

00:36:43.340 --> 00:36:45.639
on the Fraternity Foodie podcast, to be honest

00:36:45.639 --> 00:36:48.019
with you. We end up getting a ton of clients

00:36:48.019 --> 00:36:50.739
through that podcast. We end up getting a ton

00:36:50.739 --> 00:36:53.420
of speakers through that podcast. That's really

00:36:53.420 --> 00:36:55.920
the way that I figure out, is this somebody that

00:36:55.920 --> 00:36:58.400
I want to do business with? And through a 30

00:36:58.400 --> 00:37:00.380
minute conversation, I can very quickly find

00:37:00.380 --> 00:37:03.510
out what are the values of this particular person?

00:37:03.630 --> 00:37:06.489
And is it a match? Because not everybody is going

00:37:06.489 --> 00:37:08.329
to be a match for your corporate culture. So

00:37:08.329 --> 00:37:10.230
I think everybody who's listening right now,

00:37:10.250 --> 00:37:12.289
I really want you to think about what is your

00:37:12.289 --> 00:37:14.610
corporate culture? If you're just a person, an

00:37:14.610 --> 00:37:17.590
individual, what are your values? What's important

00:37:17.590 --> 00:37:20.010
to you? And then before you do business with

00:37:20.010 --> 00:37:23.110
anybody, make sure that person shares those common

00:37:23.110 --> 00:37:26.570
beliefs. Because if not, this could be really

00:37:26.570 --> 00:37:29.650
a disaster. Imagine if we brought in a speaker

00:37:29.650 --> 00:37:32.829
that didn't share. our values, that would be

00:37:32.829 --> 00:37:35.690
very problematic. You can instantly tear down

00:37:35.690 --> 00:37:38.829
an entire company that's been around for 10 years

00:37:38.829 --> 00:37:42.090
based on social media, really bad social media

00:37:42.090 --> 00:37:44.670
posts that goes around the world in about 10

00:37:44.670 --> 00:37:47.210
seconds. So you have to be really careful that

00:37:47.210 --> 00:37:49.289
anybody that you either bring into your company

00:37:49.289 --> 00:37:52.070
or even potentially a client, you want to make

00:37:52.070 --> 00:37:54.409
sure that there's a match in terms of those values.

00:37:54.550 --> 00:37:57.110
And that usually starts with a conversation that

00:37:57.110 --> 00:37:59.809
could be on a podcast as an example. That's a

00:37:59.809 --> 00:38:01.400
really... good place. That's where we get all

00:38:01.400 --> 00:38:04.139
of our new speakers is on the podcast. We invite

00:38:04.139 --> 00:38:06.760
them on and we have a conversation to see if

00:38:06.760 --> 00:38:09.340
this is a good fit. Or if it's with a client,

00:38:09.420 --> 00:38:11.760
just have a phone call or a Zoom session with

00:38:11.760 --> 00:38:13.960
them to make sure, say, hey, listen, this is

00:38:13.960 --> 00:38:16.239
what my company is all about. This is what our

00:38:16.239 --> 00:38:18.840
values are. Is that something that's important

00:38:18.840 --> 00:38:21.380
to you as well? And if the answer is yes, great,

00:38:21.519 --> 00:38:23.780
then we can move forward. If not, that's okay

00:38:23.780 --> 00:38:26.559
too. Again, maybe I can send them to someplace

00:38:26.559 --> 00:38:29.300
else, maybe a competitor or somebody else that

00:38:29.420 --> 00:38:31.500
and service them a little bit better. But for

00:38:31.500 --> 00:38:34.519
me, I'm really into relationships. I'm not into

00:38:34.519 --> 00:38:38.500
just doing one time speaking engagement and then

00:38:38.500 --> 00:38:41.079
never seeing them again. I'm into building relationships

00:38:41.079 --> 00:38:44.039
with people that share my values. And so in order

00:38:44.039 --> 00:38:46.219
to do that, you really have to have that conversation

00:38:46.219 --> 00:38:48.699
on the front end, make sure that there's a match

00:38:48.699 --> 00:38:51.840
and then continue that relationship over a long

00:38:51.840 --> 00:38:54.739
period of time. But it really does start with

00:38:54.739 --> 00:38:56.800
that front end work to make sure that there's

00:38:56.800 --> 00:39:01.989
a match before it's too late. Very good. I learned

00:39:01.989 --> 00:39:05.590
being a restaurant owner, I learned something

00:39:05.590 --> 00:39:10.610
very fast. If you have really good food, they

00:39:10.610 --> 00:39:13.190
will go out and tell a friend, hey, you have

00:39:13.190 --> 00:39:16.670
to go try. If you have really bad food, they'll

00:39:16.670 --> 00:39:21.530
go out and tell 10 people not to go. So you really

00:39:21.530 --> 00:39:24.889
have to be careful. So what you say is so accurate

00:39:24.889 --> 00:39:29.250
and so true. Okay, so what's your approach? to

00:39:29.250 --> 00:39:32.610
creating mutual value in networking relationships.

00:39:33.969 --> 00:39:37.050
You really, I think you're, the question is really

00:39:37.050 --> 00:39:39.010
great. You're setting it up really well because

00:39:39.010 --> 00:39:42.190
the key to great relationships is that mutual

00:39:42.190 --> 00:39:45.230
value. And so you constantly want to think about

00:39:45.230 --> 00:39:47.969
when you're talking to a potential client, start

00:39:47.969 --> 00:39:50.630
asking them, hey, what does the perfect presentation

00:39:50.630 --> 00:39:54.050
look like? What are, as a speaker, What message

00:39:54.050 --> 00:39:57.630
do you want the audience to leave with in order

00:39:57.630 --> 00:40:00.869
to say that this was successful? And so once

00:40:00.869 --> 00:40:03.050
you really understand that, then you can deliver

00:40:03.050 --> 00:40:06.170
on that and then show them, let's say, survey

00:40:06.170 --> 00:40:09.150
results that proves that you actually got that

00:40:09.150 --> 00:40:12.090
result. So every time I go out and speak, I instantly

00:40:12.090 --> 00:40:15.329
make sure that the last slide is a QR code that

00:40:15.329 --> 00:40:17.090
all of the people in the audience can actually

00:40:17.090 --> 00:40:20.309
scan and give me feedback to say, did I hit the

00:40:20.309 --> 00:40:23.730
mark? Did I meet the client's needs? And if the

00:40:23.730 --> 00:40:27.170
answer is yes, wonderful, then let me share that

00:40:27.170 --> 00:40:29.650
with my clients so that way they can see that

00:40:29.650 --> 00:40:32.909
I actually met their needs. And then I need something

00:40:32.909 --> 00:40:35.510
in return, right? What do I need in return? I

00:40:35.510 --> 00:40:38.170
need a testimonial from that client in order

00:40:38.170 --> 00:40:41.210
to attract more clients. And they're more than

00:40:41.210 --> 00:40:43.769
happy to do that if I can prove to them that

00:40:43.769 --> 00:40:46.530
I met their needs. So really the key is making

00:40:46.530 --> 00:40:48.269
sure that you're meeting all of their needs,

00:40:48.329 --> 00:40:50.570
getting very clear on what success looks like.

00:40:50.650 --> 00:40:53.530
And then if you hit, it, then wonderful. Now

00:40:53.530 --> 00:40:55.949
is your time to be able to get something in return,

00:40:56.130 --> 00:40:58.969
which could be a testimonial. It could be a referral

00:40:58.969 --> 00:41:01.849
to another client, but you have to make sure

00:41:01.849 --> 00:41:03.929
that you're hitting their needs first. So that

00:41:03.929 --> 00:41:06.250
way their needs are satisfied. And then you can

00:41:06.250 --> 00:41:08.489
ask for something in return. You don't want to

00:41:08.489 --> 00:41:11.050
be thinking about just your needs. Initially,

00:41:11.349 --> 00:41:13.389
it's always about the client. It's always about

00:41:13.389 --> 00:41:16.230
what do they need. And I will tell you nine times

00:41:16.230 --> 00:41:18.809
out of 10, if their needs are met and they are

00:41:18.809 --> 00:41:21.900
happy with the service that you provided, I promise

00:41:21.900 --> 00:41:24.039
you they will come and deliver whatever it is

00:41:24.039 --> 00:41:25.940
that you need in order to get to the next level

00:41:25.940 --> 00:41:28.579
for your business, whether that be a testimonial

00:41:28.579 --> 00:41:31.539
or referral or what have you. They will be more

00:41:31.539 --> 00:41:34.239
than happy to do it nine times out of 10. That's

00:41:34.239 --> 00:41:36.780
really the way that I am able to make sure that

00:41:36.780 --> 00:41:39.980
everybody's needs are met is just going all out

00:41:39.980 --> 00:41:42.159
to make sure I understand what their needs are.

00:41:42.300 --> 00:41:45.420
I deliver on that, show them proof that I've

00:41:45.420 --> 00:41:48.199
actually reached their goal, and then they're

00:41:48.199 --> 00:41:50.489
more than happy to help me and my business. in

00:41:50.489 --> 00:41:55.449
return. Absolutely. Absolutely. There is a company

00:41:55.449 --> 00:41:59.409
called Talkadot and they have a QR code and they

00:41:59.409 --> 00:42:03.389
have all those analytics for you. I've, I started

00:42:03.389 --> 00:42:07.090
with Talkadot, but I created my own on a Google

00:42:07.090 --> 00:42:10.429
worksheet. So I have my own QR code that goes

00:42:10.429 --> 00:42:13.190
right to my own Google worksheet. And it tells

00:42:13.190 --> 00:42:16.630
me almost the same as the Talkadot information.

00:42:16.690 --> 00:42:20.139
And from there, I can talk to my customer, my

00:42:20.139 --> 00:42:24.260
client about how much they liked it, how much

00:42:24.260 --> 00:42:25.980
they liked it, how much they didn't like it,

00:42:26.019 --> 00:42:29.019
everything like that to serve them that much

00:42:29.019 --> 00:42:32.539
better. Okay. So I'm doing everything to serve

00:42:32.539 --> 00:42:35.440
my customer better, my client better. But you

00:42:35.440 --> 00:42:38.690
got to ask, you got to get that proof. You have

00:42:38.690 --> 00:42:41.329
to ask for those surveys and for those results

00:42:41.329 --> 00:42:42.829
to make sure that you're actually hitting the

00:42:42.829 --> 00:42:45.590
mark. I think that's one area that if I had a

00:42:45.590 --> 00:42:47.789
do -over in terms of my business, I would have

00:42:47.789 --> 00:42:50.230
started that practice of the QR codes and getting

00:42:50.230 --> 00:42:53.309
surveys from all the students much earlier because

00:42:53.309 --> 00:42:54.869
I think it would have helped the business grow

00:42:54.869 --> 00:42:58.050
at a faster rate. In the beginning, as a speaker,

00:42:58.190 --> 00:43:00.550
you're like, man, I killed it. And you know that

00:43:00.550 --> 00:43:02.210
you did because you're getting good feedback

00:43:02.210 --> 00:43:04.329
when you get off stage. But how does the client

00:43:04.329 --> 00:43:06.789
know that? You can't just say, I killed it. Okay,

00:43:06.969 --> 00:43:09.019
but that's subjective. Right. That's one person's

00:43:09.019 --> 00:43:11.820
opinion. How do you prove that? So you really

00:43:11.820 --> 00:43:15.000
want to collect data on your product or service

00:43:15.000 --> 00:43:18.219
that proves that you're actually hitting the

00:43:18.219 --> 00:43:19.760
mark. And that's something that I wish I would

00:43:19.760 --> 00:43:21.860
have implemented earlier. But I tell you what,

00:43:21.900 --> 00:43:24.480
now that it's implemented, we've just grown by

00:43:24.480 --> 00:43:28.860
leaps and bounds. Absolutely. Absolutely. Let's

00:43:28.860 --> 00:43:32.559
go. Listen, you've proven you are a success and

00:43:32.559 --> 00:43:34.699
I'm sure you had a lot of bumps in the roads

00:43:34.699 --> 00:43:38.170
getting there. So let's concentrate a little

00:43:38.170 --> 00:43:41.050
bit on the mistakes. What's a common networking

00:43:41.050 --> 00:43:45.409
mistake that you've observed and how can my listeners

00:43:45.409 --> 00:43:49.760
avoid it? Yeah. Don't always try to sell. Sometimes

00:43:49.760 --> 00:43:53.239
I overhear some of these networking interactions

00:43:53.239 --> 00:43:57.559
and it's just painfully obvious to me that one

00:43:57.559 --> 00:44:00.739
person is trying to sell a particular solution

00:44:00.739 --> 00:44:03.980
to the other person. And it's almost painful.

00:44:04.159 --> 00:44:07.159
Just be present. Just be in the moment and listen.

00:44:07.380 --> 00:44:10.260
Instead of constantly selling, I need you to

00:44:10.260 --> 00:44:13.360
develop your listening skills. That is incredibly

00:44:13.360 --> 00:44:15.980
important if you want to be successful. You got

00:44:15.980 --> 00:44:18.590
to listen to what the client needs. One particular

00:44:18.590 --> 00:44:21.230
occasion, I remember going to a conference and

00:44:21.230 --> 00:44:24.030
this one particular speaker that worked for a

00:44:24.030 --> 00:44:27.030
competitor was really trying to push their services,

00:44:27.110 --> 00:44:30.130
but it was painful because you could almost hear

00:44:30.130 --> 00:44:32.389
the client on the other end saying, that's not

00:44:32.389 --> 00:44:35.309
one of my needs. We don't have a need for that

00:44:35.309 --> 00:44:38.210
particular type of speaking engagement. That's

00:44:38.210 --> 00:44:40.670
not an issue on our campus. And you have to understand

00:44:40.670 --> 00:44:42.230
all of your clients are going to be different.

00:44:42.369 --> 00:44:44.309
They have different needs. They don't all have

00:44:44.309 --> 00:44:47.309
the same exact need. So you've got to ask the

00:44:47.309 --> 00:44:49.849
question, like, how are things going? Talk to

00:44:49.849 --> 00:44:51.949
me about a problem that you're encountering that

00:44:51.949 --> 00:44:54.329
you don't know how to solve. And really just

00:44:54.329 --> 00:44:56.789
be a listening board as opposed to trying to

00:44:56.789 --> 00:44:59.889
sell your particular solution. It's a really

00:44:59.889 --> 00:45:03.309
big turnoff when somebody feels that somebody

00:45:03.309 --> 00:45:05.610
is forcing themselves on you when, meanwhile,

00:45:05.809 --> 00:45:07.610
they're not listening to the fact that that's

00:45:07.610 --> 00:45:10.239
not a problem for you. I would say be a better

00:45:10.239 --> 00:45:12.619
listener and that's how you can avoid those types

00:45:12.619 --> 00:45:16.099
of situations. That's right. That's right. Don't

00:45:16.099 --> 00:45:19.239
try. That's what we both said from the beginning.

00:45:19.679 --> 00:45:23.039
Look to give, not receive. They shouldn't even

00:45:23.039 --> 00:45:25.159
know what you do until three quarters of the

00:45:25.159 --> 00:45:27.559
way through the conversation. So that should

00:45:27.559 --> 00:45:30.380
alleviate all of those problems. But listen,

00:45:30.579 --> 00:45:33.320
you can't tell them, you can't tell everybody,

00:45:33.420 --> 00:45:35.940
look, don't sell because they feel that's what

00:45:35.940 --> 00:45:38.500
they're there for. But you know that you can

00:45:38.500 --> 00:45:41.360
get more with honey than vinegar. So that's where

00:45:41.360 --> 00:45:43.719
you can look at it. So bring in this first full

00:45:43.719 --> 00:45:47.880
circle about the future of networking. How do

00:45:47.880 --> 00:45:50.340
you see networking evolving in the next five

00:45:50.340 --> 00:45:54.800
to 10 years, particularly in your fields of expertise?

00:45:55.679 --> 00:45:59.219
I do think that while I absolutely love the in

00:45:59.219 --> 00:46:01.099
-person networking, there's really no substitute

00:46:01.099 --> 00:46:04.820
for it. And I love going. I do think that because

00:46:04.820 --> 00:46:08.840
of the various economics of in -person networking

00:46:08.840 --> 00:46:11.340
and some of these conferences, I do think that

00:46:11.340 --> 00:46:13.139
the size of some of these conferences are going

00:46:13.139 --> 00:46:15.719
to start to go down slightly. We're seeing a

00:46:15.719 --> 00:46:18.400
lot of economic troubles right now in politics.

00:46:18.659 --> 00:46:21.199
And I think ultimately that's going to mean that

00:46:21.199 --> 00:46:23.900
there's going to be lower budgets within the

00:46:23.900 --> 00:46:26.769
next couple of years. to send people to these

00:46:26.769 --> 00:46:29.909
physical networking events. I think budgets are

00:46:29.909 --> 00:46:31.510
going to be cut, at least in higher ed, I'll

00:46:31.510 --> 00:46:33.349
tell you that. There's going to be some budgets

00:46:33.349 --> 00:46:35.030
that are going to be cut over the next couple

00:46:35.030 --> 00:46:37.510
of years. So what does that mean for you if you

00:46:37.510 --> 00:46:39.849
have a business that let's say caters to higher

00:46:39.849 --> 00:46:42.150
ed? That means that you really need to focus

00:46:42.150 --> 00:46:44.590
on that online networking piece that we talked

00:46:44.590 --> 00:46:47.409
about earlier. How are you going to network online

00:46:47.409 --> 00:46:51.190
so that way your customers are regularly seeing

00:46:51.190 --> 00:46:53.869
your content? And that could be on social media.

00:46:54.280 --> 00:46:57.000
So as an example, I publish a piece of social

00:46:57.000 --> 00:46:59.920
media every single day, and you can publish that

00:46:59.920 --> 00:47:02.139
same video on various platforms. You can publish

00:47:02.139 --> 00:47:04.900
that on TikTok. You can publish that on Instagram

00:47:04.900 --> 00:47:07.679
Reels. You can publish that on YouTube. You can

00:47:07.679 --> 00:47:10.380
publish that on LinkedIn as a video. So you can

00:47:10.380 --> 00:47:12.719
use that same piece of content, but just put

00:47:12.719 --> 00:47:15.320
it out on every single social media platform

00:47:15.320 --> 00:47:17.519
out there. So that way, again, you're building

00:47:17.519 --> 00:47:20.480
that top of the mind awareness with your clients.

00:47:20.619 --> 00:47:22.659
The email newsletter, I think, is going to be

00:47:22.659 --> 00:47:25.079
really good. I think that more and more people

00:47:25.079 --> 00:47:28.239
are now going to texts in terms of their messages.

00:47:28.340 --> 00:47:30.440
So at least with the college students, a lot

00:47:30.440 --> 00:47:32.639
of them are not even opening their emails and

00:47:32.639 --> 00:47:34.980
they really are focusing on the phone, on their

00:47:34.980 --> 00:47:37.039
smartphone. So the question is, how can we get

00:47:37.039 --> 00:47:40.219
messages on texts to our clients? Because they're

00:47:40.219 --> 00:47:42.739
actually reading that much faster than they're

00:47:42.739 --> 00:47:45.900
reading emails. So I think that in terms of networking,

00:47:46.159 --> 00:47:47.900
it's going to really, over the next couple of

00:47:47.900 --> 00:47:50.059
years, especially within the higher ed niche,

00:47:50.260 --> 00:47:52.300
I do think that we're going to go a lot more

00:47:52.300 --> 00:47:55.400
to online networking opportunities. So really

00:47:55.400 --> 00:47:57.079
start thinking about where you're networking

00:47:57.079 --> 00:47:59.400
online, where your customers are hanging out

00:47:59.400 --> 00:48:02.199
online. So that way you can build your business

00:48:02.199 --> 00:48:03.820
there. Because I think over the next couple of

00:48:03.820 --> 00:48:06.500
years, I see a lot of problems ahead in terms

00:48:06.500 --> 00:48:08.639
of budgets within higher ed that are just not

00:48:08.639 --> 00:48:11.400
going to allow as much of the in -person networking

00:48:11.400 --> 00:48:14.519
as much as we would like. And so that might be

00:48:14.519 --> 00:48:16.860
a little bit of a longer term play. I don't think

00:48:16.860 --> 00:48:19.059
that online network or in -person networking

00:48:19.059 --> 00:48:20.800
is going to go away. I still think it's going

00:48:20.800 --> 00:48:23.909
to be. a thing. However, just keep in mind that

00:48:23.909 --> 00:48:26.010
budgets are going to be cut. And that might mean

00:48:26.010 --> 00:48:28.329
that there's going to be lower numbers of clients

00:48:28.329 --> 00:48:31.090
at some of the regular places that you go in

00:48:31.090 --> 00:48:35.170
order to network in person. Oh, that's great.

00:48:35.269 --> 00:48:37.610
I can probably talk to you for another two hours

00:48:37.610 --> 00:48:40.949
about all of this, but unfortunately we're even

00:48:40.949 --> 00:48:44.110
a little past our time. So if somebody wants

00:48:44.110 --> 00:48:47.030
to get hold of you for any number of reasons,

00:48:47.269 --> 00:48:50.280
how can they do it? They can get ahold of me

00:48:50.280 --> 00:48:52.840
just about anywhere. So anywhere on social media,

00:48:52.900 --> 00:48:55.960
it's at Greek University. So feel free to check

00:48:55.960 --> 00:48:58.320
us out there. You can connect with me on LinkedIn.

00:48:58.420 --> 00:49:01.599
My name is Dr. Michael and the last name is Aylan.

00:49:01.760 --> 00:49:04.579
That's spelled A -Y -A -L -O -N. I'd love to

00:49:04.579 --> 00:49:07.159
connect with you on LinkedIn. So please follow

00:49:07.159 --> 00:49:09.460
us there. If you want to send me an email, the

00:49:09.460 --> 00:49:13.639
email address is. bookings, B -O -O -K -I -N

00:49:13.639 --> 00:49:17.840
-G -S, at greekuniversity .org. And I'm also

00:49:17.840 --> 00:49:19.960
an author as well. So we've published the From

00:49:19.960 --> 00:49:23.159
Letters to Leaders book series for college students.

00:49:23.320 --> 00:49:25.920
So you can also see those on Amazon as well.

00:49:26.000 --> 00:49:28.059
So there's a whole bunch of different ways. But

00:49:28.059 --> 00:49:30.019
of course, the website is always the perfect

00:49:30.019 --> 00:49:33.300
place. That's just greekuniversity .org. And

00:49:33.300 --> 00:49:36.679
I appreciate the time, Michael. Michael, thank

00:49:36.679 --> 00:49:39.199
you very much for coming on the podcast. And

00:49:39.199 --> 00:49:41.849
I hope to talk with you soon. Sounds good. Thanks

00:49:41.849 --> 00:49:46.010
for having me. Well, hold on, folks. Don't go

00:49:46.010 --> 00:49:48.750
anywhere. Let me just read a few of our sponsors

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00:50:56.659 --> 00:51:03.840
-U -P -K -I -D -S .org. Well, that's a wrap,

00:51:03.900 --> 00:51:06.760
folks. A huge thank you to our special guests

00:51:06.760 --> 00:51:10.099
for sharing such incredible insights today. And

00:51:10.099 --> 00:51:13.480
of course, a big shout out to you, our amazing

00:51:13.480 --> 00:51:16.440
listeners, for tuning in and spending your time

00:51:16.440 --> 00:51:20.320
with us. Remember, networking isn't about being

00:51:20.320 --> 00:51:23.659
perfect. It's about being present. So take what

00:51:23.659 --> 00:51:26.239
you've learned today, get out there and make

00:51:26.239 --> 00:51:29.239
some meaningful connections. If you enjoyed this

00:51:29.239 --> 00:51:32.199
episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave us

00:51:32.199 --> 00:51:34.840
a review and share it with someone who could

00:51:34.840 --> 00:51:38.139
use a little networking inspiration. Let's keep

00:51:38.139 --> 00:51:41.840
the conversation going. You can find me on Apple,

00:51:41.980 --> 00:51:46.619
Spotify, YouTube or my website. Michael A. Foreman,

00:51:46.639 --> 00:51:50.579
remember, until next time, keep practicing, keep

00:51:50.579 --> 00:51:53.159
connecting, and keep building those relationships.

00:51:53.599 --> 00:51:56.739
This is Michael A. Foreman signing off. Take

00:51:56.739 --> 00:51:58.360
care and happy networking.