WEBVTT 00:00:16.750 --> 00:00:20.890 Welcome back to Connections. I'm your host, Michael 00:00:20.890 --> 00:00:24.210 Foreman, and today's episode is all about how 00:00:24.210 --> 00:00:27.649 to build a business, a reputation, and a legacy 00:00:27.649 --> 00:00:31.670 by showing up with purpose and generosity. My 00:00:31.670 --> 00:00:35.549 guest is the author of NCG Factor, a powerhouse 00:00:35.549 --> 00:00:38.750 framework that stands for networking, connecting, 00:00:39.049 --> 00:00:42.049 and giving. He's on a mission to help professionals 00:00:42.049 --> 00:00:46.390 stop showing up and throwing up. in sales conversations. 00:00:46.770 --> 00:00:50.270 And today, start building authentic relationships 00:00:50.270 --> 00:00:54.130 that open doors, close deals, and create real 00:00:54.130 --> 00:00:57.409 impact. From mastering LinkedIn the right way 00:00:57.409 --> 00:01:00.929 to becoming indispensable in your career or your 00:01:00.929 --> 00:01:04.290 personal life and your personal life. We're going 00:01:04.290 --> 00:01:07.030 deep on how to sell without selling, connect 00:01:07.030 --> 00:01:10.709 without faking it, and lead with value instead 00:01:10.709 --> 00:01:14.480 of ego. If you're ready to learn about how to 00:01:14.480 --> 00:01:17.739 network like a pro, connect like a human, and 00:01:17.739 --> 00:01:20.400 grow your business with intention, you're in 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:23.659 the right place. So let's start. I would like 00:01:23.659 --> 00:01:26.920 to welcome Larry Kaufman. He is the author of 00:01:26.920 --> 00:01:29.420 the book I just mentioned. Larry, welcome to 00:01:29.420 --> 00:01:31.780 the podcast, and give us a little bit about your 00:01:31.780 --> 00:01:34.579 background. Michael, thank you. Very nice to 00:01:34.579 --> 00:01:37.920 meet you, and I love that East Coast. The way 00:01:37.920 --> 00:01:40.200 that you say my last name is not the way that 00:01:40.200 --> 00:01:43.400 I introduce myself. I'm Larry Kaufman, but I 00:01:43.400 --> 00:01:46.700 like the way you say it better. Great to meet 00:01:46.700 --> 00:01:50.540 you. I'm Illinois born, and I've lived here all 00:01:50.540 --> 00:01:55.120 my life, actually. And so I would say I am a 00:01:55.120 --> 00:01:58.640 salesperson from the time I was in college to 00:01:58.640 --> 00:02:01.700 present, even though I'm in leadership. I'm always 00:02:01.700 --> 00:02:04.519 a salesperson, but I'm not an in -your -face 00:02:04.519 --> 00:02:08.960 salesperson. And I've been in all types of industries. 00:02:09.460 --> 00:02:12.680 But I think we are very similar in our approaches 00:02:12.680 --> 00:02:15.419 to networking, building relationships. I think 00:02:15.419 --> 00:02:19.099 we're going to talk a very similar speak today. 00:02:19.960 --> 00:02:23.340 And I would say that if you were to look at me, 00:02:23.379 --> 00:02:27.060 I'm a giver, connector. I'm a global speaker, 00:02:27.419 --> 00:02:31.680 LinkedIn expert, and a business leader. And I'll 00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:34.240 give you a little personal. Married 36 years, 00:02:34.340 --> 00:02:37.300 coming up Friday this week. I don't know why 00:02:37.300 --> 00:02:40.680 she stays with me, but I'm glad she does. And 00:02:40.680 --> 00:02:43.979 I have two children in their 20s. Hopefully they'll 00:02:43.979 --> 00:02:46.740 be leaving the home soon. I'm working on that. 00:02:46.900 --> 00:02:49.439 But other than that, everything's great. That 00:02:49.439 --> 00:02:52.479 sounds terrific. I see a kinship with what we 00:02:52.479 --> 00:02:55.180 talk about. I too, by the way, have been married 00:02:55.180 --> 00:02:59.719 36 years, two weeks ago. So we're... the same 00:02:59.719 --> 00:03:02.780 in that regard. Do you believe that everybody 00:03:02.780 --> 00:03:06.699 is a salesperson? Everybody is the face of the 00:03:06.699 --> 00:03:10.099 company. I think a lot of things that we do in 00:03:10.099 --> 00:03:12.360 general, everyone has to sell, right? You have 00:03:12.360 --> 00:03:14.740 to sell yourself in whatever role you're in, 00:03:14.759 --> 00:03:17.259 when you interview for a job. And so I think 00:03:17.259 --> 00:03:19.960 that whatever capacity, definitely if you're 00:03:19.960 --> 00:03:22.800 in a sales role. And sometimes people who are 00:03:22.800 --> 00:03:25.240 in a sales role are really not salespeople, right? 00:03:25.400 --> 00:03:27.460 We've touched that world. We've worked with salespeople. 00:03:27.639 --> 00:03:30.740 Some survive, some don't. It's a hard job. Post 00:03:30.740 --> 00:03:33.560 -COVID, even more difficult. But Michael, I would 00:03:33.560 --> 00:03:36.900 say everyone is a salesperson in some way. To 00:03:36.900 --> 00:03:40.060 meet that significant other, there's a bit of 00:03:40.060 --> 00:03:43.139 a sales job. And sometimes you don't close that 00:03:43.139 --> 00:03:46.539 deal. No, that's true. That's true. That was 00:03:46.539 --> 00:03:49.939 just something that I... When I go on stages, 00:03:49.939 --> 00:03:53.280 I do workshops. That's always my first question. 00:03:53.479 --> 00:03:56.939 Who in this room is a salesperson? And if everybody 00:03:56.939 --> 00:04:00.620 doesn't raise their hand, I say something about 00:04:00.620 --> 00:04:03.819 it. But here, let me go into the questions. Let's 00:04:03.819 --> 00:04:07.680 kick off with the NCG factor. What inspired it? 00:04:07.819 --> 00:04:11.300 And how does networking, connecting, and giving 00:04:11.300 --> 00:04:14.340 actually play out in the real world of business? 00:04:15.809 --> 00:04:18.949 I think what inspired it was I reflected on my 00:04:18.949 --> 00:04:21.509 time back in the college days, right? Back when 00:04:21.509 --> 00:04:24.189 I went to college, because I'm very mature, not 00:04:24.189 --> 00:04:27.370 old, very mature. Back when I went to college, 00:04:27.589 --> 00:04:29.589 I didn't have the internet, right? I didn't have 00:04:29.589 --> 00:04:32.410 LinkedIn. I didn't have a cell phone. Everything 00:04:32.410 --> 00:04:34.149 was different back then. It was a different way 00:04:34.149 --> 00:04:37.829 of life. And back in my college days, it was 00:04:37.829 --> 00:04:41.680 about having fun. And I didn't think about serving 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:45.300 on a charity board, a junior board, volunteering. 00:04:45.779 --> 00:04:47.779 It was all about Larry. It wasn't about other 00:04:47.779 --> 00:04:51.800 people. And I would say that things have changed 00:04:51.800 --> 00:04:56.139 a bit today. And so when I, I guess when I go 00:04:56.139 --> 00:04:58.420 out today and I get the opportunity to speak 00:04:58.420 --> 00:05:01.660 at a university, I'm so excited. Not that I don't 00:05:01.660 --> 00:05:05.180 like presenting to senior level salespeople or 00:05:05.180 --> 00:05:07.939 CEOs or board members, and I've done all that. 00:05:08.680 --> 00:05:11.180 But I love meeting with the college kids because 00:05:11.180 --> 00:05:14.180 they really haven't been exposed to networking. 00:05:14.759 --> 00:05:17.800 They haven't been exposed to building authentic 00:05:17.800 --> 00:05:21.339 relationships. And that's the time I want to 00:05:21.339 --> 00:05:23.660 catch them. That's the foundation they could 00:05:23.660 --> 00:05:27.279 build that no one taught me about that. And I 00:05:27.279 --> 00:05:28.939 want to help them understand LinkedIn. I want 00:05:28.939 --> 00:05:30.819 to help them understand networking. The book, 00:05:31.079 --> 00:05:35.259 The NCG Factor, is networking, connecting, giving. 00:05:35.519 --> 00:05:38.949 But it's a different way to network. I believe 00:05:38.949 --> 00:05:41.189 the way you and I like to network, right? With 00:05:41.189 --> 00:05:45.389 authenticity, building relationships, not this 00:05:45.389 --> 00:05:48.269 social exchange of business cards. I think we're 00:05:48.269 --> 00:05:50.029 trying to get to know people, right? We're not 00:05:50.029 --> 00:05:51.889 just, how many people can I meet at this event? 00:05:52.050 --> 00:05:54.689 I was like that. I was that guy. I love going 00:05:54.689 --> 00:05:57.649 to events. And I just loaded my pockets with 00:05:57.649 --> 00:06:00.850 business cards. And if I came home empty, I thought, 00:06:00.949 --> 00:06:04.410 wow, this is great. Empty of mine and filled 00:06:04.410 --> 00:06:07.470 with other cards. It was a big win. That wasn't 00:06:07.470 --> 00:06:11.040 a big win. I wasn't getting to know people. And 00:06:11.040 --> 00:06:16.199 the connecting aspect, to me, I meet you today 00:06:16.199 --> 00:06:18.860 and I go, I know you were in the Air Force before. 00:06:19.240 --> 00:06:21.160 There was a friend of mine. I think you guys 00:06:21.160 --> 00:06:24.120 would align. He thinks like you. He was actually 00:06:24.120 --> 00:06:27.399 former Air Force. I think that way when I get 00:06:27.399 --> 00:06:29.439 to know people and I'll put people that have 00:06:29.439 --> 00:06:32.620 things in common. Or just they just have that 00:06:32.620 --> 00:06:35.399 match where I think they get along, they'd have 00:06:35.399 --> 00:06:37.459 a great conversation, potentially build a nice 00:06:37.459 --> 00:06:41.660 relationship. And the giving really is it's giving 00:06:41.660 --> 00:06:44.220 of your knowledge like you do that in your talks, 00:06:44.339 --> 00:06:48.319 your podcast. Giving isn't always about donating 00:06:48.319 --> 00:06:52.319 to a charity or about how much money you donate. 00:06:53.100 --> 00:06:57.779 It's giving of yourself and your time and your 00:06:57.779 --> 00:07:01.290 knowledge. That's the way I think. That's it's 00:07:01.290 --> 00:07:05.250 very true. And you hit on so many points that 00:07:05.250 --> 00:07:07.490 I wouldn't have time to discuss all of them. 00:07:07.569 --> 00:07:12.470 But do you believe I believe. OK, let me start 00:07:12.470 --> 00:07:14.589 that way. I believe that ever since the pandemic, 00:07:14.910 --> 00:07:20.269 we have everybody relies on Zoom on the cell 00:07:20.269 --> 00:07:23.629 phones. They forgot about this personal touch. 00:07:23.910 --> 00:07:26.689 And really, the days of building your customer 00:07:26.689 --> 00:07:31.500 list is gone. And the day of building relationships 00:07:31.500 --> 00:07:37.399 is here. So when I used to go, I was part of 00:07:37.399 --> 00:07:39.439 a mortgage company. I used to come home with 00:07:39.439 --> 00:07:42.800 a shoebox filled with business cards. They said, 00:07:42.860 --> 00:07:46.399 yeah, look how good I did. Did I do good? No, 00:07:46.560 --> 00:07:49.120 I didn't. Because I didn't have a relationship 00:07:49.120 --> 00:07:53.100 with any of them. So that's what I feel is the 00:07:53.100 --> 00:07:57.000 difference. Okay. So you talk about building 00:07:57.000 --> 00:08:01.360 authentic relationships. In a world full of noise 00:08:01.360 --> 00:08:05.079 and automation, how does someone actually do 00:08:05.079 --> 00:08:13.199 that without sounding scripted or salesy? I think 00:08:13.199 --> 00:08:15.040 it's got to be one of those things where you 00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:18.379 really do want to build a relationship. When 00:08:18.379 --> 00:08:21.060 I meet with people, they know right away that 00:08:21.060 --> 00:08:25.439 I'm authentic, that I'm not there to... You know, 00:08:25.480 --> 00:08:27.600 we talked, you said it earlier, show up and throw 00:08:27.600 --> 00:08:31.160 up. And too many people do that. And so I'd rather 00:08:31.160 --> 00:08:33.799 actually get to know the other person. I do some 00:08:33.799 --> 00:08:36.120 matchmaking too. And it works the same way in 00:08:36.120 --> 00:08:39.179 relationships, personal relationships. If you 00:08:39.179 --> 00:08:40.879 show up and throw up and you're not interested 00:08:40.879 --> 00:08:43.840 in the other person, you can't build a relationship. 00:08:44.259 --> 00:08:46.600 And I do think we are much more compassionate 00:08:46.600 --> 00:08:49.500 post -COVID. And we have to be more authentic. 00:08:49.759 --> 00:08:52.240 How do you do that? Look, some people, I'll be 00:08:52.240 --> 00:08:54.899 honest with you, some people... may struggle 00:08:54.899 --> 00:08:57.340 some people just that's just who they are i can 00:08:57.340 --> 00:08:59.799 we can only do so much to guide people there 00:08:59.799 --> 00:09:03.279 it's got to come from the heart and you're going 00:09:03.279 --> 00:09:04.679 to know you're going to be able to pick out that 00:09:04.679 --> 00:09:06.799 person that they're trying to be a little authentic 00:09:06.799 --> 00:09:11.019 but they can't wait to sell you their product 00:09:11.019 --> 00:09:12.899 or service they're like so tell me where you're 00:09:12.899 --> 00:09:14.700 from oh air force that's great by the way let 00:09:14.700 --> 00:09:18.980 me tell you what i represent I will talk to people 00:09:18.980 --> 00:09:20.740 and I could talk to them for an hour and they're 00:09:20.740 --> 00:09:23.399 like, Larry, you've asked all about me. I don't 00:09:23.399 --> 00:09:26.259 know anything about you. That's the best sales 00:09:26.259 --> 00:09:29.340 meeting that you could ever have. Because you 00:09:29.340 --> 00:09:31.679 learned about the other person. And you know, 00:09:31.700 --> 00:09:34.379 it's interesting when you do that authentically. 00:09:35.019 --> 00:09:37.779 And people authentically want to know what you 00:09:37.779 --> 00:09:41.299 do and what you represent. And it does come back 00:09:41.299 --> 00:09:44.279 around. And if it doesn't, that's fine. Have 00:09:44.279 --> 00:09:46.299 another meeting. But you learn so much about 00:09:46.299 --> 00:09:49.919 that person. to actually secure that next meeting. 00:09:51.399 --> 00:09:54.299 That's right. That's right. When you go to a 00:09:54.299 --> 00:09:56.659 networking event or you're meeting somebody, 00:09:56.919 --> 00:09:59.460 you go with what's called a servant's heart. 00:09:59.980 --> 00:10:04.480 You go there looking to give, not receive. If 00:10:04.480 --> 00:10:07.759 everybody was going to go to a networking event 00:10:07.759 --> 00:10:11.039 or meet with somebody and they had that in mind, 00:10:11.220 --> 00:10:14.639 everything would be beautiful. Because as you 00:10:14.639 --> 00:10:17.889 said, what goes around comes around. Or at least 00:10:17.889 --> 00:10:21.029 it should. So if you put two people together 00:10:21.029 --> 00:10:24.809 and you refer two people, then one of those two 00:10:24.809 --> 00:10:26.649 people are going to say, you know what? Larry 00:10:26.649 --> 00:10:29.929 referred me. I have to find somebody for Larry. 00:10:31.029 --> 00:10:34.350 So what goes around does come around. But you 00:10:34.350 --> 00:10:38.750 shouldn't expect it. Never expect it. Don't expect 00:10:38.750 --> 00:10:42.289 it. Don't expect it. Absolutely. Absolutely. 00:10:42.809 --> 00:10:47.120 Okay. So you've said that we should stop showing 00:10:47.120 --> 00:10:49.720 up and throwing up when it comes to selling. 00:10:50.080 --> 00:10:53.399 What are some of the biggest mistakes professionals 00:10:53.399 --> 00:10:56.279 make when networking or pitching themselves? 00:10:57.940 --> 00:11:00.899 One of the biggest mistakes is they do show up 00:11:00.899 --> 00:11:03.899 and throw up, which really means it's all about 00:11:03.899 --> 00:11:08.159 themselves. And so I met with an executive virtually, 00:11:08.399 --> 00:11:12.580 had a really nice 45 -minute meeting. It was 00:11:12.580 --> 00:11:17.659 over 43 minutes all about him. And it was challenging, 00:11:17.759 --> 00:11:21.299 but I'm a giver. I'm a good listener. And I'd 00:11:21.299 --> 00:11:25.700 ask questions, and he didn't know anything about 00:11:25.700 --> 00:11:28.860 me, not where I lived, if I had a relationship 00:11:28.860 --> 00:11:32.080 with anybody, if I had kids. What I did for a 00:11:32.080 --> 00:11:35.179 living, he knew nothing. I think I squeezed something 00:11:35.179 --> 00:11:39.240 in, and what I squeezed in was one ask that I 00:11:39.240 --> 00:11:43.419 have, can you read my book? And I have a chapter 00:11:43.419 --> 00:11:48.419 on takers never win. And he reached back out 00:11:48.419 --> 00:11:51.639 and wanted to have another meeting. And so we 00:11:51.639 --> 00:11:53.399 had that meeting and I said, what do you want 00:11:53.399 --> 00:11:54.879 to talk about? He said, I wanted to talk about 00:11:54.879 --> 00:11:58.720 you. Because I realized that reading your book, 00:11:58.840 --> 00:12:02.580 it was all about me. And I want to make it about 00:12:02.580 --> 00:12:06.220 you. And showing up and throwing up and some 00:12:06.220 --> 00:12:09.320 of the mistakes people make is they are too eager 00:12:09.320 --> 00:12:13.620 to talk about. themselves. And I try to counsel 00:12:13.620 --> 00:12:15.779 people. It's better if I can learn all about 00:12:15.779 --> 00:12:20.059 Michael and what you do, what you personally, 00:12:20.820 --> 00:12:22.539 where you're from, right? You can only go so 00:12:22.539 --> 00:12:24.039 deep, right? You don't want to get too personal, 00:12:24.120 --> 00:12:26.179 but hey, where'd you grow up? What'd you do? 00:12:26.200 --> 00:12:28.740 And guess what? On LinkedIn, everything's kind 00:12:28.740 --> 00:12:31.820 of fair game if it's out there. Hey, I saw this 00:12:31.820 --> 00:12:33.919 on LinkedIn. Can you tell me more about this? 00:12:34.019 --> 00:12:37.279 Or the great thing, you have AI, so you can pull 00:12:37.279 --> 00:12:40.889 up information about people. It's scraping. Maybe 00:12:40.889 --> 00:12:43.889 double check. Hey, I saw this about you. It just 00:12:43.889 --> 00:12:46.929 came up when I did some research. You better 00:12:46.929 --> 00:12:50.190 hope it truly is about that person because it 00:12:50.190 --> 00:12:52.769 says I'm a grandmaster chess champion, but that's 00:12:52.769 --> 00:12:55.809 the wrong Larry Kaufman. So be careful. I'm not 00:12:55.809 --> 00:12:58.669 that good at chess. But I think the mistake is 00:12:58.669 --> 00:13:04.730 we don't ask and listen. We just want to sell. 00:13:05.210 --> 00:13:08.149 Stop selling and start learning about the other 00:13:08.149 --> 00:13:11.120 person. personally, professionally, and start 00:13:11.120 --> 00:13:14.740 to build a rapport and relationship, everything's 00:13:14.740 --> 00:13:17.580 going to fall into place. So that's what I recommend. 00:13:17.940 --> 00:13:23.320 I agree. I agree. And every time what I use personally 00:13:23.320 --> 00:13:28.700 is a word, F -O -R -M. That keeps me in line. 00:13:29.179 --> 00:13:34.039 It's family, occupation, recreation, and a message. 00:13:34.320 --> 00:13:37.779 So when I'm talking to Larry, I can bring up 00:13:37.779 --> 00:13:40.960 family. what you do for a living, what you like 00:13:40.960 --> 00:13:45.379 to do, any of the above. And you'll start talking 00:13:45.379 --> 00:13:47.559 about it because when you start talking about 00:13:47.559 --> 00:13:52.320 yourself or things you enjoy besides work, you 00:13:52.320 --> 00:13:54.779 really start talking about it. And then your 00:13:54.779 --> 00:13:58.200 level of trust is going up and that barrier is 00:13:58.200 --> 00:14:01.559 coming down. Know you like you trust you will 00:14:01.559 --> 00:14:05.519 do business with you. So know you, well, of course, 00:14:05.559 --> 00:14:09.190 you're a great guy. Like you, we're going to 00:14:09.190 --> 00:14:11.230 narrow it down just a little bit, all right? 00:14:11.870 --> 00:14:13.970 Know you, like you, and then trust you. That 00:14:13.970 --> 00:14:17.590 trust is such a crucial factor that you have 00:14:17.590 --> 00:14:20.149 to build that trust. And the only way you're 00:14:20.149 --> 00:14:21.509 going to do it is I'm going to have you talk 00:14:21.509 --> 00:14:25.509 about yourself. So that's it. I like that. Okay. 00:14:25.850 --> 00:14:30.490 So how do you balance giving without expecting 00:14:30.490 --> 00:14:34.710 while being strategic in business? Where's the 00:14:34.710 --> 00:14:40.149 sweet spot between generosity and growth? Look, 00:14:40.289 --> 00:14:42.350 there's so many hours a day. I'm in a corporate 00:14:42.350 --> 00:14:46.190 leadership role. So that's my primary focus. 00:14:46.750 --> 00:14:50.149 But I feel that the giving portion of what I 00:14:50.149 --> 00:14:54.000 do each week. It completes me, makes me feel 00:14:54.000 --> 00:14:56.740 good about myself. But sometimes that giving 00:14:56.740 --> 00:15:01.440 is with a prospective client of ours. My staff 00:15:01.440 --> 00:15:03.519 will come to me and ask me to help some of their 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:06.519 prospective clients. And maybe it's a spouse, 00:15:06.740 --> 00:15:10.240 significant other, a child. It could be a career 00:15:10.240 --> 00:15:13.840 transition. It could be something else. And so 00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:16.139 that's some of that balancing act, right? That's 00:15:16.139 --> 00:15:19.000 tying into the business. And I'm still getting 00:15:19.000 --> 00:15:22.899 to give and help people. So I think when I do 00:15:22.899 --> 00:15:25.440 presentations, my presentations aren't geared 00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:28.500 all towards sales. It's really everything. But 00:15:28.500 --> 00:15:31.559 it's the main theme is building those relationships. 00:15:32.419 --> 00:15:35.419 And so there is a fine balancing act. And so, 00:15:35.440 --> 00:15:38.860 yeah, if I give every day and I don't do my job, 00:15:39.220 --> 00:15:42.159 I have a lot more time to give because I want 00:15:42.159 --> 00:15:45.840 to have my job. But I try to find ways to be 00:15:45.840 --> 00:15:50.039 giving. during that course of each day with what 00:15:50.039 --> 00:15:52.720 I do that may be business related. It may be 00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:56.019 for my staff, for clients, it may be for other 00:15:56.019 --> 00:15:59.940 peers in the company. Don't you rather be known 00:15:59.940 --> 00:16:03.879 as a person who gives than a person who's always 00:16:03.879 --> 00:16:07.340 trying to receive, right? Oh, yeah, totally. 00:16:07.779 --> 00:16:11.059 Absolutely. So that should be first and foremost 00:16:11.059 --> 00:16:14.360 on the person's mind. Say, look, I want to be 00:16:14.360 --> 00:16:17.570 known. I want to be known as a connector. I want 00:16:17.570 --> 00:16:20.110 to be known because that's what I do. Every week 00:16:20.110 --> 00:16:23.850 I have at least two people that I, or two instances 00:16:23.850 --> 00:16:27.129 that I put two people together. This person needs, 00:16:27.210 --> 00:16:29.929 this person needs that. Larry meet Keith, Keith 00:16:29.929 --> 00:16:32.950 meet Larry. He does this, you do this. I feel 00:16:32.950 --> 00:16:36.370 it's a great connection and I back away, right? 00:16:36.450 --> 00:16:38.690 And I let them do it. But I have to, if I do 00:16:38.690 --> 00:16:43.149 that at least twice a week, I know that I am 00:16:43.149 --> 00:16:47.850 connecting and I'm giving. And I don't ask for 00:16:47.850 --> 00:16:50.909 anything in return. So it's just a way that you 00:16:50.909 --> 00:16:56.190 look at things. You're like my twin. Yeah. Okay. 00:16:56.289 --> 00:16:59.850 So tell us about a time when one powerful connection 00:16:59.850 --> 00:17:03.970 changed everything for you and what made that 00:17:03.970 --> 00:17:09.470 connection possible. Really, there's so many. 00:17:09.609 --> 00:17:13.049 I think one powerful connection. We'll see how 00:17:13.049 --> 00:17:16.269 much time we have to talk about this. One powerful 00:17:16.269 --> 00:17:20.509 connection that changed a lot for me was actually 00:17:20.509 --> 00:17:24.670 with an executive I met in transition was a CEO. 00:17:25.650 --> 00:17:28.289 And I met him in a coffee shop. It was actually 00:17:28.289 --> 00:17:30.609 with a gentleman who owned an executive search 00:17:30.609 --> 00:17:34.289 firm. And he said, hey, Larry, meet Mike. And 00:17:34.289 --> 00:17:36.910 he said, Mike is looking for his next CEO role. 00:17:37.150 --> 00:17:39.799 I just met him. And we weren't sitting down with 00:17:39.799 --> 00:17:41.460 him. I just met him in passing. I said, Mike, 00:17:41.519 --> 00:17:44.299 nice to meet you. And I said, Mike, I'd love 00:17:44.299 --> 00:17:46.339 to get together separately to see how I could 00:17:46.339 --> 00:17:48.859 help you. And I know you would do the same thing, 00:17:48.940 --> 00:17:50.859 but not everyone thinks that way. But that's 00:17:50.859 --> 00:17:52.900 the way that I do. Mike and I met a couple of 00:17:52.900 --> 00:17:55.599 weeks later and we had a really good meeting, 00:17:55.640 --> 00:17:57.720 but I didn't know companies looking for a CEO. 00:17:58.579 --> 00:18:02.119 And so I tucked that away because sometimes you 00:18:02.119 --> 00:18:04.200 can't make that connection for someone right 00:18:04.200 --> 00:18:07.309 away. You tuck it away and you think about it. 00:18:07.329 --> 00:18:10.509 It may come up at another time. I had met a founder 00:18:10.509 --> 00:18:13.269 of a company, a CEO of a company. It was like 00:18:13.269 --> 00:18:16.109 $100 million company. And we were talking and 00:18:16.109 --> 00:18:18.990 he said, I have this business issue. And it's 00:18:18.990 --> 00:18:21.470 got in my realm of expertise, but something that 00:18:21.470 --> 00:18:25.250 the CEO, when we got together, this other CEO 00:18:25.250 --> 00:18:28.529 looking for a job, he said something in our meeting. 00:18:28.549 --> 00:18:31.049 And it was a trigger. When I was meeting with 00:18:31.049 --> 00:18:33.369 this founder of this company, I said, you know 00:18:33.369 --> 00:18:35.920 what? I said, John, I'm going to connect you 00:18:35.920 --> 00:18:39.279 with my friend Mike. And I think he could deal 00:18:39.279 --> 00:18:42.740 with this issue with his expertise. I think he's 00:18:42.740 --> 00:18:45.380 going to be able to help you out. And I connected 00:18:45.380 --> 00:18:49.440 them. So they met and they had a really good 00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:51.619 meeting because Mike called me and said, our 00:18:51.619 --> 00:18:56.819 meeting went for six hours. We had a great meeting 00:18:56.819 --> 00:19:01.559 and we ended up going to his company. We looked 00:19:01.559 --> 00:19:04.859 at his books. And next thing I know, Mike was 00:19:04.859 --> 00:19:08.900 hired to be the president of his $100 million 00:19:08.900 --> 00:19:12.180 company. So that gentleman's the CEO. Mike becomes 00:19:12.180 --> 00:19:15.740 the president. Well, Mike became a friend. He 00:19:15.740 --> 00:19:19.960 became a client. And Mike went through some change 00:19:19.960 --> 00:19:25.079 during that process and was going through a divorce. 00:19:25.740 --> 00:19:30.160 And I was helping someone network who was in 00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:34.289 private equity formally. who was in human resources, 00:19:34.369 --> 00:19:37.710 and that person was widowed. Actually, I know 00:19:37.710 --> 00:19:40.470 I put the two of them together to network, and 00:19:40.470 --> 00:19:42.849 I thought there was something there, and those 00:19:42.849 --> 00:19:47.289 two ended up in a relationship. And so Mike has 00:19:47.289 --> 00:19:50.150 continued to be a long -term friend. That was 00:19:50.150 --> 00:19:53.190 transformational for me. I helped someone that 00:19:53.190 --> 00:19:57.240 was in transition. land a job that went from 00:19:57.240 --> 00:20:00.420 running a $10, $15 million company to $100 million 00:20:00.420 --> 00:20:03.200 company that became a $200 million company. And 00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:06.779 that's why he went back into transition. And 00:20:06.779 --> 00:20:09.240 then I connected him into a relationship. Long 00:20:09.240 --> 00:20:14.519 story, Michael, but great story. It really was. 00:20:14.720 --> 00:20:17.980 It was really a great story. What does it mean 00:20:17.980 --> 00:20:21.900 to be indispensable? in today's business world? 00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:25.019 And how does that tie into the way that we build 00:20:25.019 --> 00:20:30.039 and sustain relationships? So this is what I 00:20:30.039 --> 00:20:34.480 believe. You sell someone a product or a service, 00:20:34.680 --> 00:20:39.119 and there are competitors for your product or 00:20:39.119 --> 00:20:43.220 service. And they come to you for the things 00:20:43.220 --> 00:20:47.259 they need related to what you've sold them. That's 00:20:47.259 --> 00:20:50.039 great. But if they come to you for something 00:20:50.039 --> 00:20:54.259 else outside of what you sell and market, and 00:20:54.259 --> 00:20:58.359 they go, Michael, can you help me? My son is 00:20:58.359 --> 00:21:02.400 looking to get into medical school and is having 00:21:02.400 --> 00:21:04.579 trouble getting into this medical school. Could 00:21:04.579 --> 00:21:07.799 you help me out? Because I did help someone advance 00:21:07.799 --> 00:21:10.980 the process where they couldn't get any responsiveness, 00:21:11.059 --> 00:21:14.680 couldn't get into this medical school. So what 00:21:14.680 --> 00:21:17.519 I'm trying to say is if the company in person, 00:21:17.640 --> 00:21:20.619 the decision maker you have made a sale to, only 00:21:20.619 --> 00:21:23.000 calls you, reaches out to you for what you sell 00:21:23.000 --> 00:21:25.279 and market, you're not building a deep relationship. 00:21:26.039 --> 00:21:28.420 You're not becoming indispensable. But if you 00:21:28.420 --> 00:21:30.559 let them know up front, look, you know what? 00:21:30.779 --> 00:21:34.420 If you need anything outside of what I do, I 00:21:34.420 --> 00:21:36.720 want you to think of me as an indispensable relationship 00:21:36.720 --> 00:21:39.819 of yours. So it could be someone's in transition, 00:21:40.039 --> 00:21:42.819 any kind of need. It doesn't have to fall in 00:21:42.819 --> 00:21:46.200 line with what I do. And when you have those 00:21:46.200 --> 00:21:48.539 clients starting to call you and reach out to 00:21:48.539 --> 00:21:50.920 you for other things, you're deepening the relationship 00:21:50.920 --> 00:21:54.519 and you're becoming more indispensable. And so 00:21:54.519 --> 00:21:56.619 when that competing force knocks on the door 00:21:56.619 --> 00:21:59.180 to take the business away and they go, wait a 00:21:59.180 --> 00:22:02.579 minute, I work with Larry Kaufman. He helped 00:22:02.579 --> 00:22:05.220 my wife get a job. He helped my brother get a 00:22:05.220 --> 00:22:09.720 job. He helped us find a home over here. He did 00:22:09.720 --> 00:22:12.400 this. He got us. I couldn't find a good plumber, 00:22:12.420 --> 00:22:16.299 whatever it is. Larry is like my utility, indispensable 00:22:16.299 --> 00:22:19.920 relationship. I don't care what you tell me. 00:22:19.980 --> 00:22:23.319 I'm not leaving Larry and his company. Become 00:22:23.319 --> 00:22:26.720 indispensable. And so indispensable to me is 00:22:26.720 --> 00:22:30.039 you are able to communicate that up front. I 00:22:30.039 --> 00:22:32.819 do that all the time just myself because I'm 00:22:32.819 --> 00:22:36.279 not in a sales role, in a leadership role. But 00:22:36.279 --> 00:22:38.160 the people I network with, I want them to know 00:22:38.160 --> 00:22:40.880 I'm indispensable. How can I be helpful to you 00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:44.400 and those around you? But I do that for my staff 00:22:44.400 --> 00:22:47.039 and team, and they know to come to me. And so 00:22:47.039 --> 00:22:49.200 I help them to become indispensable. You don't 00:22:49.200 --> 00:22:51.640 have to do it alone. You can have the Michaels 00:22:51.640 --> 00:22:53.700 and the Larrys who are connected and connectors 00:22:53.700 --> 00:22:58.099 to help you to become indispensable. Very good. 00:22:58.660 --> 00:23:03.799 Very good. Because I suppose indispensable. You 00:23:03.799 --> 00:23:06.420 can look at it from the other side because those 00:23:06.420 --> 00:23:10.119 people become very loyal to you. And really, 00:23:10.240 --> 00:23:13.140 price point doesn't come into it because you're 00:23:13.140 --> 00:23:15.480 not asking for money. You're not asking for anything. 00:23:15.759 --> 00:23:19.059 You're only giving your time and your expertise 00:23:19.059 --> 00:23:22.579 and knowledge. And why not? Why not come back 00:23:22.579 --> 00:23:24.660 to you and say, hey, Larry, you know what? I 00:23:24.660 --> 00:23:29.059 have this problem. Could you help me? Yes. Either 00:23:29.059 --> 00:23:31.819 you can find somebody to help them or you can 00:23:31.819 --> 00:23:34.660 help them. But the answer to that person would 00:23:34.660 --> 00:23:37.640 be yes. So they always think to come back to 00:23:37.640 --> 00:23:42.240 you. Okay. So a lot of people struggle with networking 00:23:42.240 --> 00:23:46.380 on platforms like LinkedIn. What's one tip from 00:23:46.380 --> 00:23:50.000 LinkedIn Larry that can help people cut through 00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:54.660 the noise and connect with purpose? Look, on 00:23:54.660 --> 00:23:57.410 LinkedIn. The people you're meeting with or want 00:23:57.410 --> 00:24:00.769 to meet with that are second degree to you, but 00:24:00.769 --> 00:24:03.450 the decision maker you'd like to meet with. I 00:24:03.450 --> 00:24:05.390 think it's important to see, do you have any 00:24:05.390 --> 00:24:08.230 shared connections that could be the pathway 00:24:08.230 --> 00:24:10.450 to that person? You never know with your shared 00:24:10.450 --> 00:24:14.809 connections how people know people. And I had 00:24:14.809 --> 00:24:16.849 one that someone on my staff was trying to meet 00:24:16.849 --> 00:24:21.049 an executive. And I saw a lot of connections 00:24:21.049 --> 00:24:24.390 I shared in common with that executive. And so 00:24:24.390 --> 00:24:26.269 I said, let me check with my network and see 00:24:26.269 --> 00:24:28.650 if I can help to arrange an introduction or meeting 00:24:28.650 --> 00:24:31.650 for us with this executive at this big organization. 00:24:32.809 --> 00:24:35.069 I reached out to one person I knew, only one. 00:24:35.130 --> 00:24:37.230 I could have reached out to a lot. I just took 00:24:37.230 --> 00:24:40.250 a stab, reached out to one person. His name is 00:24:40.250 --> 00:24:42.690 Matt. And I said, Matt, how do you know Jeff 00:24:42.690 --> 00:24:46.230 at this company? He said, I'm interested in getting 00:24:46.230 --> 00:24:48.690 introduced. He said, oh, I went to college with 00:24:48.690 --> 00:24:52.160 him. We were roommates. We're friends today. 00:24:52.259 --> 00:24:56.180 We travel as couples. But I'm not going to introduce 00:24:56.180 --> 00:24:59.460 you. I said, what? What's going on? He said, 00:24:59.500 --> 00:25:01.640 I'm going to call him and tell him he has to 00:25:01.640 --> 00:25:05.839 meet with you. How powerful is that, right? So 00:25:05.839 --> 00:25:07.619 I think figuring out who the shared connections 00:25:07.619 --> 00:25:10.380 are. But I also think a lot of people don't come 00:25:10.380 --> 00:25:15.099 prepared to a meeting and look at someone's profile. 00:25:15.740 --> 00:25:18.440 And I'm talking about all aspects of the profile. 00:25:19.160 --> 00:25:21.799 And some profiles are great. like yours, and 00:25:21.799 --> 00:25:24.220 some are not as great. But sometimes there's 00:25:24.220 --> 00:25:27.940 something that seems insignificant, but can be 00:25:27.940 --> 00:25:31.180 significant. So if I looked at someone's profile, 00:25:31.279 --> 00:25:34.359 nothing was there. I didn't have any shared connections. 00:25:34.759 --> 00:25:37.119 But the one thing I saw under the university 00:25:37.119 --> 00:25:40.920 said marching band. Most would ignore that, but 00:25:40.920 --> 00:25:43.079 I would say, Michael, and I know this is not 00:25:43.079 --> 00:25:46.140 on yours, Michael, what instrument did you play 00:25:46.140 --> 00:25:48.420 when you were in the marching band? And you would 00:25:48.420 --> 00:25:51.039 be like, What are you talking about? How did 00:25:51.039 --> 00:25:52.920 you know I was in the marching band? Because 00:25:52.920 --> 00:25:55.140 you probably put that in a long time ago when 00:25:55.140 --> 00:25:57.339 you signed up on LinkedIn, didn't even think 00:25:57.339 --> 00:26:00.579 about it because no one else is asking. But Larry 00:26:00.579 --> 00:26:04.400 asked, and you're never going to forget me. Absolutely. 00:26:04.859 --> 00:26:08.900 Absolutely. And it's those little things that 00:26:08.900 --> 00:26:13.190 you'll never be forgotten, especially with. the 00:26:13.190 --> 00:26:14.970 follow -up. We're not even going to get into 00:26:14.970 --> 00:26:17.910 the follow -up because I feel that the follow 00:26:17.910 --> 00:26:20.650 -up with somebody is more important than actually 00:26:20.650 --> 00:26:24.890 even meeting them. But you do that something 00:26:24.890 --> 00:26:28.170 special, that something so different than everybody 00:26:28.170 --> 00:26:30.569 else, that of course they're going to remember 00:26:30.569 --> 00:26:33.490 you. And the way that you follow up with them, 00:26:33.630 --> 00:26:36.890 you always keep our, you're being top of mind. 00:26:37.210 --> 00:26:39.869 And I hate saying that top of mind, but that's 00:26:39.869 --> 00:26:41.660 the only thing I can think of right now. But 00:26:41.660 --> 00:26:45.900 if you do that one thing, you'll always be remembered 00:26:45.900 --> 00:26:51.920 for that. It's important. Okay. So for someone 00:26:51.920 --> 00:26:55.099 just starting to grow their network, what's better? 00:26:55.640 --> 00:26:59.000 Deepening a few relationships or casting a wide 00:26:59.000 --> 00:27:02.160 net? We've probably covered this already, but 00:27:02.160 --> 00:27:09.180 let's have it. Casting a wide net is fine. For 00:27:09.180 --> 00:27:12.599 myself, look, I have roughly just under 30 ,000 00:27:12.599 --> 00:27:16.259 LinkedIn connections. So people are looking at 00:27:16.259 --> 00:27:19.319 me and Larry's saying, don't cast such a wide 00:27:19.319 --> 00:27:22.460 net, right? I'll tell people, should you have 00:27:22.460 --> 00:27:25.819 10 ,000 connections? I think you should have 00:27:25.819 --> 00:27:29.119 a strong network of people you trust, even on 00:27:29.119 --> 00:27:31.500 a LinkedIn. Depending upon your tenure in the 00:27:31.500 --> 00:27:34.160 business world, maybe it's 500, maybe it's 1 00:27:34.160 --> 00:27:36.339 ,000, maybe it's 2 ,000. I'm not saying you'll 00:27:36.339 --> 00:27:40.009 know 2 ,000. exceptionally well, but enough to 00:27:40.009 --> 00:27:42.430 where they take a call, take a meeting with you. 00:27:43.029 --> 00:27:45.829 I think what you want to have is that know, like, 00:27:45.829 --> 00:27:49.730 trust relationship base. And so I think kind 00:27:49.730 --> 00:27:52.109 of keep it tight. In my book, I call it inner 00:27:52.109 --> 00:27:55.190 circle, outer circle. Your inner circle, yeah, 00:27:55.250 --> 00:27:58.509 they're your family. Sometimes your family really 00:27:58.509 --> 00:28:02.049 should be in your outer circle, but inner circle, 00:28:02.089 --> 00:28:04.509 the people that you really trust that will go 00:28:04.509 --> 00:28:07.549 the distance for you. And those could be people 00:28:07.549 --> 00:28:09.990 that they can be your clients. I have clients 00:28:09.990 --> 00:28:12.990 today that we have with a firm that introduced 00:28:12.990 --> 00:28:15.410 to my staff that were clients of mine in the 00:28:15.410 --> 00:28:19.210 day. They're my inner circle, right? But I do 00:28:19.210 --> 00:28:22.250 have friends and family. So I think keep it tight. 00:28:22.390 --> 00:28:25.609 Keep it tight. You're not going to have 5 ,000 00:28:25.609 --> 00:28:28.349 in your inner circle unless you're just amazing. 00:28:28.809 --> 00:28:31.730 I haven't seen that. It's also a little difficult 00:28:31.730 --> 00:28:34.819 to keep up. Your inner circle you want to communicate 00:28:34.819 --> 00:28:39.220 with a little bit more often, but 5 ,000, 2 ,000, 00:28:39.299 --> 00:28:42.420 even 1 ,000. It's very hard to stay up with that. 00:28:42.700 --> 00:28:45.500 So you really have to be careful on who you think 00:28:45.500 --> 00:28:48.099 is in your inner circle. You're right. But that's 00:28:48.099 --> 00:28:53.339 very good. Okay. How does being a strong networker 00:28:53.339 --> 00:28:56.480 carry over into your personal life with your 00:28:56.480 --> 00:28:59.960 family, friends, and your community? I think 00:28:59.960 --> 00:29:03.200 what happens on when you get to the family side 00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:07.640 and I'm a strong networker connector, I do get 00:29:07.640 --> 00:29:13.200 our friends sending me their kids. And I had 00:29:13.200 --> 00:29:16.500 someone who was looking to get back into the 00:29:16.500 --> 00:29:19.359 dating scene after widowed. And it's like, Hey, 00:29:19.380 --> 00:29:22.559 could you have Larry fix me up? I'm ready. And 00:29:22.559 --> 00:29:25.700 so I, it's good and bad, but it's nice that. 00:29:26.349 --> 00:29:29.210 I become that go -to, that I built that reputation. 00:29:29.970 --> 00:29:33.430 And after I wrote the book, I did go on Facebook, 00:29:33.509 --> 00:29:36.569 now Meta, and I'm connected to friends there. 00:29:36.710 --> 00:29:40.210 And so they know, hey, let's ask Larry. So I 00:29:40.210 --> 00:29:43.450 branded myself in the business world and carried 00:29:43.450 --> 00:29:47.589 it over into my personal world. That's good. 00:29:47.710 --> 00:29:49.990 That's good. And that really, really answers 00:29:49.990 --> 00:29:53.950 it. Okay, so let's bring this podcast full circle. 00:29:54.920 --> 00:29:58.319 And if you could leave listeners with one mindset 00:29:58.319 --> 00:30:01.859 shift that would make their networking more meaningful 00:30:01.859 --> 00:30:06.799 and profitable, what would it be? Let's just 00:30:06.799 --> 00:30:11.460 say, okay, mindset shift is don't make it about 00:30:11.460 --> 00:30:15.940 you. Make it about the other person. And I'll 00:30:15.940 --> 00:30:20.140 share that with a question. And it sounds crazy. 00:30:21.470 --> 00:30:23.630 But I've done so many presentations and like 00:30:23.630 --> 00:30:26.069 you'll ask questions and I ask questions. And 00:30:26.069 --> 00:30:29.710 the one takeaway that people have told me quite 00:30:29.710 --> 00:30:34.269 a bit was these five words that they're not asking 00:30:34.269 --> 00:30:38.890 enough of or at all is how can I help you? And 00:30:38.890 --> 00:30:41.289 I can't tell you how many conversations I have 00:30:41.289 --> 00:30:44.210 with people. And I'm like, how can I help you? 00:30:44.950 --> 00:30:47.130 And sometimes I know because I've asked so many 00:30:47.130 --> 00:30:49.369 questions, I already know how I'm going to help 00:30:49.369 --> 00:30:52.730 them. Now it turns out I maybe add an extra word 00:30:52.730 --> 00:30:56.890 to like, how else can I help you? And no, I'm 00:30:56.890 --> 00:30:59.630 good. And I'm almost waiting for it just to see. 00:31:00.069 --> 00:31:03.230 They come back and go, Larry, I'm great. You're 00:31:03.230 --> 00:31:05.390 going to do X, Y, and Z for me. How can I help 00:31:05.390 --> 00:31:08.930 you? I can tell you it's probably one out of 00:31:08.930 --> 00:31:13.009 10 people I'll talk to that will say that. And 00:31:13.009 --> 00:31:16.670 so if I could get more people to think that way 00:31:16.670 --> 00:31:20.069 and just ask the question. And some people are 00:31:20.069 --> 00:31:21.529 like, I don't know how I could help people. I 00:31:21.529 --> 00:31:23.769 don't have a big network. You know what? It's 00:31:23.769 --> 00:31:27.529 just throwing it out there. Asking that question 00:31:27.529 --> 00:31:30.730 is more than enough that just people will say 00:31:30.730 --> 00:31:33.410 it. Everyone wants to take you up on it. It's 00:31:33.410 --> 00:31:36.269 rare. And if someone does say something, you 00:31:36.269 --> 00:31:40.089 can try. It's rare that people ask, but I would 00:31:40.089 --> 00:31:43.730 love to see more people ask, how can I help you? 00:31:44.250 --> 00:31:48.009 Every day. That's great. And if people would 00:31:48.009 --> 00:31:51.430 actually learn to do that, again, that's giving, 00:31:51.529 --> 00:31:56.130 not receiving. And if you can, one, I'll leave 00:31:56.130 --> 00:31:59.369 you with this. One thing that I say to a person, 00:31:59.470 --> 00:32:03.269 whenever I network with him or with a person 00:32:03.269 --> 00:32:07.430 or a few people, I always end with, how can I 00:32:07.430 --> 00:32:12.470 make you more successful? How can I make a difference? 00:32:13.230 --> 00:32:16.430 How can I be a great referral source for you? 00:32:17.349 --> 00:32:22.029 And I usually say that before I even tell them 00:32:22.029 --> 00:32:25.589 what I do. And they're usually so blown away 00:32:25.589 --> 00:32:27.670 by it. They're like, I don't even know what you 00:32:27.670 --> 00:32:31.789 do yet. That's right. Just let me know. And then 00:32:31.789 --> 00:32:33.309 I'll go into the whole thing with the business 00:32:33.309 --> 00:32:35.509 cards and everything and writing on the back 00:32:35.509 --> 00:32:37.190 of the business card what to do and everything 00:32:37.190 --> 00:32:40.910 else. But I always let them know I am here for 00:32:40.910 --> 00:32:45.339 you. So what can I do to help you? I love it. 00:32:46.240 --> 00:32:49.359 Larry, this has been absolutely great. Just the 00:32:49.359 --> 00:32:51.740 way I thought it was going to go. I just wish 00:32:51.740 --> 00:32:55.180 we had another hour because I have another 20 00:32:55.180 --> 00:32:58.819 questions to ask you. But if anybody would like 00:32:58.819 --> 00:33:02.180 to get hold of you, either to be coached or to 00:33:02.180 --> 00:33:04.779 just to speak with you and get your feelings 00:33:04.779 --> 00:33:07.519 or philosophy on networking, how could they do 00:33:07.519 --> 00:33:11.759 it? So definitely on LinkedIn. So Larry Kaufman 00:33:11.759 --> 00:33:15.680 in Chicago, all caps. So you can find me there. 00:33:16.200 --> 00:33:19.119 I would say check me out on Amazon with the NCG 00:33:19.119 --> 00:33:21.640 Factor. That's a way to get to know me. And guess 00:33:21.640 --> 00:33:24.299 what? I know it sounds crazy, but in my book, 00:33:24.319 --> 00:33:29.779 I put my contact information. So I know I get 00:33:29.779 --> 00:33:32.039 a lot of crazy people coming after me, but hopefully 00:33:32.039 --> 00:33:34.839 some normal people will come after me too. Hopefully, 00:33:35.039 --> 00:33:37.920 hopefully. Larry, I can't begin to thank you 00:33:37.920 --> 00:33:40.539 enough for coming on my podcast. I think you 00:33:40.539 --> 00:33:44.059 are a wealth of knowledge, and I'm so glad to 00:33:44.059 --> 00:33:46.640 see there's somebody else out there, such as 00:33:46.640 --> 00:33:51.400 myself, that believes in your NCJ. Thank you 00:33:51.400 --> 00:33:53.119 very much. Nice to meet you. Thanks for having 00:33:53.119 --> 00:33:55.380 me on your podcast, Michael, and nice to meet 00:33:55.380 --> 00:34:01.339 someone that thinks the way that I do. Well. 00:34:01.740 --> 00:34:04.920 Hold on, folks. Don't go anywhere. Let's hear 00:34:04.920 --> 00:34:08.599 from our sponsors. David Neal, co -founder Revved 00:34:08.599 --> 00:34:12.119 Up Kids. Revved Up Kids is on a mission to protect 00:34:12.119 --> 00:34:15.960 children and teens from sexual abuse, exploitation, 00:34:16.219 --> 00:34:19.280 and trafficking. They provide prevention training 00:34:19.280 --> 00:34:23.039 programs for children, teens, and adults. To 00:34:23.039 --> 00:34:27.670 learn more, go to revvedupkids .org. Henry Kaplan, 00:34:27.829 --> 00:34:30.869 Century 21. When it comes to making the biggest 00:34:30.869 --> 00:34:33.869 financial decision of your life, leave it in 00:34:33.869 --> 00:34:36.710 the hands of a proven professional, Henry Kaplan. 00:34:36.869 --> 00:34:40.210 Henry is a global real estate agent with Century 00:34:40.210 --> 00:34:44.690 21, celebrating his 41st year in business. No 00:34:44.690 --> 00:34:47.110 matter where you're moving, Henry has the right 00:34:47.110 --> 00:34:50.650 connections for you. You can contact Henry at 00:34:50.650 --> 00:34:56.989 561 -427 -4888. They provide prevention training 00:34:56.989 --> 00:35:00.469 programs for children, teens, and adults. To 00:35:00.469 --> 00:35:04.449 learn more, go to revvedupkids .org. That's R 00:35:04.449 --> 00:35:11.409 -E -V -V -E -D -U -P -K -I -D -S dot org. A huge 00:35:11.409 --> 00:35:13.710 thank you to our guests for sharing such incredible 00:35:13.710 --> 00:35:17.190 insights today. And of course, a big shout out 00:35:17.190 --> 00:35:20.510 to you, our amazing listeners, for tuning in 00:35:20.510 --> 00:35:23.409 and spending your time with us. If you're interested 00:35:23.409 --> 00:35:26.769 in my digital courses, being coached, or having 00:35:26.769 --> 00:35:29.909 me come and talk to your company, just go to 00:35:29.909 --> 00:35:33.110 Michael and fill out the request form. Remember, 00:35:33.469 --> 00:35:36.769 networking isn't about being perfect. It's about 00:35:36.769 --> 00:35:39.690 being present. So take what you've learned today, 00:35:39.869 --> 00:35:42.510 get out there, and make some meaningful connections. 00:35:43.110 --> 00:35:46.090 If you've enjoyed this episode, please don't 00:35:46.090 --> 00:35:49.469 forget to subscribe. Leave us a review and share 00:35:49.469 --> 00:35:51.670 it with someone who could use a little networking 00:35:51.670 --> 00:35:54.730 inspiration. Let's keep the conversation going. 00:35:55.280 --> 00:35:59.340 You can find me on Apple, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, 00:35:59.559 --> 00:36:04.219 or my website, foreman .com slash podcasts.