WEBVTT 00:00:16.780 --> 00:00:20.039 Welcome back to Networking Unleashed, Building 00:00:20.039 --> 00:00:23.260 Profitable Connections. I'm your host, Michael 00:00:23.260 --> 00:00:26.079 Foreman, and today we're diving into the power 00:00:26.079 --> 00:00:30.120 of networking through a very unique lens. My 00:00:30.120 --> 00:00:33.380 guest has built success in two very different 00:00:33.380 --> 00:00:36.740 industries, launching his own fitness company 00:00:36.740 --> 00:00:39.799 and later stepping into the world of life insurance. 00:00:40.240 --> 00:00:45.060 Both ties, excuse me, what ties both journeys 00:00:45.060 --> 00:00:48.759 together? The ability to build meaningful relationships, 00:00:48.880 --> 00:00:52.939 turn conversations into opportunities, and grow 00:00:52.939 --> 00:00:57.159 businesses through the art of networking. Today, 00:00:57.219 --> 00:00:59.899 we'll explore how he used networking to get his 00:00:59.899 --> 00:01:03.880 first clients, how those same skills translate 00:01:03.880 --> 00:01:07.719 across industries, and the lessons he's learned 00:01:07.719 --> 00:01:11.099 about building authentic connections that lead 00:01:11.099 --> 00:01:15.219 to real results. So if you ever wondered how 00:01:15.219 --> 00:01:18.180 to take your networking beyond just handshakes 00:01:18.180 --> 00:01:22.260 and LinkedIn requests and actually turn it into 00:01:22.260 --> 00:01:25.040 profit, you're going to love this conversation. 00:01:25.760 --> 00:01:28.760 I'd like to welcome to the podcast Marvin Booker. 00:01:28.840 --> 00:01:31.879 Marvin, listen, I've known Marvin for really 00:01:31.879 --> 00:01:34.180 a short amount of time, but we've become friendly. 00:01:34.299 --> 00:01:36.500 We know each other through networking events, 00:01:36.739 --> 00:01:41.060 and I'm a real proponent of what he has to offer. 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:44.689 Marvin? Why don't you say hello and give us a 00:01:44.689 --> 00:01:47.390 little bit about your background? Yeah, Michael, 00:01:47.469 --> 00:01:49.430 thanks for the great introduction. It's been 00:01:49.430 --> 00:01:52.209 a pleasure interacting with you throughout various 00:01:52.209 --> 00:01:55.409 networking events and hearing your wisdom and 00:01:55.409 --> 00:01:57.390 how you share to other people and how people 00:01:57.390 --> 00:02:00.709 actually gravitate to it. They take the pointers 00:02:00.709 --> 00:02:04.150 that you give out and they apply it and then 00:02:04.150 --> 00:02:06.109 they see results. So I think that's great, first 00:02:06.109 --> 00:02:09.419 and foremost. But yeah, you gave a great background 00:02:09.419 --> 00:02:11.860 on me. I appreciate it. Marvin Booker, born and 00:02:11.860 --> 00:02:14.780 raised in New Jersey, born in East Orange, New 00:02:14.780 --> 00:02:16.719 Jersey, went to high school in Piscataway, New 00:02:16.719 --> 00:02:19.219 Jersey, went off to play college football at 00:02:19.219 --> 00:02:23.319 Rutgers University, as well as graduating there 00:02:23.319 --> 00:02:25.759 with my degree in labor relations and employment 00:02:25.759 --> 00:02:30.240 and minor in Africana studies. Just to fast forward, 00:02:30.340 --> 00:02:32.900 I had on and off the field, I had some different 00:02:32.900 --> 00:02:36.099 things going on, a lot of different life experiences 00:02:36.099 --> 00:02:41.590 that taught me how to maintain my health, my 00:02:41.590 --> 00:02:43.789 body, right? Playing football, you have to train 00:02:43.789 --> 00:02:47.469 all the time every day, right? Growing my body, 00:02:47.590 --> 00:02:49.870 manipulating my body to get the best out of it, 00:02:49.889 --> 00:02:53.229 to perform at a high level. And also when football 00:02:53.229 --> 00:02:56.550 was, when I was transitioning out of football, 00:02:56.830 --> 00:03:01.069 I always saw that fitness was always a part of 00:03:01.069 --> 00:03:03.090 my life. transitioning out of football, growing 00:03:03.090 --> 00:03:05.189 up, throughout my childhood, everything, throughout 00:03:05.189 --> 00:03:07.289 my whole life, fitness has been a huge part and 00:03:07.289 --> 00:03:09.129 component to me because it keeps me centered. 00:03:09.729 --> 00:03:12.389 And then there are different life experiences 00:03:12.389 --> 00:03:15.409 that have come about to say, hey, maybe you need 00:03:15.409 --> 00:03:17.830 to learn this, how to deal with your finances 00:03:17.830 --> 00:03:21.189 better. Maybe you need to learn this, so on and 00:03:21.189 --> 00:03:24.370 so forth. So I would find different jobs that 00:03:24.370 --> 00:03:28.939 would help me refine those skills. And in finding 00:03:28.939 --> 00:03:31.219 those jobs, it was really about networking. It 00:03:31.219 --> 00:03:33.659 was really about shaking hands, meeting people, 00:03:33.819 --> 00:03:37.699 not necessarily asking them for anything up front, 00:03:37.759 --> 00:03:40.560 but just building genuine connections with people 00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:43.460 to see if our energy even aligns at any type 00:03:43.460 --> 00:03:49.199 of situation. Once that would happen, then I 00:03:49.199 --> 00:03:51.300 will also do the giver's game, right? I will 00:03:51.300 --> 00:03:53.900 make sure that if I hear something or... know 00:03:53.900 --> 00:03:55.740 a connection that somebody can benefit from. 00:03:55.800 --> 00:03:57.960 I'll connect those people or give some wisdom 00:03:57.960 --> 00:04:01.020 from my experiences. And people really appreciate 00:04:01.020 --> 00:04:03.680 that. And then when it was time for me to ask 00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:07.280 for something or if I shared my experiences or 00:04:07.280 --> 00:04:09.000 what I was looking to do, they would do the same 00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:10.719 for me, whether it be in that moment or sometime 00:04:10.719 --> 00:04:14.000 down the line. So these were certain skills that 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:18.240 led me to start my fitness business, right? Down 00:04:18.240 --> 00:04:20.399 the line, I started my insurance company, Ace 00:04:20.399 --> 00:04:24.490 Advisors LLC. And that was... All through, I 00:04:24.490 --> 00:04:26.889 was able to build those two components strictly 00:04:26.889 --> 00:04:29.269 through networking and meeting people and just 00:04:29.269 --> 00:04:31.250 really slowing down and having genuine conversations 00:04:31.250 --> 00:04:33.129 with people and letting people know what I do. 00:04:33.269 --> 00:04:37.250 So networking is a huge component of my lifestyle, 00:04:37.529 --> 00:04:40.209 even outside of business when I've lived in different 00:04:40.209 --> 00:04:42.920 cities. Going out and being comfortable talking 00:04:42.920 --> 00:04:45.560 to people, shaking hands with people, listening, 00:04:45.660 --> 00:04:48.620 actively listening to people has been very important 00:04:48.620 --> 00:04:50.560 and allowed me to keep my boots on the ground 00:04:50.560 --> 00:04:52.620 in any environment that I was in to build those 00:04:52.620 --> 00:04:55.720 relationships to just feel comfortable and adapting 00:04:55.720 --> 00:04:57.560 to the new environments that I've been in. So 00:04:57.560 --> 00:05:00.120 networking across the board is amazing and I'm 00:05:00.120 --> 00:05:02.279 happy to be a part of this podcast so we can 00:05:02.279 --> 00:05:04.120 share best practices and help other people be 00:05:04.120 --> 00:05:07.389 successful too. That's great, Marvin. What it 00:05:07.389 --> 00:05:10.310 sounds like is that, first of all, even through 00:05:10.310 --> 00:05:13.310 football and everything else, you have structure. 00:05:13.589 --> 00:05:19.790 You have a sense of this goes this way. And by 00:05:19.790 --> 00:05:24.089 you adding value to every relationship that you've 00:05:24.089 --> 00:05:28.339 had, it means a lot. Because it tells me that 00:05:28.339 --> 00:05:31.259 you are a true networker when you're looking 00:05:31.259 --> 00:05:33.680 for giver's gain, when you're looking to see 00:05:33.680 --> 00:05:37.139 what you can do for somebody, even before whatever 00:05:37.139 --> 00:05:40.079 they can do for you. Because you know as well 00:05:40.079 --> 00:05:43.279 as I do, that if you do that, what goes around 00:05:43.279 --> 00:05:46.300 comes around. And you will absolutely get it. 00:05:46.500 --> 00:05:48.160 Yeah, that's a great point, Michael. And the 00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:49.860 funny thing is, I've been doing it since I was 00:05:49.860 --> 00:05:52.670 young. I didn't know about giver's gain. I didn't 00:05:52.670 --> 00:05:54.509 know about, before we talked about the book, 00:05:54.629 --> 00:05:56.850 Go -Giver, right? I didn't know about that stuff. 00:05:56.970 --> 00:05:59.069 That's all within the past five years I learned 00:05:59.069 --> 00:06:02.449 that stuff. But these are things from being young. 00:06:02.910 --> 00:06:05.129 And now when you get older and you get in these 00:06:05.129 --> 00:06:07.410 real life situations and that there's benefit 00:06:07.410 --> 00:06:10.089 to what your natural ability is, then it's empowered. 00:06:11.009 --> 00:06:14.970 It's a blessing. Yeah. Now you can actually put 00:06:14.970 --> 00:06:17.810 something behind. When you were five years old, 00:06:17.870 --> 00:06:20.000 you didn't know about giver's gain. You know 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:23.860 about that, but as an adult, you do know about 00:06:23.860 --> 00:06:26.759 it. It puts a little credibility behind what 00:06:26.759 --> 00:06:29.740 you were doing when you were younger. So everything 00:06:29.740 --> 00:06:31.920 all works together, but you've been doing this 00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:34.879 for such a long time. It's ingrained in your 00:06:34.879 --> 00:06:38.579 system. It's in your DNA just to be a nice person. 00:06:38.839 --> 00:06:42.779 So by being that nice person, by always looking 00:06:42.779 --> 00:06:47.459 to give, you will get and receive 10 times. Over. 00:06:47.560 --> 00:06:51.800 So let me go into my questions. Okay. You've 00:06:51.800 --> 00:06:55.500 built a fitness company and now work in life 00:06:55.500 --> 00:06:59.279 insurance. Two industries where trust and relationships 00:06:59.279 --> 00:07:03.160 are everything. What role did networking play 00:07:03.160 --> 00:07:12.560 in opening doors for you early on? When it was 00:07:12.560 --> 00:07:15.360 time for me to... There was a point in time where 00:07:15.360 --> 00:07:18.600 I was a general manager with L .A. Fitness and 00:07:18.600 --> 00:07:21.180 I still had my business. My business has been 00:07:21.180 --> 00:07:26.819 with me since 2012. But that point where I want 00:07:26.819 --> 00:07:29.160 to jump off the cliff and try to fly with 100 00:07:29.160 --> 00:07:32.660 percent solo, it was hard to find when that point 00:07:32.660 --> 00:07:36.720 would be. So when I was working with L .A. Fitness 00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:39.680 as a general manager, I was still training people 00:07:39.680 --> 00:07:45.069 on the side away from the facility. I just kept 00:07:45.069 --> 00:07:46.850 on telling people, Marvin, you need to talk about 00:07:46.850 --> 00:07:49.730 what you're doing, how you can help people, and 00:07:49.730 --> 00:07:53.189 how your experiences from playing pro football 00:07:53.189 --> 00:07:56.310 and getting to that level can help these people 00:07:56.310 --> 00:07:58.970 that you're working with or that you're introducing 00:07:58.970 --> 00:08:00.910 your business to. Because there was a point in 00:08:00.910 --> 00:08:04.750 time where I think transitioning to civilian 00:08:04.750 --> 00:08:07.439 life and being a pro player. That's how I put 00:08:07.439 --> 00:08:09.379 it. I know we talked about that before. This 00:08:09.379 --> 00:08:11.779 is a different mindset, right? I didn't want 00:08:11.779 --> 00:08:14.220 to throw the fact that I was an ex -pro player 00:08:14.220 --> 00:08:18.000 out there, right? I'm still pursuing the game 00:08:18.000 --> 00:08:19.819 at one point in time. And then another point 00:08:19.819 --> 00:08:21.319 in time, I didn't want to throw it in people's 00:08:21.319 --> 00:08:24.040 faces. I just wanted to just gradually reveal 00:08:24.040 --> 00:08:26.800 myself. But when you're talking about that business, 00:08:27.060 --> 00:08:29.000 people want to know where your credibility is 00:08:29.000 --> 00:08:30.480 going to come from. Yeah, they see my structure. 00:08:30.519 --> 00:08:32.179 They see my body. But that doesn't mean I know 00:08:32.179 --> 00:08:34.399 how to articulate my wisdom to somebody else 00:08:34.399 --> 00:08:36.519 for them to take advantage of it. So it was just 00:08:36.519 --> 00:08:38.340 me really putting myself out there, creating 00:08:38.340 --> 00:08:41.080 marketing, business cards, Instagram to create 00:08:41.080 --> 00:08:43.460 a digital footprint, reaching out to people on 00:08:43.460 --> 00:08:46.200 Instagram, going to different networking meetings, 00:08:46.379 --> 00:08:49.620 introducing myself, creating my elevator speech, 00:08:49.919 --> 00:08:51.580 handing my business card to them and just letting 00:08:51.580 --> 00:08:53.279 them know, hey, if this is something that you're 00:08:53.279 --> 00:08:55.059 interested in, I want to offer you something 00:08:55.059 --> 00:08:58.000 of giver's gain once again, a free fitness consultation. 00:08:58.620 --> 00:09:00.759 And we can put that on the schedule and we can 00:09:00.759 --> 00:09:02.659 see how we can help you out. And that's just 00:09:02.659 --> 00:09:04.820 how I really went. Just being on tour. That's 00:09:04.820 --> 00:09:07.620 how I met you. Being on tour, putting at least 00:09:07.620 --> 00:09:10.000 three networking events on my calendar per week 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:13.259 and being adamant about showing up and being 00:09:13.259 --> 00:09:15.120 consistent about promoting my business. That's 00:09:15.120 --> 00:09:17.860 really how I got Booker Fitness really started. 00:09:17.919 --> 00:09:20.720 And I have one or two true clients. I still my 00:09:20.720 --> 00:09:24.340 clients today after two years plus. And they 00:09:24.340 --> 00:09:27.259 referred me business as well. So both sides, 00:09:27.340 --> 00:09:29.100 building those relationships, allow people to 00:09:29.100 --> 00:09:31.759 feel comfortable to. giving me access to their 00:09:31.759 --> 00:09:34.879 network as well. That's the best way. Referrals 00:09:34.879 --> 00:09:39.340 are golden. Referrals is your best mode to see 00:09:39.340 --> 00:09:42.919 what clients you can receive. But one thing you 00:09:42.919 --> 00:09:46.240 had to figure out was, which you probably didn't 00:09:46.240 --> 00:09:49.460 like doing, you had to talk about yourself. You 00:09:49.460 --> 00:09:52.580 had to talk about what you can do, what you did, 00:09:52.720 --> 00:09:56.000 everything like that, because people want to 00:09:56.000 --> 00:09:59.220 know. They have to say, okay, look. I see him. 00:09:59.259 --> 00:10:02.519 Listen, he's got a good physique, but I don't 00:10:02.519 --> 00:10:05.919 know who he is. Networking is know you, like 00:10:05.919 --> 00:10:08.879 you, trust you. They'll do business with you. 00:10:09.120 --> 00:10:12.179 Know you, absolutely they know you because they'd 00:10:12.179 --> 00:10:14.919 see your face. Like you, you're not going to 00:10:14.919 --> 00:10:17.799 get along with everybody that you come in contact 00:10:17.799 --> 00:10:21.620 with. So know you, like you, but if they don't 00:10:21.620 --> 00:10:24.379 trust you, they'll never do business with you. 00:10:25.159 --> 00:10:27.960 So that's what you're doing. And the givers gain, 00:10:28.080 --> 00:10:30.480 giving value to the relationship. That's all 00:10:30.480 --> 00:10:33.019 part of it. That's all building the trust up. 00:10:33.240 --> 00:10:36.480 But once you build that trust up, that's okay. 00:10:36.840 --> 00:10:39.759 And then you build something called social capital. 00:10:39.919 --> 00:10:42.440 We'll get into that later on. I think the social 00:10:42.440 --> 00:10:44.700 capital and the trust kind of went hand in hand 00:10:44.700 --> 00:10:46.659 because if people see me first and then they 00:10:46.659 --> 00:10:50.440 see other things, the reviews, the visuals. It 00:10:50.440 --> 00:10:52.159 makes people say it takes the edge off. It's 00:10:52.159 --> 00:10:54.460 not 100 % trust, but it takes the edge off. It 00:10:54.460 --> 00:10:56.700 eases them into the situation for sure. Yes, 00:10:56.700 --> 00:10:59.019 it does. Yes, it does. And you build your social 00:10:59.019 --> 00:11:03.740 capital. You don't want to start out just flat 00:11:03.740 --> 00:11:06.720 because the first time that you do something 00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:10.620 incorrectly, I'll put that nicely, you do it 00:11:10.620 --> 00:11:12.580 incorrectly. That means you're in the negatives 00:11:12.580 --> 00:11:15.720 and you have to build it back up to zero to go 00:11:15.720 --> 00:11:19.879 ahead. So the social capital is very important. 00:11:20.159 --> 00:11:24.740 From your perspective, what's the biggest misconception 00:11:24.740 --> 00:11:29.139 people have about networking and how do you approach 00:11:29.139 --> 00:11:33.100 it differently? That's from the jump. There's 00:11:33.100 --> 00:11:36.679 a point in time, like in college, when I was 00:11:36.679 --> 00:11:39.779 going to different networking events that they 00:11:39.779 --> 00:11:41.740 host for the student athletes and stuff like 00:11:41.740 --> 00:11:45.919 that, things were very transactional. And I think... 00:11:46.169 --> 00:11:48.450 That's just how networking is perceived. I'm 00:11:48.450 --> 00:11:50.830 going here to get something. Right. Or I'm going 00:11:50.830 --> 00:11:54.629 here to sell something or and that's OK for each 00:11:54.629 --> 00:11:57.389 his own. But I think networking, the misconception 00:11:57.389 --> 00:11:59.789 about networking is that's so transactional. 00:11:59.970 --> 00:12:02.149 And some people go in there with that type of 00:12:02.149 --> 00:12:05.450 mindset. I think you should go in there authentically 00:12:05.450 --> 00:12:10.549 you. Absolutely. Go in there with Marvin Booker 00:12:10.549 --> 00:12:13.210 first or Michael Foreman first and just have 00:12:13.210 --> 00:12:15.870 conversations with people. knowing that this 00:12:15.870 --> 00:12:17.870 is the room where people are coming to have conversations, 00:12:18.169 --> 00:12:21.029 period. So all that standing on the wall, all 00:12:21.029 --> 00:12:23.490 that other nonsense, get off the wall, right? 00:12:23.669 --> 00:12:26.190 Go shake a hand, go say hi, because people are 00:12:26.190 --> 00:12:29.090 looking for you to say something to them or to 00:12:29.090 --> 00:12:31.509 talk to other people. That's number one. Number 00:12:31.509 --> 00:12:35.809 two, I think that people should, like I said, 00:12:35.850 --> 00:12:37.669 people should really be genuine and authentic. 00:12:38.450 --> 00:12:40.529 Now, some people aren't genuine and authentic 00:12:40.529 --> 00:12:43.429 as it is, forget networking or whatever the case 00:12:43.429 --> 00:12:45.269 may be. So that's a whole nother story. But we're 00:12:45.269 --> 00:12:46.889 going to go there. Yeah, we ain't going to go 00:12:46.889 --> 00:12:48.269 there right now. We ain't got enough time, right? 00:12:48.330 --> 00:12:51.850 So to step in the situation, be authentic, ask 00:12:51.850 --> 00:12:55.110 questions, be comfortable about speaking about 00:12:55.110 --> 00:12:56.889 yourself. I think that's another misconception. 00:12:57.090 --> 00:13:00.470 People think that, and I had it myself, right? 00:13:00.549 --> 00:13:03.250 It's okay to talk about yourself because people 00:13:03.250 --> 00:13:06.330 want to learn who you are in those rooms. And 00:13:06.330 --> 00:13:07.950 then if there's some, of course, you're going 00:13:07.950 --> 00:13:09.389 to get to the point where you talk about what 00:13:09.389 --> 00:13:11.669 you do and how you help people. And if there's 00:13:11.669 --> 00:13:13.740 some synergy there, hey. Let's see if we can 00:13:13.740 --> 00:13:17.360 connect again outside of this event. Right. And 00:13:17.360 --> 00:13:19.679 try to see where we can help each other. Or if 00:13:19.679 --> 00:13:21.100 you hear something that person needs, hey, I 00:13:21.100 --> 00:13:23.139 have a referral. Let's connect. I can shoot it 00:13:23.139 --> 00:13:25.720 to you, whatever the case may be. So I think 00:13:25.720 --> 00:13:28.700 the big misconception is that networking events 00:13:28.700 --> 00:13:31.559 need to be transactional. Networking events need 00:13:31.559 --> 00:13:35.659 to be. genuine and authentic and just building 00:13:35.659 --> 00:13:37.879 that rapport with that person. And then the business 00:13:37.879 --> 00:13:39.799 comes in line to say, hey, is there somewhere 00:13:39.799 --> 00:13:41.940 where we have some overlap? Is there some synergy? 00:13:42.139 --> 00:13:44.139 Can I help you? Can you help me? I think that's 00:13:44.139 --> 00:13:46.379 a second or third conversation. That's not an 00:13:46.379 --> 00:13:49.659 initial conversation. Absolutely. And I find 00:13:49.659 --> 00:13:53.519 that really, I use the pandemic as a roadblock. 00:13:54.039 --> 00:13:59.299 Before the pandemic, networking was very transactional. 00:13:59.740 --> 00:14:02.139 I have three widgets. You have a dollar. Give 00:14:02.139 --> 00:14:03.980 me, we'll change it. Okay, great. You're on my 00:14:03.980 --> 00:14:07.899 customer list. And that's it. But after the pandemic, 00:14:08.100 --> 00:14:12.899 when everybody first went to Zoom and they lost 00:14:12.899 --> 00:14:17.320 the sight of seeing people face -to -face, it 00:14:17.320 --> 00:14:22.480 became more relational. And now it's where the 00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:25.279 giver's gain began and everything else. But when 00:14:25.279 --> 00:14:30.740 you walk into a networking event, I used to be 00:14:30.740 --> 00:14:33.620 in the mortgage industry and I used to go to 00:14:33.620 --> 00:14:35.639 these network events and come home with a shoebox 00:14:35.639 --> 00:14:38.500 filled with business cards and say, look how 00:14:38.500 --> 00:14:42.720 good I did. But I really didn't, right? So now 00:14:42.720 --> 00:14:45.399 if I go to a three or four hour event, I come 00:14:45.399 --> 00:14:49.360 back with 15 or 20 business cards because I know 00:14:49.360 --> 00:14:53.539 that I created a relationship with those people. 00:14:53.620 --> 00:14:57.679 And I do my follow -up sequence. It's my secret 00:14:57.679 --> 00:15:02.539 sauce. And I have 15 or 20 people, but that all 00:15:02.539 --> 00:15:06.200 goes into the relationship. So that's very, very 00:15:06.200 --> 00:15:09.500 true. Okay. When you started your fitness company, 00:15:09.740 --> 00:15:13.039 how did you use networking to get those first 00:15:13.039 --> 00:15:18.279 clients and build a loyal base? Yeah, I think 00:15:18.279 --> 00:15:21.480 being adamant about talking about what I do. 00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:26.480 Right. So outside of working out and going to 00:15:26.480 --> 00:15:28.879 the gym and doing my own personal workouts to 00:15:28.879 --> 00:15:32.000 stay in shape and people see that that was one 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:35.100 way. Right. But if I'm in my casual clothes, 00:15:35.240 --> 00:15:37.419 I'm going out and I'm having a conversation with 00:15:37.419 --> 00:15:39.659 somebody. Don't be scared to put your business 00:15:39.659 --> 00:15:41.860 card on the tables and introduce yourself with 00:15:41.860 --> 00:15:44.299 your business card. Hey, what's your name? You're 00:15:44.299 --> 00:15:47.039 Jack. Jack Spade. OK, I'm Marvin Booker. Introduce 00:15:47.039 --> 00:15:49.340 yourself with your business card. Talk. Have 00:15:49.340 --> 00:15:52.710 that conversation. Offer that person. that free 00:15:52.710 --> 00:15:56.450 consultation and i think just to like i said 00:15:56.450 --> 00:15:58.590 i think i really know the science behind i'm 00:15:58.590 --> 00:16:00.690 just being myself and then i come in contact 00:16:00.690 --> 00:16:02.289 with people like you and you're pointing out 00:16:02.289 --> 00:16:04.210 different things that i'm doing that you teach 00:16:04.210 --> 00:16:07.169 people how to do so it's like when i get that 00:16:07.169 --> 00:16:09.509 the biggest thing i think here's the best way 00:16:09.509 --> 00:16:12.289 to answer the question when i had one client 00:16:12.289 --> 00:16:17.470 and i was jumping 100 into my business I was 00:16:17.470 --> 00:16:19.750 thinking, damn, how can I get all these people 00:16:19.750 --> 00:16:22.429 to come and invest in a package so I can help 00:16:22.429 --> 00:16:25.450 them? And I was running myself crazy trying to 00:16:25.450 --> 00:16:27.549 figure out how to do it and try to speed up the 00:16:27.549 --> 00:16:29.269 process. Even going to the networking events 00:16:29.269 --> 00:16:31.350 and even not having a casual conversation with 00:16:31.350 --> 00:16:34.690 somebody and giving them that free consultation 00:16:34.690 --> 00:16:36.570 doesn't mean that they're going to take advantage 00:16:36.570 --> 00:16:38.929 of it. Right. I can't force that person to take 00:16:38.929 --> 00:16:41.909 advantage of it and be consistent if they decide 00:16:41.909 --> 00:16:44.639 to show up. So what I did was I refined myself 00:16:44.639 --> 00:16:48.419 and I just gave 100 percent energy to the person 00:16:48.419 --> 00:16:51.519 I was working with. And what I what that did 00:16:51.519 --> 00:16:53.879 was it became a word of mouth situation when 00:16:53.879 --> 00:16:56.120 they feel good, when they get the energy, when 00:16:56.120 --> 00:16:58.940 we had deeper conversations that were talking 00:16:58.940 --> 00:17:01.740 about different aspects of their life. And then 00:17:01.740 --> 00:17:05.569 we're doing three sets of 12. You're on that 00:17:05.569 --> 00:17:08.170 10th rep. It's burning. It's hurting. And I'm 00:17:08.170 --> 00:17:10.049 pushing to go through. When we're on that rest 00:17:10.049 --> 00:17:12.450 break, I'm talking to you about how that burn 00:17:12.450 --> 00:17:14.529 that you just pushed through is equivalent to 00:17:14.529 --> 00:17:16.210 what you talked to me about in your relationship, 00:17:16.490 --> 00:17:19.230 your work, your X, Y, Z. We're relating it to 00:17:19.230 --> 00:17:21.970 that lifestyle event that you're struggling with. 00:17:22.309 --> 00:17:25.049 Then when they come back and they tell me two 00:17:25.049 --> 00:17:27.029 weeks, a month later, they tell me that lifestyle 00:17:27.029 --> 00:17:31.450 event, they pushed through it. And the toughness 00:17:31.450 --> 00:17:33.210 that they're building in this workout is helping 00:17:33.210 --> 00:17:34.839 to push through it. How do you think they're 00:17:34.839 --> 00:17:36.839 going to feel when they leave me? They're going 00:17:36.839 --> 00:17:38.220 to tell their daughter. They're going to tell 00:17:38.220 --> 00:17:39.799 their friend. They're going to tell their pastor. 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:41.819 They're going to tell this. And then that's when 00:17:41.819 --> 00:17:44.359 the referrals start rolling in. And that's when 00:17:44.359 --> 00:17:47.660 I realized it's not about going wide. It's about 00:17:47.660 --> 00:17:51.019 going deep with each person. And that's going 00:17:51.019 --> 00:17:53.579 to open up the door. So once I got that first 00:17:53.579 --> 00:17:56.380 foundation of clients, maybe about five to eight 00:17:56.380 --> 00:17:59.059 clients. That allowed me to take the pressure 00:17:59.059 --> 00:18:01.779 off of myself when I do go to these networking 00:18:01.779 --> 00:18:04.619 events and have people have conversations with 00:18:04.619 --> 00:18:06.720 them and offer that free consultation. Now it's 00:18:06.720 --> 00:18:09.720 not looking like that free consultation is trying 00:18:09.720 --> 00:18:11.880 to fish for business and I need it right now. 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:14.319 I've got that sales anxiety, right? No, it's 00:18:14.319 --> 00:18:16.220 coming from, hey, this is what I really do. And 00:18:16.220 --> 00:18:18.599 it's your loss. The energy behind it is your 00:18:18.599 --> 00:18:20.740 loss if you don't take advantage of it. I can 00:18:20.740 --> 00:18:24.539 speak from that space. Yep. Absolutely. Absolutely. 00:18:24.700 --> 00:18:29.039 And I want to just, all of that was actually 00:18:29.039 --> 00:18:32.099 great, but I want to bring you back to the first 00:18:32.099 --> 00:18:34.660 part of our, of this segment of this question. 00:18:34.859 --> 00:18:37.779 When you talked about giving the business card, 00:18:37.900 --> 00:18:41.859 it's not you giving your business card. It's 00:18:41.859 --> 00:18:46.119 them giving you their business card. And there's 00:18:46.119 --> 00:18:49.460 a certain way about it that I use personally. 00:18:49.980 --> 00:18:53.519 And when I'm in a networking event or something 00:18:53.519 --> 00:18:56.099 else like that, and they're talking, they're 00:18:56.099 --> 00:18:59.839 speaking, I haven't given my business card. I 00:18:59.839 --> 00:19:03.640 haven't explained what I do, but they're talking. 00:19:03.819 --> 00:19:08.339 They're telling me everything. And afterwards, 00:19:08.440 --> 00:19:11.859 I listen, active listening, just like you said. 00:19:12.099 --> 00:19:15.200 And I listen and I repeat something back to them 00:19:15.200 --> 00:19:19.420 to show them that I was listening. And I say, 00:19:19.539 --> 00:19:22.000 you know something, I like you. I like the way 00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:26.200 you do business. How can I make you more successful? 00:19:27.140 --> 00:19:29.799 How can I be a good referral source for you? 00:19:29.960 --> 00:19:32.619 And nine times out of 10, they say, Mike, I don't 00:19:32.619 --> 00:19:34.500 even know what you do yet. I don't even have 00:19:34.500 --> 00:19:37.980 your business card. I said, I know, I know. But 00:19:37.980 --> 00:19:41.420 how can I help you? And that is the biggest push. 00:19:41.480 --> 00:19:44.380 And that goes right into what you were saying. 00:19:44.900 --> 00:19:48.690 Now. When you get their business card, there's 00:19:48.690 --> 00:19:50.410 a few things you write on the back. We'll go 00:19:50.410 --> 00:19:54.170 into that later. But you need to establish that 00:19:54.170 --> 00:19:59.470 for you to go through and have your mindset exactly 00:19:59.470 --> 00:20:03.250 what you were talking about. Exactly what you 00:20:03.250 --> 00:20:06.150 were talking about. And the 100 % that you put 00:20:06.150 --> 00:20:09.730 into your clients, they feel that. They're going 00:20:09.730 --> 00:20:12.869 to feel that, right? So they said, oh, my God, 00:20:12.990 --> 00:20:16.369 Marvin is like a great. Instructor, trainer, 00:20:16.609 --> 00:20:19.109 whatever. I'm going back. Wait, it's Monday? 00:20:19.269 --> 00:20:21.349 When can I go back? Wednesday? Okay, when can 00:20:21.349 --> 00:20:24.170 I go back? Friday? Because I have to get more. 00:20:24.509 --> 00:20:27.029 And that's what you're after. And I think that's 00:20:27.029 --> 00:20:30.869 what you're achieving. So anyway. All right. 00:20:30.910 --> 00:20:35.750 So fitness and life insurance are very different 00:20:35.750 --> 00:20:39.450 spaces. Have you found the principles of networking 00:20:39.450 --> 00:20:43.210 to be the same in both industries? Or do you 00:20:43.210 --> 00:20:48.299 adapt and approach? Depending on the field. That's 00:20:48.299 --> 00:20:51.259 a really good question. Ask that last part again. 00:20:51.440 --> 00:20:53.700 That's a really good question. Okay. I'm going 00:20:53.700 --> 00:20:56.579 to repeat the whole thing. All right, cool. Fitness 00:20:56.579 --> 00:20:58.859 and life insurance are very different spaces. 00:20:59.519 --> 00:21:03.160 Okay. Have you found the principles of networking 00:21:03.160 --> 00:21:08.119 to be the same in both industries or do you adapt 00:21:08.119 --> 00:21:13.839 your approach depending on the field? It's a 00:21:13.839 --> 00:21:16.079 very good question. When I walk into a room, 00:21:16.079 --> 00:21:18.019 let's say I'm walking into a networking event. 00:21:18.700 --> 00:21:21.480 When people see me, they already know. Did he 00:21:21.480 --> 00:21:23.519 just come from the gym or is he about to go to 00:21:23.519 --> 00:21:26.680 the gym or what did he used to do? So my physique 00:21:26.680 --> 00:21:29.079 speaks for itself. I'm a walking billboard for 00:21:29.079 --> 00:21:34.480 my business, right? So sometimes people are already 00:21:34.480 --> 00:21:38.279 anticipating that. I'm in that line of work somehow, 00:21:38.440 --> 00:21:41.839 some way. And when it is my turn to speak on 00:21:41.839 --> 00:21:43.519 what I do, they're like, oh yeah, I could tell. 00:21:43.640 --> 00:21:46.839 And they're adamant. They're more open to learning 00:21:46.839 --> 00:21:49.359 from me when it comes to the fitness side. Then 00:21:49.359 --> 00:21:52.380 when I throw in my experience and give them more 00:21:52.380 --> 00:21:54.940 credibility, then they want to, they magnetize 00:21:54.940 --> 00:21:59.759 to me a little bit more. When it comes to the 00:21:59.759 --> 00:22:03.220 insurance side, it's a little bit more delicate. 00:22:03.930 --> 00:22:06.049 I think my presence, like I said, same thing 00:22:06.049 --> 00:22:08.269 from the fitness and the physique, that people, 00:22:08.410 --> 00:22:11.630 it commands a certain type of attention in the 00:22:11.630 --> 00:22:13.730 conversation. But then when we're talking about 00:22:13.730 --> 00:22:17.289 networking with insurance, it's a little bit 00:22:17.289 --> 00:22:21.049 different because when you're actively listening, 00:22:21.470 --> 00:22:27.349 you want to listen for certain boxes that are 00:22:27.349 --> 00:22:29.049 being checked off to introduce the insurance 00:22:29.049 --> 00:22:32.049 to the person. if that makes sense. And sometimes 00:22:32.049 --> 00:22:35.609 in those initial conversations, people aren't 00:22:35.609 --> 00:22:38.250 comfortable enough to reveal those boxes that 00:22:38.250 --> 00:22:41.730 need to be checked off in order for me to reveal 00:22:41.730 --> 00:22:46.650 the insurance side of things, right? So most 00:22:46.650 --> 00:22:48.430 of the time when I'm doing the insurance side 00:22:48.430 --> 00:22:50.829 of things, I'm still actively listening on both 00:22:50.829 --> 00:22:54.910 sides, but I'm a little bit more patient to offer 00:22:54.910 --> 00:22:59.470 a meeting or an appointment for insurance, unless 00:22:59.470 --> 00:23:01.970 I feel like that person is very comfortable in 00:23:01.970 --> 00:23:04.250 talking to me about certain things. If they're 00:23:04.250 --> 00:23:06.609 not, then I will introduce it and say, hey, I 00:23:06.609 --> 00:23:09.210 also do this. I'm also licensed in life and property 00:23:09.210 --> 00:23:12.230 and casualty. I help people accumulate wealth, 00:23:12.349 --> 00:23:14.789 protect their assets, and start looking at retirement 00:23:14.789 --> 00:23:16.430 planning. If you're interested in this, this 00:23:16.430 --> 00:23:18.710 is something that we can help you with. We do 00:23:18.710 --> 00:23:21.509 these services through life insurance products. 00:23:21.730 --> 00:23:23.089 Is that something that you'd be interested in? 00:23:23.930 --> 00:23:26.190 Do you have things set up for yourself already? 00:23:26.430 --> 00:23:28.029 We can take a peek at what that looks like so 00:23:28.029 --> 00:23:29.529 we can go over and see if you're in the best 00:23:29.529 --> 00:23:31.730 position, so on and so forth. So there's certain 00:23:31.730 --> 00:23:34.009 things that I would say an exit with, and then 00:23:34.009 --> 00:23:35.869 I'll just follow up. The follow -up game is really 00:23:35.869 --> 00:23:37.390 where it's at when it comes to the insurance 00:23:37.390 --> 00:23:39.690 side. Same thing with the fitness side, but people 00:23:39.690 --> 00:23:42.109 are more magnetized to me on the fitness side 00:23:42.109 --> 00:23:45.029 than they are on the insurance side at this point 00:23:45.029 --> 00:23:48.670 in time. And that's so true. And I don't want 00:23:48.670 --> 00:23:51.650 to go into the follow -up because we can do an 00:23:51.650 --> 00:23:54.950 entire hour just for the follow -up. Okay. But 00:23:54.950 --> 00:23:58.750 I'm thinking about you with your two lives, right? 00:23:58.849 --> 00:24:02.130 If you go to a chamber of commerce and I go every 00:24:02.130 --> 00:24:04.730 Wednesday, I belong to the Johns Creek chamber 00:24:04.730 --> 00:24:09.150 and there are four insurance people in there 00:24:09.150 --> 00:24:13.769 at any given time. And each one. does pretty 00:24:13.769 --> 00:24:16.789 much the same thing, but they're different in 00:24:16.789 --> 00:24:20.190 the way that they tell everybody. It's different. 00:24:20.289 --> 00:24:23.710 Now, there are different levels of trust. Now, 00:24:23.809 --> 00:24:26.690 my insurance guy happens to be in there also. 00:24:27.069 --> 00:24:30.950 He's a big guy and a boisterous voice and everything 00:24:30.950 --> 00:24:33.690 else. And he says it one way. And there's another 00:24:33.690 --> 00:24:36.049 guy who's a little more timid that says it his 00:24:36.049 --> 00:24:39.430 own way. Then there's two females and they talk 00:24:39.430 --> 00:24:42.670 about it very hesitantly. So who are you going 00:24:42.670 --> 00:24:46.450 to trust? So when you walk in for your athletic, 00:24:46.509 --> 00:24:50.049 for your training, they see your build and they 00:24:50.049 --> 00:24:52.710 say, okay, he knows what he's doing. All right. 00:24:52.769 --> 00:24:56.869 There's two different ways to see them, but you 00:24:56.869 --> 00:25:01.130 should definitely join a chamber or something 00:25:01.130 --> 00:25:04.730 like that. And because that's an every week thing 00:25:04.730 --> 00:25:08.630 and there's more things involved. But what I'm 00:25:08.630 --> 00:25:11.569 trying to say is that you're different. Right. 00:25:11.769 --> 00:25:14.049 You're different from, let's say, those four 00:25:14.049 --> 00:25:20.009 people, because you can explain what you do very 00:25:20.009 --> 00:25:25.630 eloquently. Yet you have that training, the athletic 00:25:25.630 --> 00:25:29.369 training. When I first saw you, I said, holy 00:25:29.369 --> 00:25:36.369 crap, who's that? OK. And then I was like, all 00:25:36.369 --> 00:25:38.789 right. But once I got to talk to you, you were 00:25:38.789 --> 00:25:41.890 just like a normal guy. And so that's one thing 00:25:41.890 --> 00:25:45.130 that I had to get over myself. But enough of 00:25:45.130 --> 00:25:48.390 that. Let me go into another question. A lot 00:25:48.390 --> 00:25:51.750 of people meet contacts but struggle to convert 00:25:51.750 --> 00:25:55.849 them into paying clients. What's one practical 00:25:55.849 --> 00:25:59.769 strategy you've used to move from very nice to 00:25:59.769 --> 00:26:06.630 meet you to real business? That's always an ongoing 00:26:06.630 --> 00:26:12.759 challenge as an entrepreneur. Because you definitely 00:26:12.759 --> 00:26:15.579 know your worth, you know how you can help that 00:26:15.579 --> 00:26:19.240 person. And sometimes it's about not necessarily 00:26:19.240 --> 00:26:22.779 convincing, but getting on the same page with 00:26:22.779 --> 00:26:27.440 that person so they can feel what you know, if 00:26:27.440 --> 00:26:30.960 that's the best way to put it. So I think the 00:26:30.960 --> 00:26:33.480 follow up game is really where it's at. You can. 00:26:34.940 --> 00:26:37.200 It's interesting. It's interesting when you're 00:26:37.200 --> 00:26:39.559 in a networking environment. No matter where 00:26:39.559 --> 00:26:41.779 your business is at, whether it's struggling, 00:26:42.000 --> 00:26:44.140 whether it's up and down, whether it's consistent, 00:26:44.259 --> 00:26:46.440 whether it's skyrocketing and soaring, right? 00:26:49.160 --> 00:26:51.900 You have to walk into a networking event with 00:26:51.900 --> 00:26:55.859 a certain demeanor in a sense. You have to meet 00:26:55.859 --> 00:26:58.960 people where they're at, right? I think getting 00:26:58.960 --> 00:27:02.099 people on page with signing up or coming, it's 00:27:02.099 --> 00:27:05.500 really just a follow -up game because they don't 00:27:05.500 --> 00:27:08.390 need to know where your business is at. And sometimes 00:27:08.390 --> 00:27:10.829 where your business is at will reflect in your 00:27:10.829 --> 00:27:14.269 urgency on trying to get a close, if that makes 00:27:14.269 --> 00:27:16.529 sense. So I feel like when you're talking to 00:27:16.529 --> 00:27:19.309 people, you have to be patient with them. You 00:27:19.309 --> 00:27:20.950 have to let them know. But you also have to have 00:27:20.950 --> 00:27:24.609 a sense of urgency and letting them know this 00:27:24.609 --> 00:27:26.509 is something that you need to look into. This 00:27:26.509 --> 00:27:28.509 is something that you need to invest into. Please 00:27:28.509 --> 00:27:30.650 come to this fitness consultation or come to 00:27:30.650 --> 00:27:32.680 this. Let's schedule this meeting to go over 00:27:32.680 --> 00:27:34.359 your portfolio, see if you're in the right position 00:27:34.359 --> 00:27:36.259 financially or you have the right products in 00:27:36.259 --> 00:27:39.059 place. So I think that urgency comes from being 00:27:39.059 --> 00:27:41.660 consistent and showing up to the meetings when 00:27:41.660 --> 00:27:45.980 you can and the follow up game. One day after 00:27:45.980 --> 00:27:48.539 following up three days, seven days, 10 days, 00:27:48.660 --> 00:27:51.539 14 days, 21 days, whatever. You have to have 00:27:51.539 --> 00:27:54.059 a follow up program. That is consistently in 00:27:54.059 --> 00:27:55.779 front of people so they can remember how you 00:27:55.779 --> 00:27:58.259 guys connected and remember how important the 00:27:58.259 --> 00:28:00.640 services that you offer are to their lifestyle 00:28:00.640 --> 00:28:04.839 and their well -being. Absolutely. And you have 00:28:04.839 --> 00:28:07.420 to realize that you're going in as a problem 00:28:07.420 --> 00:28:11.880 solver because they have to have a problem in 00:28:11.880 --> 00:28:15.119 order to utilize your services, whether they 00:28:15.119 --> 00:28:18.160 don't have life insurance or whether they're 00:28:18.160 --> 00:28:21.589 out of shape or whatever the case may be. You're 00:28:21.589 --> 00:28:24.069 the problem solver. So you're not going to go 00:28:24.069 --> 00:28:27.410 in there and start selling, but you have to have 00:28:27.410 --> 00:28:30.730 a certain selling cycle, if that means anything, 00:28:30.910 --> 00:28:35.309 right? So there's several books called The Art 00:28:35.309 --> 00:28:38.410 of the Close. You have to learn how to close 00:28:38.410 --> 00:28:43.029 the sale, close the deal. Now, you first are 00:28:43.029 --> 00:28:47.549 going to give value to the other person because 00:28:47.549 --> 00:28:50.720 you need to build up. That trust factor. They 00:28:50.720 --> 00:28:53.640 have to trust you. Before you can close any deal, 00:28:53.880 --> 00:28:57.759 they have to trust you. So you have to add value, 00:28:57.819 --> 00:29:01.059 give value, and you have to build that up. But 00:29:01.059 --> 00:29:04.099 then you have to come up with that very sensitive 00:29:04.099 --> 00:29:08.740 time of urgency to close or just letting them 00:29:08.740 --> 00:29:15.160 go. It's a very fine line. It is. You tightrope 00:29:15.160 --> 00:29:20.779 walk. every time you deal with somebody. But 00:29:20.779 --> 00:29:23.700 you have to see. No, I'm sorry to cut you off. 00:29:23.779 --> 00:29:26.160 Go ahead. I'm sorry. I was just saying, you have 00:29:26.160 --> 00:29:28.880 to see the difference. Yeah, I think the rapport 00:29:28.880 --> 00:29:32.079 part of it helps you, makes that tightrope a 00:29:32.079 --> 00:29:34.829 little bit thicker for you. If I can build that 00:29:34.829 --> 00:29:36.549 rapport and we can have a good conversation, 00:29:36.809 --> 00:29:39.069 we can go back and forth or we can have some 00:29:39.069 --> 00:29:41.930 banter and it's not so professionally strict. 00:29:42.109 --> 00:29:44.009 Just that rapport between me and you just feels 00:29:44.009 --> 00:29:46.109 like light. That's why I say being authentic, 00:29:46.349 --> 00:29:48.509 being genuine is important, right? If you come 00:29:48.509 --> 00:29:52.589 in there strategic all the time, I'm not knocking 00:29:52.589 --> 00:29:53.990 anybody that comes in there strategic. You got 00:29:53.990 --> 00:29:55.630 to have a certain type of plan. You want to attack, 00:29:55.710 --> 00:29:58.069 hey, I want to shake. five hands. I want to get 00:29:58.069 --> 00:29:59.930 10 business cards, so on and so forth. I get 00:29:59.930 --> 00:30:02.789 that part. But if you could build genuine rapport 00:30:02.789 --> 00:30:05.730 with somebody and it feels like that wiggle room 00:30:05.730 --> 00:30:09.509 to press somebody to come to that meeting, whatever 00:30:09.509 --> 00:30:11.609 your service is going to be a little bit wider 00:30:11.609 --> 00:30:13.769 than it is if you're trying to be so strict and 00:30:13.769 --> 00:30:15.609 then you don't want to rub somebody the wrong 00:30:15.609 --> 00:30:18.150 way when you're trying to be pushing them to 00:30:18.150 --> 00:30:20.170 come to the situation. You see what I'm saying? 00:30:20.990 --> 00:30:24.910 Absolutely. And that's why you never talk business. 00:30:25.680 --> 00:30:28.359 First out of the gate. You never talk business. 00:30:28.519 --> 00:30:31.839 And I use something called F -O -R -M, family, 00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:35.980 occupation, recreation, and message. Because 00:30:35.980 --> 00:30:38.460 I'll pick any one of the above, right? Have them 00:30:38.460 --> 00:30:40.380 talk about their family, their son, daughter, 00:30:40.579 --> 00:30:43.220 sister, brother, mother, father, whatever. And 00:30:43.220 --> 00:30:45.779 I'll start talking to them about that. The recreation, 00:30:46.119 --> 00:30:49.140 if they have children in youth sports, I told 00:30:49.140 --> 00:30:52.259 you before, I've been a baseball coach for 16 00:30:52.259 --> 00:30:55.690 years. I was an umpire for three years. I can 00:30:55.690 --> 00:30:58.589 talk to them about any sport, baseball, football, 00:30:58.990 --> 00:31:02.210 basketball, not soccer because I don't consider 00:31:02.210 --> 00:31:06.109 that a sport. Even still. You better be careful. 00:31:06.289 --> 00:31:08.589 You're going to be in Atlanta when the World 00:31:08.589 --> 00:31:10.450 Cup comes, so you better be careful. I know, 00:31:10.609 --> 00:31:13.529 I know. I'll bite my tongue. But I can talk to 00:31:13.529 --> 00:31:16.269 them on just about any one of those levels. So 00:31:16.269 --> 00:31:20.230 I listen for them to speak just slightly on one 00:31:20.230 --> 00:31:23.099 of those levels, and then I stay with it. So 00:31:23.099 --> 00:31:25.140 the first 10 minutes, we talked about everything 00:31:25.140 --> 00:31:29.180 but business. And that's the way you started 00:31:29.180 --> 00:31:35.339 out. Okay, so we've all had a networking moment 00:31:35.339 --> 00:31:39.920 that flopped. Can you share one of yours and 00:31:39.920 --> 00:31:43.819 what it taught you about building authentic connections? 00:31:46.829 --> 00:31:49.109 now flopped in what way when i'm walking in the 00:31:49.109 --> 00:31:50.750 room i'm having conversations with people or 00:31:50.750 --> 00:31:52.869 flop like it dropped the ball on the follow -up 00:31:52.869 --> 00:31:57.329 side more so that okay because listen you're 00:31:57.329 --> 00:31:59.569 not perfect i don't want to be the one to tell 00:31:59.569 --> 00:32:02.890 you but you're not perfect you had to have one 00:32:02.890 --> 00:32:06.269 time where oh you know what i should have followed 00:32:06.269 --> 00:32:09.250 up with this guy i didn't or i shouldn't have 00:32:09.250 --> 00:32:14.289 said that to this guy i did what's one time that 00:32:14.289 --> 00:32:17.259 happened follow -up game is crazy The follow 00:32:17.259 --> 00:32:20.140 -up game is crazy. Literally, you think I'm playing 00:32:20.140 --> 00:32:21.880 around. I wish I could twist this camera around. 00:32:22.140 --> 00:32:28.640 One stack, right? Two stacks, right? Let me show 00:32:28.640 --> 00:32:34.099 you. Three stacks. This is all from, and I got 00:32:34.099 --> 00:32:36.500 four more stacks like that right here. I'm not 00:32:36.500 --> 00:32:39.339 going to waste somebody's time, right? But this 00:32:39.339 --> 00:32:42.119 is from the four months of being on tour networking. 00:32:43.339 --> 00:32:45.500 Do you think I followed up with everybody there? 00:32:45.980 --> 00:32:50.180 I did not. I did not. Did you put them on the 00:32:50.180 --> 00:32:52.940 other side of your computer? That's funny. That's 00:32:52.940 --> 00:32:57.180 funny. That's funny. So, if people don't... People 00:32:57.180 --> 00:32:58.700 that are going to watch this, me and Mike had 00:32:58.700 --> 00:33:01.099 a conversation and I told him about the business 00:33:01.099 --> 00:33:03.759 cards on my desk. So, I told him when I get home 00:33:03.759 --> 00:33:07.039 at the end of the day, I make sure I follow up 00:33:07.039 --> 00:33:08.500 with him and then I move him to the other side 00:33:08.500 --> 00:33:10.380 of the computer to know that these are people 00:33:10.380 --> 00:33:13.990 that I followed up with. Just as... something 00:33:13.990 --> 00:33:16.170 to keep the fire up under me, right? If I'm sitting 00:33:16.170 --> 00:33:18.950 down, I'm relaxing. I got 30 minutes. I say, 00:33:18.990 --> 00:33:20.369 you know what? There's some cards on this right 00:33:20.369 --> 00:33:21.630 side of this computer. Let's go over there and 00:33:21.630 --> 00:33:23.690 at least shoot two, three emails over there and 00:33:23.690 --> 00:33:25.650 then put it on the side. That's what he was talking 00:33:25.650 --> 00:33:27.910 about. But yeah, dropping the ball on some follow 00:33:27.910 --> 00:33:31.450 -ups, dropping the ball on when I had a genuine 00:33:31.450 --> 00:33:34.349 connection. And in that conversation, I'm like, 00:33:34.410 --> 00:33:36.960 you know what? This popped off, this popped off. 00:33:37.019 --> 00:33:39.819 Hey, I know Jody. Hey, I know Kyle that can help 00:33:39.819 --> 00:33:42.059 you with what you're doing. Let me connect you 00:33:42.059 --> 00:33:44.200 guys. I might have dropped the ball and not did 00:33:44.200 --> 00:33:45.819 it right when I said I was going to do it, or 00:33:45.819 --> 00:33:48.160 I might did it a month later. That has happened 00:33:48.160 --> 00:33:50.799 because my mind gets so busy. So I definitely 00:33:50.799 --> 00:33:54.740 have done that before. But I think that when 00:33:54.740 --> 00:33:57.380 you do send that referral, when you do make that 00:33:57.380 --> 00:33:59.980 connection, it feels good, number one, because 00:33:59.980 --> 00:34:02.599 you did what you said you was going to do. Whether 00:34:02.599 --> 00:34:05.759 the referral works out or not, You did what you 00:34:05.759 --> 00:34:07.460 say you're going to do. And I think people appreciate 00:34:07.460 --> 00:34:09.280 that because when you do speak to them and they 00:34:09.280 --> 00:34:11.519 don't know you from a can of paint, when you 00:34:11.519 --> 00:34:13.159 do speak to them, they know, okay, at least Marvin's 00:34:13.159 --> 00:34:14.579 going to do what he say he's going to do. And 00:34:14.579 --> 00:34:16.920 I'd rather have that stick with me overall than 00:34:16.920 --> 00:34:18.719 really getting a service. I want people to feel 00:34:18.719 --> 00:34:22.440 that way about me. But yeah, I mean, that's probably 00:34:22.440 --> 00:34:25.960 one of the biggest way I may be consistently 00:34:25.960 --> 00:34:27.860 dropping the ball, but I can always do better. 00:34:27.900 --> 00:34:29.500 And I know that's an area of improvement for 00:34:29.500 --> 00:34:33.050 myself. You're only as good as your work. Right. 00:34:33.110 --> 00:34:35.190 That's it. In this, my mother used to always 00:34:35.190 --> 00:34:39.010 say, you can take anything away from me, but 00:34:39.010 --> 00:34:41.610 you can't take me. You can't take my word. If 00:34:41.610 --> 00:34:45.550 I say something, I have to do it. And people 00:34:45.550 --> 00:34:48.230 remember if you don't do it, listen, you can 00:34:48.230 --> 00:34:50.630 do it a hundred times. You can do what you say 00:34:50.630 --> 00:34:54.289 you do, but the one time you don't do it, that's 00:34:54.289 --> 00:34:56.750 the time that they're going to remember. Yeah. 00:34:57.389 --> 00:35:00.510 So you have to come through and you have to do 00:35:00.510 --> 00:35:04.610 what you say. Now, when I had networking groups 00:35:04.610 --> 00:35:09.210 and people had referrals back and forth, they 00:35:09.210 --> 00:35:12.329 said, oh, when do you follow up? I follow up 00:35:12.329 --> 00:35:15.710 within 24 hours and I'm really good about it. 00:35:15.769 --> 00:35:18.510 And I said, that's good. Now change that to four, 00:35:18.670 --> 00:35:23.510 right? Follow up within four hours because if 00:35:23.510 --> 00:35:26.340 you leave it to the next day, And you'll forget 00:35:26.340 --> 00:35:29.699 about it. Something else will come up. An emergency 00:35:29.699 --> 00:35:33.239 will happen. And you won't do it. So follow it 00:35:33.239 --> 00:35:36.199 up before you go to sleep. Yeah. That's tough, 00:35:36.380 --> 00:35:38.579 too. That's tough. That is tough. And if that 00:35:38.579 --> 00:35:42.579 was a big criteria, I'd definitely drop the ball 00:35:42.579 --> 00:35:45.099 on that. You're working all day. You get home 00:35:45.099 --> 00:35:47.659 from the networking event. The networking event 00:35:47.659 --> 00:35:50.119 ended at 7 .30, 8 o 'clock. You end up talking 00:35:50.119 --> 00:35:53.039 to somebody until 9, 9 .30. You get home at 10 00:35:53.039 --> 00:35:55.099 o 'clock. You still got to eat. And then you 00:35:55.099 --> 00:35:56.960 send an email at one o 'clock, you're like, ah, 00:35:57.239 --> 00:35:59.739 I want to go to sleep now. So sometimes you do 00:35:59.739 --> 00:36:02.820 want to carry that energy from the conversation 00:36:02.820 --> 00:36:04.900 and follow up right away. But then sometimes 00:36:04.900 --> 00:36:06.840 you do drop the ball and you don't get into it 00:36:06.840 --> 00:36:09.019 until two or three days later. So it's important 00:36:09.019 --> 00:36:12.480 to have different systems in play. But also don't 00:36:12.480 --> 00:36:14.239 let that, for people that's watching, don't let 00:36:14.239 --> 00:36:16.500 that deter you from being adamant about starting 00:36:16.500 --> 00:36:19.179 the process. Lean into it, start the process, 00:36:19.360 --> 00:36:21.300 go to networking events, get the cards, build 00:36:21.300 --> 00:36:23.710 the relationships. Start following up. You drop 00:36:23.710 --> 00:36:25.570 the ball, okay. At least you know where you got 00:36:25.570 --> 00:36:28.070 to get better at as you're growing in this networking 00:36:28.070 --> 00:36:30.730 process. And that's the biggest thing about it. 00:36:30.769 --> 00:36:32.909 That's the smartest thing about it. Absolutely. 00:36:33.150 --> 00:36:36.110 Absolutely. Okay. Let's go a little bit more 00:36:36.110 --> 00:36:40.170 into the networking and ROI. For someone listening 00:36:40.170 --> 00:36:43.949 who wants proof that networking drives profits, 00:36:44.269 --> 00:36:48.130 what's an example of a deal, partnership, or 00:36:48.130 --> 00:36:51.369 opportunity that came directly from your network? 00:36:54.219 --> 00:36:57.639 I mean, from the fitness business, the referrals 00:36:57.639 --> 00:37:02.139 for sure. I mean, the first person I had, I was 00:37:02.139 --> 00:37:05.340 still, I met that person in LA Fitness and it 00:37:05.340 --> 00:37:08.880 was just a casual conversation. I saw that she 00:37:08.880 --> 00:37:12.300 was, I was actually my turn during my lunch break 00:37:12.300 --> 00:37:17.380 to work out. And I've seen her a couple of times, 00:37:17.400 --> 00:37:19.980 but we never spoke. I was on the mat. I was stretching. 00:37:20.099 --> 00:37:22.460 I was doing some engagement stuff and some stretching 00:37:22.460 --> 00:37:25.300 stuff. And she looked at me, she said, what's 00:37:25.300 --> 00:37:26.559 that? What are you doing? I've never seen that 00:37:26.559 --> 00:37:29.219 before. So we had a conversation. I showed her 00:37:29.219 --> 00:37:32.460 some pointers. And I seen like her eyes just 00:37:32.460 --> 00:37:37.239 pop open, right? And then she couldn't let me 00:37:37.239 --> 00:37:38.840 out of sight. Every time I come in there, she'll 00:37:38.840 --> 00:37:41.199 talk to me. She said, oh, how'd you learn this? 00:37:41.340 --> 00:37:43.099 And I told her I run a business. I do this and 00:37:43.099 --> 00:37:45.820 that, blah, blah, blah. And she was like, can 00:37:45.820 --> 00:37:48.440 you train me? And at that point in time, I didn't 00:37:48.440 --> 00:37:50.480 want to be a conflict of interest with the company. 00:37:50.809 --> 00:37:53.510 Right? Sure. I said, no, I can't do that. I told 00:37:53.510 --> 00:37:57.110 her why. And she was upset. And then she asked 00:37:57.110 --> 00:37:58.989 me again, like a week later. Then she asked me 00:37:58.989 --> 00:38:02.550 again a month later. And I told her no three 00:38:02.550 --> 00:38:05.929 times. So something rang off in my head, like 00:38:05.929 --> 00:38:08.289 in cells. I'm going to push for three no's. Once 00:38:08.289 --> 00:38:09.929 I get three no's, I'm going to ease out. I'm 00:38:09.929 --> 00:38:11.900 going to just. reconvene another time. I don't 00:38:11.900 --> 00:38:13.820 want to turn you off to me as a person. And I 00:38:13.820 --> 00:38:14.880 don't want you to feel like you're forced to 00:38:14.880 --> 00:38:16.900 do anything. So when I told her no three times, 00:38:16.980 --> 00:38:18.500 I'm like, this woman's pretty adamant. I say, 00:38:18.559 --> 00:38:19.960 if she asks me again, I'm going to figure out 00:38:19.960 --> 00:38:22.420 a way how to help her. If she asks me again, 00:38:22.579 --> 00:38:24.039 I'm not going to say anything, but if she asks 00:38:24.039 --> 00:38:25.300 me again, I'm going to figure out a way to help 00:38:25.300 --> 00:38:29.519 her. A month goes by, she asks me again. She 00:38:29.519 --> 00:38:31.559 comes sit down at my desk at the place. Hey, 00:38:31.659 --> 00:38:34.039 and I was already thinking about leaving and 00:38:34.039 --> 00:38:36.659 going and doing my own thing. I said, you know 00:38:36.659 --> 00:38:39.190 what? Meet me here at this park at this time, 00:38:39.210 --> 00:38:41.909 this day. I'll help you. All right. We started 00:38:41.909 --> 00:38:44.590 doing that. And that person, I just had her as 00:38:44.590 --> 00:38:47.010 a client yesterday. That was two years ago, two 00:38:47.010 --> 00:38:49.289 and a half years ago. That was a real life example 00:38:49.289 --> 00:38:53.030 of going deep with one person, giving them what 00:38:53.030 --> 00:38:57.889 they need. And she opened up her network. And 00:38:57.889 --> 00:38:59.889 little did I know, I didn't know who she was. 00:39:00.030 --> 00:39:01.590 I didn't know what she did. I didn't know what 00:39:01.590 --> 00:39:05.530 her background was. This woman is a very, she's 00:39:05.530 --> 00:39:09.010 a pillar in her community. People really confide 00:39:09.010 --> 00:39:11.469 in her. They ask her for advice. They ask her 00:39:11.469 --> 00:39:14.329 for references. So when she opened up her network 00:39:14.329 --> 00:39:16.789 to me, that's what really gave my business the 00:39:16.789 --> 00:39:20.210 opportunity to thrive because it was all of her 00:39:20.210 --> 00:39:23.889 clients for the first 10 months. And that was 00:39:23.889 --> 00:39:25.769 a real life example of how Booker Fitness and 00:39:25.769 --> 00:39:28.429 Performance got up and running the way it did. 00:39:28.510 --> 00:39:30.989 That says a lot for you. That's an adamant to 00:39:30.989 --> 00:39:34.610 you because to have somebody to stick with you. 00:39:35.099 --> 00:39:38.119 that long, especially your first client. That 00:39:38.119 --> 00:39:41.400 says so much about the way that you run your 00:39:41.400 --> 00:39:44.500 business, right? So that's kudos for you. That's 00:39:44.500 --> 00:39:46.659 my family from now. That's my family. Outside 00:39:46.659 --> 00:39:48.400 of her referring business, we just have that 00:39:48.400 --> 00:39:51.219 connection where we go out to lunch, we talk, 00:39:51.320 --> 00:39:53.059 she invites me to places, I invite her to places. 00:39:53.119 --> 00:39:54.940 That's like my family at this point. I have a 00:39:54.940 --> 00:39:57.440 lot of respect for her. So I appreciate that. 00:39:57.920 --> 00:40:02.369 Good, good. How important has personal branding 00:40:02.369 --> 00:40:06.710 been in your networking success? And what advice 00:40:06.710 --> 00:40:09.329 would you give listeners who don't feel confident 00:40:09.329 --> 00:40:15.809 about how they show up? I'll answer the back 00:40:15.809 --> 00:40:20.329 half first. I was always taught that your brand 00:40:20.329 --> 00:40:22.889 is what people say about you when you leave the 00:40:22.889 --> 00:40:28.280 room. That's what I was taught. From a... If 00:40:28.280 --> 00:40:29.960 we're not even talking about religion, let's 00:40:29.960 --> 00:40:31.719 just talk about from a spiritual standpoint. 00:40:31.860 --> 00:40:34.539 If you believe in a higher power and you have 00:40:34.539 --> 00:40:37.840 a talent ability that has led you to get a certain 00:40:37.840 --> 00:40:40.219 role at a job, right? Led you to be a certain 00:40:40.219 --> 00:40:42.559 type of person running your business, whatever 00:40:42.559 --> 00:40:46.320 role that you play. You have to walk into a room 00:40:46.320 --> 00:40:49.760 knowing that you are already one. Knowing that 00:40:49.760 --> 00:40:53.260 you are the subject matter expert. Knowing that 00:40:53.260 --> 00:40:57.110 you are... uh the leader of your own life and 00:40:57.110 --> 00:41:00.170 that people should it might be a sound like a 00:41:00.170 --> 00:41:02.110 little bit inner arrogance but people should 00:41:02.110 --> 00:41:04.809 appreciate the fact that you're in the room and 00:41:04.809 --> 00:41:06.530 that you're even talking to them about what you 00:41:06.530 --> 00:41:09.449 do because you can benefit from it now that's 00:41:09.449 --> 00:41:11.429 not something that you hey you should talk to 00:41:11.429 --> 00:41:13.570 me because you could benefit i'm not gonna but 00:41:13.570 --> 00:41:16.369 there's a mint as a mindset behind things right 00:41:16.369 --> 00:41:18.369 there's an inner understanding about yourself 00:41:18.369 --> 00:41:20.829 that you have to carry it's not for everybody 00:41:20.829 --> 00:41:23.940 to know but they should feel it from you Okay. 00:41:23.940 --> 00:41:29.320 So going on that thought, okay, when you walk 00:41:29.320 --> 00:41:33.360 into a room, how should you be dressed? Because 00:41:33.360 --> 00:41:36.099 that's a big part of how people perceive you. 00:41:37.440 --> 00:41:39.880 That's a good question. And I can't say that 00:41:39.880 --> 00:41:41.360 you should be suit and tie. Everybody should 00:41:41.360 --> 00:41:43.219 be suit and tie, right? I can't say. Absolutely 00:41:43.219 --> 00:41:49.179 not. You should wash your face, number one. don't 00:41:49.179 --> 00:41:51.639 come in there with no sleep in your eye and white 00:41:51.639 --> 00:41:53.900 in the corner of your mouth wipe your face clean 00:41:53.900 --> 00:41:55.659 your face be presentable like your mother sent 00:41:55.659 --> 00:41:58.579 you out the house smell good make eye contact 00:41:58.579 --> 00:42:00.699 with people when you talk to them and you shake 00:42:00.699 --> 00:42:04.039 their hand and just be presentable right that's 00:42:04.039 --> 00:42:06.179 a part of being genuine and authentic if you 00:42:06.179 --> 00:42:09.570 like to wear whatever you like to wear and it's 00:42:09.570 --> 00:42:12.170 flashy, it's expressive, go ahead and do that 00:42:12.170 --> 00:42:13.690 because people need to see that and feel that. 00:42:13.829 --> 00:42:16.250 If you're just a guy who'd like to wear, you 00:42:16.250 --> 00:42:19.429 got five jeans in your closet and you got five 00:42:19.429 --> 00:42:22.190 shirts in your drawer, that's fine. Come presentable. 00:42:22.329 --> 00:42:24.869 As long as you come presentable and you're representing 00:42:24.869 --> 00:42:28.469 yourself how you want people to remember you, 00:42:28.610 --> 00:42:31.090 it's all good. Like I said, your brand is what 00:42:31.090 --> 00:42:32.869 people say about you when you leave the room. 00:42:32.969 --> 00:42:35.269 So if you're making them feel good, if you're 00:42:35.269 --> 00:42:38.130 leaving them with a scent that you have, If you're 00:42:38.130 --> 00:42:39.510 leaving them with a certain type of impression 00:42:39.510 --> 00:42:42.269 from the conversation or just them observing 00:42:42.269 --> 00:42:44.750 you, your demeanor, all these things matter because 00:42:44.750 --> 00:42:47.190 when you consistently show up or they see your 00:42:47.190 --> 00:42:50.869 social presence that you build online, you need 00:42:50.869 --> 00:42:53.550 it to add up and match. It needs to be an extension 00:42:53.550 --> 00:42:56.710 of you. So going back to the first part, social 00:42:56.710 --> 00:42:59.630 branding is important. I used to hate posting 00:42:59.630 --> 00:43:02.110 when I first started doing it. But then I looked 00:43:02.110 --> 00:43:05.429 at it like, I'm not posting for people. I'm literally 00:43:05.429 --> 00:43:08.429 going on the Instagram. I'm connecting my LinkedIn, 00:43:08.429 --> 00:43:11.590 my Facebook, and I'm posting to keep a digital 00:43:11.590 --> 00:43:14.030 footprint of the things that I'm telling people 00:43:14.030 --> 00:43:18.170 in person. And that mindset got me just posting. 00:43:18.190 --> 00:43:19.570 People are like, yeah, you're posting all day. 00:43:19.630 --> 00:43:21.949 I see you all the time. Yeah, that's good. Thank 00:43:21.949 --> 00:43:23.530 you. I'm on the top of your mind. So next time 00:43:23.530 --> 00:43:24.750 you're looking for insurance or you're looking 00:43:24.750 --> 00:43:27.250 for a fitness performance consultant, you know 00:43:27.250 --> 00:43:28.650 exactly who to call because I'm on the top of 00:43:28.650 --> 00:43:31.630 your mind. That's what I want to do. I always 00:43:31.630 --> 00:43:34.900 profess. Whenever I go into a networking event 00:43:34.900 --> 00:43:37.239 or networking or meeting somebody one -on -one, 00:43:37.360 --> 00:43:41.679 I always dress one level up from where they are, 00:43:41.820 --> 00:43:45.440 okay? So if they're a construction company and 00:43:45.440 --> 00:43:49.599 they're jeans and a shirt, I wear a pair of slacks 00:43:49.599 --> 00:43:53.500 and a shirt, right? If they are one up, they 00:43:53.500 --> 00:43:57.000 dress jeans, but they wear a sports coat, I will 00:43:57.000 --> 00:44:02.949 dress business casual, slacks, shirt, coat. I 00:44:02.949 --> 00:44:06.590 might even put a tie on if I go up one level. 00:44:06.690 --> 00:44:08.510 If you know you're going to go meet somebody 00:44:08.510 --> 00:44:11.030 else, you're going to put that tie on. If you're 00:44:11.030 --> 00:44:14.789 just going to stay, it's always one step up and 00:44:14.789 --> 00:44:17.190 not so much that you're putting in their face, 00:44:17.369 --> 00:44:21.469 but you look clean and you look well adjusted 00:44:21.469 --> 00:44:24.210 and everything, because all of that goes into 00:44:24.210 --> 00:44:27.070 it, goes into the first time that somebody sees 00:44:27.070 --> 00:44:31.309 you. It's so hard to take that picture out of 00:44:31.309 --> 00:44:34.019 their minds. That's a good point. I never heard 00:44:34.019 --> 00:44:36.239 that one -up concept. That's the first time. 00:44:36.239 --> 00:44:39.000 I've always heard dress for the occasion or dress 00:44:39.000 --> 00:44:41.679 for the conversation. Those two things, but I 00:44:41.679 --> 00:44:43.519 never heard the one -up concept. That's interesting. 00:44:43.920 --> 00:44:47.380 Always one -up because you'll never be underdressed. 00:44:49.179 --> 00:44:52.460 It's a habit that I've gotten into, but after 00:44:52.460 --> 00:44:55.960 I do a workshop, if I go into a company, I'm 00:44:55.960 --> 00:44:59.289 always going to go see. one of the C -suite executives. 00:44:59.809 --> 00:45:02.469 I'm always going to go see an executive and I 00:45:02.469 --> 00:45:04.170 want to make sure that I'm dressed the part. 00:45:05.489 --> 00:45:09.889 So that's what I do. Okay. Did I answer that 00:45:09.889 --> 00:45:14.510 question fully? Yes, you did. Yes, you did. Okay. 00:45:14.670 --> 00:45:19.289 Life insurance is all about long -term trust. 00:45:20.090 --> 00:45:22.929 What have you learned about maintaining and nurturing 00:45:22.929 --> 00:45:27.420 professional relationships over time? not just 00:45:27.420 --> 00:45:37.139 in the first meeting. Don't rush. Okay. Very 00:45:37.139 --> 00:45:39.960 important, especially down south. Don't rush. 00:45:40.219 --> 00:45:42.380 And I'm an up north guy. I had to get used to 00:45:42.380 --> 00:45:45.360 that. So am I. He had to tell me to slow down. 00:45:45.460 --> 00:45:48.960 Like, you're talking too fast. Yeah. I'm talking 00:45:48.960 --> 00:45:53.739 normal. It's very interesting because on the 00:45:53.739 --> 00:45:55.679 sidebar, God knew when to put me in Atlanta. 00:45:56.339 --> 00:46:00.800 Right. Because the way I was moving fast and 00:46:00.800 --> 00:46:03.380 was natural, that was a natural pace of things. 00:46:03.500 --> 00:46:05.440 If we're going to get something done. Yeah, let's 00:46:05.440 --> 00:46:07.760 get it done. We don't need. But then you had 00:46:07.760 --> 00:46:09.219 to learn the culture. Yeah, we said we're going 00:46:09.219 --> 00:46:11.039 to get that. Oh, let's have dinner. Let's have 00:46:11.039 --> 00:46:12.960 a coffee. Let's meet my family before we get 00:46:12.960 --> 00:46:16.320 it done. This is a different culture, a different 00:46:16.320 --> 00:46:20.679 pace to building business and building that relationship 00:46:20.679 --> 00:46:23.019 with professional relationships. So I think, 00:46:23.039 --> 00:46:25.480 yeah, don't rush. Have that silent confidence 00:46:25.480 --> 00:46:28.659 about yourself that whatever you guys talked 00:46:28.659 --> 00:46:32.059 about in those initial two conversations or whatever 00:46:32.059 --> 00:46:36.599 you brainstormed about where you see some collaboration, 00:46:37.000 --> 00:46:39.619 have the confidence, even if it's a month later, 00:46:39.739 --> 00:46:43.460 that it's still going to go through. I'm still 00:46:43.460 --> 00:46:45.980 able to offer this service and that person is 00:46:45.980 --> 00:46:48.059 still able to offer this service. Sometimes in 00:46:48.059 --> 00:46:51.159 those gaps of communication when I'm super busy 00:46:51.159 --> 00:46:53.610 and that other person is super busy, We might 00:46:53.610 --> 00:46:56.110 have doubt creeping. We might have worry creeping. 00:46:56.269 --> 00:47:00.590 And that frequency alone can shake up certain 00:47:00.590 --> 00:47:02.349 relationships with people, right? Because now 00:47:02.349 --> 00:47:04.650 you get back in the conversation thinking that 00:47:04.650 --> 00:47:06.510 the person didn't even want to talk to you when 00:47:06.510 --> 00:47:08.250 that person is basically just as busy as you. 00:47:08.630 --> 00:47:11.110 So I think building that rapport every now and 00:47:11.110 --> 00:47:13.010 then, hey, let's go get a coffee and connect. 00:47:13.769 --> 00:47:15.949 That's what I do. I do a coffee and connect with 00:47:15.949 --> 00:47:17.349 people. If I think that we're having a great 00:47:17.349 --> 00:47:20.380 conversation and that... networking meeting and 00:47:20.380 --> 00:47:22.019 there's some professional relationship that we 00:47:22.019 --> 00:47:24.780 can build for and the conversation is really 00:47:24.780 --> 00:47:27.840 going, I still want to network in the room and 00:47:27.840 --> 00:47:29.239 I still want you to network in the room. But 00:47:29.239 --> 00:47:30.760 let's make sure we put something on the calendar 00:47:30.760 --> 00:47:33.400 right now before we break this conversation. 00:47:33.920 --> 00:47:35.920 Let's do a coffee and connect because I'm really 00:47:35.920 --> 00:47:38.639 into what we're talking about and I want to continue 00:47:38.639 --> 00:47:40.699 to grow that relationship and just take it as 00:47:40.699 --> 00:47:42.760 one step at a time. So when I do that coffee 00:47:42.760 --> 00:47:45.340 and connect, whether it's a week out, then we 00:47:45.340 --> 00:47:47.920 can be lighter about talking about things. And 00:47:47.920 --> 00:47:49.739 then potentially go into the next setup. Hey, 00:47:49.820 --> 00:47:52.920 let's go do dinner or this event happened or 00:47:52.920 --> 00:47:55.219 my friend is doing this. Why don't you come out? 00:47:55.300 --> 00:47:57.380 And that's how you build the rapport until something 00:47:57.380 --> 00:48:00.380 takes off. So I just think don't rush. Be yourself. 00:48:00.960 --> 00:48:04.559 Have some great conversations and know the reason 00:48:04.559 --> 00:48:07.019 why you guys are connecting and talking until 00:48:07.019 --> 00:48:10.280 other reasons and other rapport points come about 00:48:10.280 --> 00:48:12.000 where you continue to build that relationship. 00:48:12.980 --> 00:48:15.340 Absolutely. Absolutely. And all that goes back 00:48:15.340 --> 00:48:18.179 into the know and trust. It goes back to you 00:48:18.179 --> 00:48:21.159 being authentic. It goes back. That resonates. 00:48:21.260 --> 00:48:24.840 That brings everything together as one thing 00:48:24.840 --> 00:48:27.539 until, of course, that leads you up to what? 00:48:27.679 --> 00:48:29.960 All your follow up. Right. So you have to have 00:48:29.960 --> 00:48:32.480 that follow up sequence. All right. Let's bring 00:48:32.480 --> 00:48:36.360 this podcast full circle. Okay. If you could 00:48:36.360 --> 00:48:40.219 give one networking tip today that would make 00:48:40.219 --> 00:48:42.690 the biggest difference. For someone listening, 00:48:42.949 --> 00:48:46.510 whether they're in sales, fitness, or insurance, 00:48:47.010 --> 00:48:54.690 what would it be? If I can give one big networking 00:48:54.690 --> 00:49:00.789 tip to someone who is in sales, fitness, or insurance, 00:49:00.969 --> 00:49:05.889 what would it be? To my fellow trainers, you 00:49:05.889 --> 00:49:13.460 are professionals. The mindset behind training, 00:49:13.619 --> 00:49:16.619 right? You're getting your aggression out. You're 00:49:16.619 --> 00:49:19.519 getting your energy out. You're building your 00:49:19.519 --> 00:49:26.760 body. I think that sometimes as a trainer, I've 00:49:26.760 --> 00:49:29.059 seen in other trainers that they just stick to 00:49:29.059 --> 00:49:34.780 that concept of being in the gym, always in their 00:49:34.780 --> 00:49:37.380 workout clothes, always just train those people, 00:49:37.539 --> 00:49:39.800 working them. working the leads that are in the 00:49:39.800 --> 00:49:43.159 gym, so on and so forth. But you are a very important 00:49:43.159 --> 00:49:46.880 and integral part of this world as a fitness 00:49:46.880 --> 00:49:51.579 professional. It's okay to work in the gym, have 00:49:51.579 --> 00:49:53.679 your gear on, you're doing your workout, you're 00:49:53.679 --> 00:49:56.320 changing to your trainer clothes, and then go 00:49:56.320 --> 00:49:59.079 put on some slacks, a blouse, if you're a woman, 00:49:59.139 --> 00:50:01.179 whatever the case may be, and go to a networking 00:50:01.179 --> 00:50:04.179 event and pitch your services to people or talk 00:50:04.179 --> 00:50:06.519 to people about what you do. I don't really see 00:50:06.519 --> 00:50:08.420 too many fitness professionals in the networking 00:50:08.420 --> 00:50:10.139 space. I think I might have been the only one 00:50:10.139 --> 00:50:12.940 that is doing that. So I think I've taken my 00:50:12.940 --> 00:50:16.940 experience from sales, insurance, that business 00:50:16.940 --> 00:50:20.000 acumen and have applied it to my services as 00:50:20.000 --> 00:50:22.840 fitness. And that kind of sets me apart from 00:50:22.840 --> 00:50:26.900 other trainers that do what they do. I think 00:50:26.900 --> 00:50:29.500 that's a big part. So if I can give advice to 00:50:29.500 --> 00:50:32.159 the fitness professionals in the world, don't 00:50:32.159 --> 00:50:35.579 be scared to step out your everyday box. And 00:50:35.579 --> 00:50:39.139 present yourself as a business to get those clients 00:50:39.139 --> 00:50:41.980 that you want or just to be comfortable talking 00:50:41.980 --> 00:50:44.820 about how you help people and let God work for 00:50:44.820 --> 00:50:46.659 you. Let God bring those people into your presence 00:50:46.659 --> 00:50:48.840 because everybody needs some type of level of 00:50:48.840 --> 00:50:51.139 fitness instruction in their life. So I would 00:50:51.139 --> 00:50:55.179 say that. Absolutely. And you're a fitness professional. 00:50:55.679 --> 00:50:59.039 So remember that. But remember, you're a business 00:50:59.039 --> 00:51:04.150 person who. does fitness. You're not a fitness 00:51:04.150 --> 00:51:07.230 person that does business. You're a business 00:51:07.230 --> 00:51:09.750 person that does fitness. And there's a stark 00:51:09.750 --> 00:51:13.650 difference between the two. So if you treat this 00:51:13.650 --> 00:51:17.369 like a business, you'll go far, you'll expand, 00:51:17.610 --> 00:51:20.309 you'll get more people. But if you're just a 00:51:20.309 --> 00:51:23.289 fitness person doing business, then you're just 00:51:23.289 --> 00:51:25.210 going to onesie twosie and that's not what you're 00:51:25.210 --> 00:51:28.449 after. Right. So you're after bigger and better 00:51:28.449 --> 00:51:31.230 things. Marvin, I got to tell you, this was great. 00:51:31.550 --> 00:51:34.889 I could talk to you for another hour. That hour 00:51:34.889 --> 00:51:37.650 went by fast, man. Yeah, it really did. It really 00:51:37.650 --> 00:51:40.829 did. If somebody wants to get hold of you either 00:51:40.829 --> 00:51:43.849 for insurance or for fitness, I would recommend 00:51:43.849 --> 00:51:46.989 Marvin for both. But if they wanted to get hold 00:51:46.989 --> 00:51:50.030 of you, what's the best way? So you can find 00:51:50.030 --> 00:51:52.949 me on Instagram, my Booker Fitness and Performance 00:51:52.949 --> 00:51:56.789 LLC. You can find me on Instagram with at Booker 00:51:56.789 --> 00:52:00.320 Fitness underscore. There's a link there that 00:52:00.320 --> 00:52:03.860 connects you to my website, bookerfitness .com. 00:52:04.099 --> 00:52:07.960 You can also DM me and schedule a fitness consultation 00:52:07.960 --> 00:52:11.360 if you're in the Gwinnett County area. Also, 00:52:11.420 --> 00:52:16.460 my phone number's up there, 470 -998 -6826. You 00:52:16.460 --> 00:52:21.159 can call or text. My email is bookerfitnessandperformance56 00:52:21.159 --> 00:52:25.139 at gmail .com. If you were looking for me on 00:52:25.139 --> 00:52:28.739 the insurance side, It's aceadvisors underscore 00:52:28.739 --> 00:52:32.840 on Instagram. There's also a link there that 00:52:32.840 --> 00:52:35.179 gives you to my website where you can actually 00:52:35.179 --> 00:52:37.960 get a free quote there. You can call that number 00:52:37.960 --> 00:52:40.400 as well. And that will go directly to my work 00:52:40.400 --> 00:52:43.659 line. You can also reach me at aceadvisorsinc 00:52:43.659 --> 00:52:48.400 at gmail .com. Perfect. Marvin, this was a blast. 00:52:48.619 --> 00:52:51.960 I can't wait to see you in person again and have 00:52:51.960 --> 00:52:54.440 yourself a great day. You too, sir. I appreciate 00:52:54.440 --> 00:52:56.820 your time. And it was a great opportunity to 00:52:56.820 --> 00:53:01.860 share my experiences, to continue branding myself 00:53:01.860 --> 00:53:04.659 and being a part of your network as well. So 00:53:04.659 --> 00:53:06.960 I really appreciate that. And I wish you the 00:53:06.960 --> 00:53:10.480 best of wishes on your current and next endeavors. 00:53:11.139 --> 00:53:18.440 Thank you. Well, hold on, folks. Don't go anywhere. 00:53:18.780 --> 00:53:22.119 Let's hear from our sponsors. David Neal, co 00:53:22.119 --> 00:53:25.760 -founder, Revved Up Kids. Revved Up Kids is on 00:53:25.760 --> 00:53:28.719 a mission to protect children and teens from 00:53:28.719 --> 00:53:31.699 sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking. 00:53:32.000 --> 00:53:35.179 They provide prevention training programs for 00:53:35.179 --> 00:53:38.719 children, teens, and adults. To learn more, go 00:53:38.719 --> 00:53:43.079 to revvedupkids .org. Henry Kaplan, Century 21. 00:53:43.610 --> 00:53:45.849 When it comes to making the biggest financial 00:53:45.849 --> 00:53:48.809 decision of your life, leave it in the hands 00:53:48.809 --> 00:53:52.090 of a proven professional, Henry Kaplan. Henry 00:53:52.090 --> 00:53:55.289 is a global real estate agent with Century 21, 00:53:55.489 --> 00:53:59.449 celebrating his 41st year in business. No matter 00:53:59.449 --> 00:54:02.130 where you're moving, Henry has the right connections 00:54:02.130 --> 00:54:09.150 for you. You can contact Henry at 561 -427 -4888. 00:54:09.829 --> 00:54:12.630 A huge thank you to our guests for sharing such 00:54:13.230 --> 00:54:16.530 insights today. And of course, a big shout out 00:54:16.530 --> 00:54:19.829 to you, our amazing listeners, for tuning in 00:54:19.829 --> 00:54:22.750 and spending your time with us. If you're interested 00:54:22.750 --> 00:54:26.090 in my digital courses, being coached or having 00:54:26.090 --> 00:54:29.230 me come and talk to your company, just go to 00:54:29.230 --> 00:54:32.449 Michael and fill out the request form. Remember, 00:54:32.789 --> 00:54:36.090 networking isn't about being perfect. It's about 00:54:36.090 --> 00:54:39.010 being present. So take what you've learned today, 00:54:39.190 --> 00:54:41.809 get out there and make some meaningful connections. 00:54:42.539 --> 00:54:45.460 If you've enjoyed this episode, please don't 00:54:45.460 --> 00:54:48.800 forget to subscribe. Leave us a review and share 00:54:48.800 --> 00:54:51.000 it with someone who could use a little networking 00:54:51.000 --> 00:54:54.000 inspiration. Let's keep the conversation going. 00:54:54.179 --> 00:54:58.739 You can find me on Apple, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, 00:54:58.880 --> 00:55:03.519 or my website, foreman .com slash podcasts.