WEBVTT 00:00:13.839 --> 00:00:17.679 Welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building Profitable 00:00:17.679 --> 00:00:21.780 Connections. I'm Michael Foreman, and today is 00:00:21.780 --> 00:00:27.300 episode 100. Yes, you heard me correctly. 100 00:00:27.300 --> 00:00:32.259 chances to ruin a handshake and 100 chances to 00:00:32.259 --> 00:00:36.020 fix them instead. So I'm flying solo today, which 00:00:36.020 --> 00:00:39.340 means no guests to blame and all the best shortcuts 00:00:39.340 --> 00:00:43.829 to share straight with you. Each week... I give 00:00:43.829 --> 00:00:47.170 you tactical, no -fluff strategies that turn 00:00:47.170 --> 00:00:52.250 small talk into real revenue. And this one message 00:00:52.250 --> 00:00:57.090 or these messages get you a lunch, a single question 00:00:57.090 --> 00:01:02.530 that turns conferences chaos into meaningful 00:01:02.530 --> 00:01:06.750 connections. If you want fewer awkward silences 00:01:06.750 --> 00:01:10.950 and more closed deals, you're in the right place. 00:01:11.150 --> 00:01:14.670 So stay with me. I'll give you razor sharp actions 00:01:14.670 --> 00:01:17.989 you can use today and a short challenge at the 00:01:17.989 --> 00:01:23.329 end. Make life worth living. Make networking 00:01:23.329 --> 00:01:28.629 less exhausting and more profitable. Now, I'm 00:01:28.629 --> 00:01:31.170 going to run you through a few things that I 00:01:31.170 --> 00:01:34.989 normally go through during a workshop. And my 00:01:34.989 --> 00:01:40.250 first question is, why? Why does everyone network? 00:01:40.939 --> 00:01:45.439 And I firmly believe that networking is the base 00:01:45.439 --> 00:01:49.719 of all businesses. So what's your ultimate goal? 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:53.359 Of course, it's to make more money. Otherwise, 00:01:53.659 --> 00:01:57.019 why are you in business? But there's more to 00:01:57.019 --> 00:02:03.099 networking than that. It's having a giver's game. 00:02:03.280 --> 00:02:07.280 It's having a servant's heart. It's doing good 00:02:07.280 --> 00:02:12.259 for somebody else. And that plays more into networking 00:02:12.259 --> 00:02:16.400 than anything else. You know what? Let me tell 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:20.780 you a story. It's a story. Two guys, Marty and 00:02:20.780 --> 00:02:24.319 Fred, and they decided to go fishing one day. 00:02:24.800 --> 00:02:27.080 So they got all their gear together and they 00:02:27.080 --> 00:02:29.680 went up the mountain and they decided they found 00:02:29.680 --> 00:02:32.800 a great lake. And they said, okay. Marty said, 00:02:32.939 --> 00:02:35.340 you know what, Fred? You go to the north side. 00:02:35.740 --> 00:02:39.080 I'm going to take the south side. You go do everything 00:02:39.080 --> 00:02:42.080 you do, and I'll do everything that I do, and 00:02:42.080 --> 00:02:44.680 we'll catch fish, and we'll get together, and 00:02:44.680 --> 00:02:47.300 we'll have dinner. It'll be great. Fred went 00:02:47.300 --> 00:02:51.159 on his way. Marty went on his. And at the end 00:02:51.159 --> 00:02:55.300 of the day, Fred came back with one fish. He 00:02:55.300 --> 00:02:57.219 goes, ah, the fish really weren't biting today. 00:02:57.500 --> 00:03:01.080 But Marty had 10 fish. He goes, well, I guess 00:03:01.080 --> 00:03:04.759 it was better on the north side than the south 00:03:04.759 --> 00:03:07.460 side. So you know what? Let's do this, Fred. 00:03:07.979 --> 00:03:11.240 Let's change sides. I'll go to the south side 00:03:11.240 --> 00:03:13.580 and you stay on the north side. And this way 00:03:13.580 --> 00:03:16.860 we'll both have enough fish. Marty came back 00:03:16.860 --> 00:03:22.800 with 10 fish, 11 fish. And Fred had one. And 00:03:22.800 --> 00:03:25.539 he said, what's going on? Why am I not catching 00:03:25.539 --> 00:03:29.460 the fish? So Marty said, what are you doing? 00:03:29.860 --> 00:03:32.740 He said, doing what you're doing. I'm setting 00:03:32.740 --> 00:03:37.349 up my camp. I am putting my radio on so I have 00:03:37.349 --> 00:03:41.250 some really cool music and I'm fishing. And Marty 00:03:41.250 --> 00:03:43.889 said, that's your problem. You're doing it wrong. 00:03:44.449 --> 00:03:48.370 And networking is the same way. If you do it 00:03:48.370 --> 00:03:53.229 wrong, then you're missing out on so much. And 00:03:53.229 --> 00:03:57.849 do you realize that most people waste 80 % of 00:03:57.849 --> 00:04:01.169 their networking opportunities without even realizing 00:04:01.169 --> 00:04:04.819 it? But you know what? That's where we come in. 00:04:04.879 --> 00:04:07.580 And that's where we can help you. Because you 00:04:07.580 --> 00:04:13.400 have to remember, you are a problem solver. That's 00:04:13.400 --> 00:04:17.899 right. So you have to find out what the person 00:04:17.899 --> 00:04:21.240 that you're speaking to, what's their problem? 00:04:21.699 --> 00:04:23.860 Because you have to have in the back of your 00:04:23.860 --> 00:04:28.540 head some sort of solution. And when you can 00:04:28.540 --> 00:04:32.519 do that, then you've made it. Let me just tell 00:04:32.519 --> 00:04:37.899 you just a few items, a few things. Because when 00:04:37.899 --> 00:04:40.360 you're networking, don't just think networking 00:04:40.360 --> 00:04:44.920 as a business. Think of networking in your everyday 00:04:44.920 --> 00:04:49.339 life. And so when you network, you go shopping 00:04:49.339 --> 00:04:54.180 for your jeans, go shopping for food. You're 00:04:54.180 --> 00:04:56.959 talking with people online. You're talking with 00:04:56.959 --> 00:05:01.779 people in the aisles. First things first, make, 00:05:01.920 --> 00:05:05.899 smile. Make it like you're a happy person, whether 00:05:05.899 --> 00:05:08.100 you are or not, doesn't make a difference. But 00:05:08.100 --> 00:05:10.980 you know what? Because people will react to you 00:05:10.980 --> 00:05:15.860 much better when you're a happy person. And so 00:05:15.860 --> 00:05:18.620 you just, if you're in line with somebody and 00:05:18.620 --> 00:05:21.199 they're talking about it, I used to be in a mortgage 00:05:21.199 --> 00:05:24.579 industry and I would always listen. I would always 00:05:24.579 --> 00:05:26.990 listen if people are talking about. buying a 00:05:26.990 --> 00:05:29.370 house or selling a house or renting a house, 00:05:29.490 --> 00:05:32.870 I would always turn around, give my two seconds 00:05:32.870 --> 00:05:35.850 worth of information, and I'd turn back around. 00:05:36.449 --> 00:05:39.189 If they were interested, they'd tap me on the 00:05:39.189 --> 00:05:40.769 shoulder and they'd say, you know, what about 00:05:40.769 --> 00:05:45.269 that? So anyway, so that goes a long way with 00:05:45.269 --> 00:05:48.290 networking. But you know what? Whenever you go 00:05:48.290 --> 00:05:51.389 anywhere, you have business cards, right? Don't 00:05:51.389 --> 00:05:54.839 forget your business cards. You put them in your 00:05:54.839 --> 00:05:57.519 pocket or whatever else. And whenever the time 00:05:57.519 --> 00:06:00.860 comes, you can always give your business card. 00:06:01.540 --> 00:06:05.879 What's more important than actually meeting the 00:06:05.879 --> 00:06:09.740 person? It's your follow -up. I have a follow 00:06:09.740 --> 00:06:12.920 -up strategy. I call it my secret sauce, the 00:06:12.920 --> 00:06:17.459 follow -up. So I will get into that, maybe, but 00:06:17.459 --> 00:06:21.680 I will get into that. So I want you to think. 00:06:22.329 --> 00:06:25.730 I want you to think about what communication 00:06:25.730 --> 00:06:32.410 is. Communication is the number one professional 00:06:32.410 --> 00:06:38.529 skill. Communication. It's how you communicate. 00:06:39.550 --> 00:06:44.170 Just remember, people hate to be sold to, but 00:06:44.170 --> 00:06:47.050 they love to buy something. So that puts you 00:06:47.050 --> 00:06:51.649 in a quandary. How do I do this? It's very simple. 00:06:52.250 --> 00:06:55.370 When you walk up and you meet somebody, obviously, 00:06:55.589 --> 00:06:59.949 you're smiling. You're smiling. Extend your hand. 00:07:00.149 --> 00:07:04.029 You're looking for that just to shake your hand, 00:07:04.069 --> 00:07:07.129 say hello, how you doing? And eye contact is 00:07:07.129 --> 00:07:11.310 very important. Now, I come from New York, right? 00:07:11.430 --> 00:07:14.730 Eye contact, ooh, that's a negative, right? You're 00:07:14.730 --> 00:07:16.509 always looking down. You're always looking away. 00:07:16.870 --> 00:07:20.860 But I'm in Georgia now. And it's always looking 00:07:20.860 --> 00:07:24.360 at the person in the eye. You want to make that 00:07:24.360 --> 00:07:28.259 eye contact because what does that tell you? 00:07:28.740 --> 00:07:33.680 It tells you that you're listening to them, that 00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:37.139 you're interested in them. So you know what? 00:07:37.420 --> 00:07:42.259 You have that eye contact, but you're always 00:07:42.259 --> 00:07:47.019 giving the utmost of respect. And whether you're 00:07:47.019 --> 00:07:52.230 the... CEO or the janitor, that's what you do. 00:07:52.269 --> 00:07:56.829 You give the respect that they deserve. So, you 00:07:56.829 --> 00:08:01.949 know, what you want to do is you want to square 00:08:01.949 --> 00:08:04.149 your body up to them. You don't want to talk 00:08:04.149 --> 00:08:07.449 to somebody with their shoulders, with your shoulders 00:08:07.449 --> 00:08:12.350 turned. Okay. You want to just square up to them. 00:08:12.410 --> 00:08:15.410 And how about a facial expression, a friendly 00:08:15.410 --> 00:08:19.759 facial. expression. And put your hands in plain 00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:21.959 sight. If you're sitting on your hands, or if 00:08:21.959 --> 00:08:24.420 you're sitting, if you're standing, just, you 00:08:24.420 --> 00:08:27.360 know what, and talk with your hands. Because 00:08:27.360 --> 00:08:31.540 it's a natural ability. It's a natural thing. 00:08:31.740 --> 00:08:34.840 So if you talk with your hands, you're actually 00:08:34.840 --> 00:08:36.940 becoming more involved with the conversation. 00:08:37.700 --> 00:08:40.440 Right? If you're sitting, that's one thing. If 00:08:40.440 --> 00:08:42.460 you're standing, you're talking with your hands. 00:08:42.639 --> 00:08:46.980 And most importantly, You want to enunciate. 00:08:47.340 --> 00:08:51.700 Because if the person can't hear you, can't understand 00:08:51.700 --> 00:08:55.460 you, then they're really not going to be interested 00:08:55.460 --> 00:08:57.620 in you and not going to be interested in what 00:08:57.620 --> 00:09:00.159 you have to offer them or sell them or anything 00:09:00.159 --> 00:09:05.519 else like that. But if you're speaking with them 00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:09.419 and you have their attention, right, you want 00:09:09.419 --> 00:09:12.919 to listen. And listening is a very important 00:09:12.919 --> 00:09:15.940 part. Don't just hear them. You're listening 00:09:15.940 --> 00:09:21.960 to what they are saying. And you're active listening. 00:09:22.460 --> 00:09:25.100 You're listening for something that they're saying 00:09:25.100 --> 00:09:28.500 that you can respond with. Don't think about 00:09:28.500 --> 00:09:31.519 the next thing that you want to say. You're thinking 00:09:31.519 --> 00:09:34.600 about, okay, he said something about this. So 00:09:34.600 --> 00:09:38.840 you repeat part of it. So I understand. You're 00:09:38.840 --> 00:09:42.000 saying this. So what you're meaning to say is 00:09:42.000 --> 00:09:46.840 that, right? It's very important. But that also 00:09:46.840 --> 00:09:50.419 tells them you're listening. You're listening. 00:09:50.500 --> 00:09:55.679 You know, I use something. It's called F -O -R 00:09:55.679 --> 00:10:00.799 -M. And that's family, occupation, recreation, 00:10:01.100 --> 00:10:06.120 and a certain message. And I use this every time 00:10:06.120 --> 00:10:09.470 that I. Speak with anybody. Have a meeting with 00:10:09.470 --> 00:10:14.990 anybody. So F is family. So you get them to talk 00:10:14.990 --> 00:10:18.629 about their family. Remember the networking mantra. 00:10:19.169 --> 00:10:23.769 Know you, like you, trust you, they'll do business 00:10:23.769 --> 00:10:29.049 with you. Right? Everybody knows you. Everybody 00:10:29.049 --> 00:10:31.610 likes you. Not really. Everybody doesn't like 00:10:31.610 --> 00:10:34.309 you because that narrows the field a little bit. 00:10:34.450 --> 00:10:38.529 But trust you, that's the major factor. That's 00:10:38.529 --> 00:10:41.029 the major factor because if they don't trust 00:10:41.029 --> 00:10:43.889 you, then they're not going to do business with 00:10:43.889 --> 00:10:47.470 you. So let me get back to form. Form is family. 00:10:47.629 --> 00:10:50.970 You have them talk, have the other person speak, 00:10:51.210 --> 00:10:55.049 talk, talk about their family, husband, wife, 00:10:55.210 --> 00:10:58.879 sister, brother, son, daughter, whatever. If 00:10:58.879 --> 00:11:02.639 they are into youth sports, that's great. If 00:11:02.639 --> 00:11:05.659 they're into music, that's great. Art, that's 00:11:05.659 --> 00:11:08.960 great. Talk about anything because what you're 00:11:08.960 --> 00:11:12.740 doing is you're having them talk about their 00:11:12.740 --> 00:11:17.600 family and that wall between you is going down. 00:11:17.799 --> 00:11:21.220 But you know what? That trust factor, that's 00:11:21.220 --> 00:11:23.820 going up. So they're beginning to trust a little 00:11:23.820 --> 00:11:25.919 bit more. So you want to talk about their occupation? 00:11:27.309 --> 00:11:31.070 which is O, they're R, recreation. What do they 00:11:31.070 --> 00:11:34.830 like to do? They like to go boating. They like 00:11:34.830 --> 00:11:38.610 to go ski. They like to paddleboard, play pickleball. 00:11:38.769 --> 00:11:41.029 I don't understand why, but they play pickleball, 00:11:41.169 --> 00:11:43.470 tennis, football, baseball. It doesn't make a 00:11:43.470 --> 00:11:47.389 difference. However they do their recreation, 00:11:47.730 --> 00:11:50.769 that would be best. And you find that level. 00:11:50.850 --> 00:11:54.289 You find something that you can talk about, right? 00:11:54.350 --> 00:11:59.159 And the M. is a message that you just try to 00:11:59.159 --> 00:12:03.159 get onto the same keel as them. So you know what? 00:12:03.320 --> 00:12:06.759 Whenever you're meeting with somebody and you're 00:12:06.759 --> 00:12:12.159 using the form, figure out what they like, who 00:12:12.159 --> 00:12:15.759 they are, okay? If you're sitting down with somebody 00:12:15.759 --> 00:12:20.379 in an office, you really only have about 30 seconds. 00:12:20.679 --> 00:12:23.220 You have about 30 seconds to really find out. 00:12:23.470 --> 00:12:27.409 about the person. So scan the walls. Do they 00:12:27.409 --> 00:12:31.649 have a picture of some sports memorabilia? Do 00:12:31.649 --> 00:12:34.029 they have a picture of something of music, something 00:12:34.029 --> 00:12:38.429 of art? Find it, talk about it, ask questions. 00:12:39.070 --> 00:12:42.269 You're trying to find that commonality, find 00:12:42.269 --> 00:12:44.830 what you have in common. And here's a little 00:12:44.830 --> 00:12:50.590 trick. If you walk into an office and you see 00:12:50.590 --> 00:12:56.549 all the pictures, on his desk right on his desk 00:12:56.549 --> 00:13:02.210 looking in towards him that means that he really 00:13:02.210 --> 00:13:05.929 doesn't want you to comment on his family but 00:13:05.929 --> 00:13:08.870 if you see pictures on the back when they're 00:13:08.870 --> 00:13:13.289 facing out you that almost gives you the right 00:13:13.289 --> 00:13:16.649 almost right depends on the person to talk about 00:13:16.649 --> 00:13:19.690 their family right so it depends on everything 00:13:19.690 --> 00:13:23.919 so you're really trying to build that type of 00:13:23.919 --> 00:13:27.019 rapport. But again, I'm going to bring you back 00:13:27.019 --> 00:13:31.700 to the mantra, the mantra, know you, like you, 00:13:31.840 --> 00:13:35.360 trust you. If they know you, if they like you 00:13:35.360 --> 00:13:38.500 and they trust you, then they will do business 00:13:38.500 --> 00:13:42.419 with you. And remember, if you don't have that 00:13:42.419 --> 00:13:46.000 trust, you, you're going, you're doing something 00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:50.639 wrong, right? So now what I've told you basically 00:13:50.639 --> 00:13:55.460 is what The difference, it's for extroverts, 00:13:55.559 --> 00:13:58.480 right? If you're an introvert, it's something 00:13:58.480 --> 00:14:01.120 completely different. Let's change this up a 00:14:01.120 --> 00:14:06.259 little bit. Let's go to a networking event at 00:14:06.259 --> 00:14:09.460 the table. And you walk up to the table. I'm 00:14:09.460 --> 00:14:12.559 thinking just extroverts now. You walk up to 00:14:12.559 --> 00:14:16.000 the table. What's the first thing you do? Everybody 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:20.440 says, talk. Tell everybody what you do. Oh, that's 00:14:20.440 --> 00:14:24.840 100 % the wrong thing to do. What you should 00:14:24.840 --> 00:14:28.519 do really is walk up the table and not say a 00:14:28.519 --> 00:14:33.120 word, not say a word. You're listening. That's 00:14:33.120 --> 00:14:36.139 active listening. You're listening for the conversation. 00:14:36.600 --> 00:14:39.440 And you say to yourself, is this a conversation 00:14:39.440 --> 00:14:43.360 that I want to be a part of? Because there's 00:14:43.360 --> 00:14:47.059 a ton of conversations going on. So if it is 00:14:47.059 --> 00:14:49.259 great, if not. If you haven't said anything yet, 00:14:49.340 --> 00:14:51.740 you politely bow out and you go to the next table. 00:14:52.440 --> 00:14:55.220 Let's say it is a conversation that you want 00:14:55.220 --> 00:14:59.080 to be a part of. Well, that's great. So you wait 00:14:59.080 --> 00:15:01.259 for the opportunity for you to give your two 00:15:01.259 --> 00:15:06.200 cents. Now, remember, you are the expert in your 00:15:06.200 --> 00:15:11.480 field, the expert. So what you say should really 00:15:11.480 --> 00:15:14.600 be worth something. And all you're trying to 00:15:14.600 --> 00:15:18.000 do is get the attention of, let's say, two of 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:21.179 the people that are at that table. There's generally 00:15:21.179 --> 00:15:26.299 four or five people. Two people. And when you 00:15:26.299 --> 00:15:28.700 do, you direct your conversation towards them. 00:15:29.259 --> 00:15:34.120 And then you bring form into it. You bring form 00:15:34.120 --> 00:15:37.500 into it. And you have the person or people talk 00:15:37.500 --> 00:15:41.919 about themselves. And then you bring the conversation 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:45.059 around to what they do for a living. They've 00:15:45.059 --> 00:15:47.440 already told you all about their family and things 00:15:47.440 --> 00:15:49.980 that they like to do. So they're going to tell 00:15:49.980 --> 00:15:53.440 you about what they do for a living. And as they're 00:15:53.440 --> 00:15:57.039 talking about what they do, you're listening, 00:15:57.259 --> 00:16:00.860 active listening. So you're listening to them. 00:16:00.899 --> 00:16:02.919 You respond to them. You say, so I understand 00:16:02.919 --> 00:16:07.679 that you do this. And at the end, you say, you 00:16:07.679 --> 00:16:11.210 know what? I like you. I like your business and 00:16:11.210 --> 00:16:16.330 how you do it. How can I make you more successful? 00:16:17.409 --> 00:16:20.529 How can I be a good referral source for you? 00:16:21.929 --> 00:16:24.570 That usually blows them away. Mike, I don't even 00:16:24.570 --> 00:16:26.490 know what you do yet. And you're saying this 00:16:26.490 --> 00:16:31.190 to me? Remember, it's a giver's game. You're 00:16:31.190 --> 00:16:34.570 looking to go in there and help everybody that 00:16:34.570 --> 00:16:39.220 you can. What goes around comes around. They 00:16:39.220 --> 00:16:43.940 will, in turn, refer you. But your interest right 00:16:43.940 --> 00:16:48.259 now is to refer your person, this person that 00:16:48.259 --> 00:16:52.139 you're talking to. So you do. And so you exchange 00:16:52.139 --> 00:16:55.080 cards and you explain what you do for a living. 00:16:55.500 --> 00:16:58.179 Because the only time you're going to give your 00:16:58.179 --> 00:17:03.559 business card is if they ask for it. And on the 00:17:03.559 --> 00:17:06.079 back of the card, his card, the other card, her 00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:09.809 card. is you're going to write the date, the 00:17:09.809 --> 00:17:13.009 name of the function, and something you spoke 00:17:13.009 --> 00:17:17.910 about. Because he told you everything. So everything 00:17:17.910 --> 00:17:21.170 you spoke about. And then you'll hold that for 00:17:21.170 --> 00:17:24.769 your follow -up. Now, as a side note, like I 00:17:24.769 --> 00:17:27.910 said, I used to be in a mortgage business. I 00:17:27.910 --> 00:17:30.049 used to go to these events. I used to come home 00:17:30.049 --> 00:17:32.950 with a shoebox filled with business cards and 00:17:32.950 --> 00:17:36.630 say, look how good I did. Did I do good? No. 00:17:37.200 --> 00:17:41.420 I did not. So now with a three or four hour event, 00:17:41.619 --> 00:17:46.759 I come back with 15 or 20 business cards so I 00:17:46.759 --> 00:17:50.680 can follow up with them correctly. Now I told 00:17:50.680 --> 00:17:53.319 you all this was all for an introvert, extrovert. 00:17:54.119 --> 00:17:58.539 Now introvert is almost the same with a difference. 00:17:59.359 --> 00:18:03.220 This is where you're going to bring in a friend, 00:18:03.259 --> 00:18:05.920 your sister, your brother, whoever knows you 00:18:05.920 --> 00:18:11.839 well, knows what you do well. Because let's go 00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:14.039 back to the beginning. Let's go back to the table. 00:18:14.299 --> 00:18:16.680 When you're walking up to the table, you're listening 00:18:16.680 --> 00:18:19.480 for the conversation. Is this a conversation 00:18:19.480 --> 00:18:23.259 that I want to be a part of? Yes, it is. Okay. 00:18:23.500 --> 00:18:26.299 So when the conversation comes around, you're 00:18:26.299 --> 00:18:30.049 the person who you came with. says you know something 00:18:30.049 --> 00:18:34.150 that is a great idea you know what michael really 00:18:34.150 --> 00:18:36.849 knows about that michael why don't you tell us 00:18:36.849 --> 00:18:40.690 about it and that is like an introduction so 00:18:40.690 --> 00:18:44.890 you don't feel overwhelmed and you do that so 00:18:44.890 --> 00:18:48.609 that if your partner does that enough times you're 00:18:48.609 --> 00:18:50.549 going to get used to it you get used to speaking 00:18:50.549 --> 00:18:54.910 with the person now don't become a wallflower 00:18:54.910 --> 00:18:57.730 don't walk into an event and immediately go to 00:18:57.730 --> 00:19:01.450 the wall and look at it, sip your drink and say, 00:19:01.529 --> 00:19:04.130 oh, there's a nice event. I'm not meeting anybody. 00:19:05.750 --> 00:19:10.509 If you see somebody that's like that, take it 00:19:10.509 --> 00:19:14.609 upon yourself, walk up to them, say, hey, how 00:19:14.609 --> 00:19:18.410 you doing? Hey, that's a nice blazer. Or I like 00:19:18.410 --> 00:19:21.029 your shoes. I like your blouse. Where'd you get 00:19:21.029 --> 00:19:24.009 it from? Something, anything outside of business, 00:19:24.069 --> 00:19:29.819 because that will make them. Make them more amenable 00:19:29.819 --> 00:19:34.079 to what you do, what you have, whatever else. 00:19:34.240 --> 00:19:37.960 But it's all for you. So remember, so now your 00:19:37.960 --> 00:19:41.380 follow -up. Oh, there's a secret sauce for follow 00:19:41.380 --> 00:19:43.759 -up. And you know what? I'm going to share it 00:19:43.759 --> 00:19:49.220 with you. I'm going to tell you what I use as 00:19:49.220 --> 00:19:52.299 a follow -up. And I say it's a secret sauce because 00:19:52.299 --> 00:19:56.859 it works the majority of the time. Nothing works, 00:19:56.920 --> 00:20:00.619 everything. But let's, okay, let's say you finish 00:20:00.619 --> 00:20:02.859 the event, you go back to your house, your office, 00:20:02.940 --> 00:20:05.720 wherever the case may be. You have 15 or 20 business 00:20:05.720 --> 00:20:09.500 cards. You're going to write an email that night. 00:20:10.579 --> 00:20:13.779 And you're going to say, hey, Michael, this is 00:20:13.779 --> 00:20:17.019 Michael. I met you last, I met you tonight at 00:20:17.019 --> 00:20:19.599 the networking event. Had a great time. Looking 00:20:19.599 --> 00:20:22.920 forward to speaking with you soon, Michael. That's 00:20:22.920 --> 00:20:27.720 it. Nothing else. And send it off. The next morning, 00:20:28.019 --> 00:20:32.599 here's the key. The next morning, you write a 00:20:32.599 --> 00:20:37.180 handwritten thank you note. That's right. Handwritten. 00:20:37.220 --> 00:20:41.259 I have about 50 of them in my briefcase. You 00:20:41.259 --> 00:20:44.039 write a handwritten thank you note. Hey, Michael, 00:20:44.180 --> 00:20:47.819 this is Michael. I met you on such and such date 00:20:47.819 --> 00:20:51.019 at such and such an event. We spoke about X, 00:20:51.039 --> 00:20:54.130 Y, Z. Now, remember. On the back of the business 00:20:54.130 --> 00:20:58.750 card, I have all that information. Hey, Michael, 00:20:58.869 --> 00:21:01.630 this is Michael. I met you on such and such day. 00:21:01.690 --> 00:21:03.509 I met you at last night or such and such date. 00:21:03.849 --> 00:21:08.589 At such an event, we spoke about XYZ. I really 00:21:08.589 --> 00:21:13.170 hope we can do business soon, Michael. And put 00:21:13.170 --> 00:21:16.509 your business card in, send it off. Now, the 00:21:16.509 --> 00:21:20.730 mail's a little slow. You have to wait three 00:21:20.730 --> 00:21:23.849 or four days because if you haven't gotten a 00:21:23.849 --> 00:21:29.170 return email yet, send them another email. Hey, 00:21:29.170 --> 00:21:32.130 Michael, this is Michael. I met you on such and 00:21:32.130 --> 00:21:35.150 such date at such as an event. We spoke about 00:21:35.150 --> 00:21:39.569 X, Y, Z. Now notice I say the same thing every 00:21:39.569 --> 00:21:42.769 time I speak with them. Why? Because that'll 00:21:42.769 --> 00:21:45.950 bring me top of mind. That'll bring us. Oh, I 00:21:45.950 --> 00:21:48.539 remember him. We spoke about this. Or we spoke 00:21:48.539 --> 00:21:51.859 about that. Okay. Hey, Michael, this is Michael. 00:21:52.140 --> 00:21:55.079 I met you on such and such day. We spoke at such 00:21:55.079 --> 00:21:58.119 an event. We spoke about X, Y, Z. Hey, listen, 00:21:58.279 --> 00:22:01.380 I just noticed that next week, Tuesday and Wednesday 00:22:01.380 --> 00:22:05.019 seems to be clear. Would one of those days work 00:22:05.019 --> 00:22:08.359 with you to meet up and have a cup of coffee? 00:22:09.039 --> 00:22:13.380 Michael, send it off. Wait two or three days 00:22:13.380 --> 00:22:18.119 later, he still hasn't returned. Bad sign. But, 00:22:18.160 --> 00:22:22.099 hey, Michael, this is Michael. I met you on such 00:22:22.099 --> 00:22:24.460 and such date at such an event. We spoke about 00:22:24.460 --> 00:22:27.500 X, Y, Z. I said, Tuesday and Wednesday look pretty 00:22:27.500 --> 00:22:30.480 good. Tuesday's getting kind of full. How's Wednesday? 00:22:31.799 --> 00:22:35.539 Michael. Still didn't answer you. Two or three 00:22:35.539 --> 00:22:38.539 days later. Hey, Michael, this is Michael. I 00:22:38.539 --> 00:22:41.400 met you on such date at such an event. We spoke 00:22:41.400 --> 00:22:44.700 about X, Y, Z. I told you Tuesday and Wednesday 00:22:44.700 --> 00:22:48.839 were open. Tuesday was full. Wednesday is kind 00:22:48.839 --> 00:22:54.119 of full. Is there a good day for you? Okay. So 00:22:54.119 --> 00:22:56.680 what does that do? Well, that kind of closes 00:22:56.680 --> 00:22:59.000 out all the times that you've tried to reach 00:22:59.000 --> 00:23:02.640 out to him, but it leaves it open for him to 00:23:02.640 --> 00:23:07.039 contact you. Now, before doing all of this, when 00:23:07.039 --> 00:23:10.619 you meet with somebody, you want to reach out 00:23:10.619 --> 00:23:13.759 to them in a soft way. And what I mean by that, 00:23:13.900 --> 00:23:18.589 go to LinkedIn. Connect with them. Go to Instagram, 00:23:18.750 --> 00:23:20.930 see if they have it. Facebook, see if they have 00:23:20.930 --> 00:23:23.289 it. A YouTube channel, see if they have it. Wherever 00:23:23.289 --> 00:23:29.230 they're on social media, connect. Now, with LinkedIn, 00:23:29.410 --> 00:23:32.609 because I usually use that for business, right? 00:23:32.710 --> 00:23:37.329 So if you reach out LinkedIn, let's say they're 00:23:37.329 --> 00:23:42.369 in the roofing company, and you see an article. 00:23:42.829 --> 00:23:46.410 comparing metal roofs to shingle roofs and whatnot. 00:23:47.430 --> 00:23:51.470 I would attach that to your next message. You 00:23:51.470 --> 00:23:55.190 always want to bring value to the message. You 00:23:55.190 --> 00:23:59.150 never want to sell. You never want to sell, right? 00:23:59.230 --> 00:24:02.329 So you're bringing value to the relationship. 00:24:02.710 --> 00:24:06.609 If you bring value to it once, twice, even three 00:24:06.609 --> 00:24:09.970 times, they'll get the message and they will 00:24:09.970 --> 00:24:14.470 reach out to you. Now, I have a lot about using 00:24:14.470 --> 00:24:19.349 a CRM. And if you don't have one, if you don't 00:24:19.349 --> 00:24:22.849 have one, I would highly advise getting one. 00:24:23.609 --> 00:24:26.849 Because what it does, I said get 15 to 20 business 00:24:26.849 --> 00:24:31.210 cards from your event. That's great from the 00:24:31.210 --> 00:24:35.339 first one. There's somebody that I met on. other 00:24:35.339 --> 00:24:37.740 podcasts, where he has everything on one side 00:24:37.740 --> 00:24:40.019 of the computer. And as soon as he makes contact 00:24:40.019 --> 00:24:41.940 with them, he changes to the other side of the 00:24:41.940 --> 00:24:45.420 computer. That's great if you're only dealing 00:24:45.420 --> 00:24:49.000 with 15, 30 business cards. But what about the 00:24:49.000 --> 00:24:52.259 fifth, sixth, seventh time that you go to a networking 00:24:52.259 --> 00:24:55.720 event? What are you going to do with 150 cards? 00:24:55.940 --> 00:24:57.680 You're not going to sit there and play swapsies. 00:24:58.900 --> 00:25:01.900 You have to put them into a CRM. Because what 00:25:01.900 --> 00:25:06.039 will a CRM do? It'll keep you organized. And 00:25:06.039 --> 00:25:10.920 that's really, organization is key because you 00:25:10.920 --> 00:25:15.079 know what? You have to, organization is key because 00:25:15.079 --> 00:25:19.359 if you don't do it early, then you're going to 00:25:19.359 --> 00:25:20.980 lose out, right? You're going to lose something. 00:25:21.119 --> 00:25:25.059 You're going to leave money on the table. So 00:25:25.059 --> 00:25:29.140 remember, okay, I've given you a lot so far, 00:25:29.200 --> 00:25:33.019 and there's much more that I can give you, I 00:25:33.019 --> 00:25:36.019 can teach you. But you know what the most important 00:25:36.019 --> 00:25:41.559 thing is? Practice, practice. Okay? And you want 00:25:41.559 --> 00:25:45.619 to focus on building the relationship. You're 00:25:45.619 --> 00:25:48.859 not looking to sell. You're looking to building 00:25:48.859 --> 00:25:51.279 the relationship. And look, you can find the 00:25:51.279 --> 00:25:53.880 people on LinkedIn. And you know the people that 00:25:53.880 --> 00:25:57.859 you want to go after. Don't sell to them. Just 00:25:57.859 --> 00:26:02.160 build that relationship. And just remember the 00:26:02.160 --> 00:26:06.660 handwritten. thank you notes. Everybody that 00:26:06.660 --> 00:26:10.079 I coach, everybody that I talk to, that I teach, 00:26:10.180 --> 00:26:12.539 that I've been teaching this handwritten thank 00:26:12.539 --> 00:26:18.339 you note has gotten such favorable reviews, feedback 00:26:18.339 --> 00:26:23.019 reviews, feedback. And I've got a stack of a 00:26:23.019 --> 00:26:26.180 hundred thank you notes because every time I 00:26:26.180 --> 00:26:30.160 coach a client, I have them write me a thank 00:26:30.160 --> 00:26:34.009 you note just to get them into the habit. So 00:26:34.009 --> 00:26:37.970 with that being said, I want to tell you that 00:26:37.970 --> 00:26:44.170 giving is the fastest way to build that relationship. 00:26:44.369 --> 00:26:48.589 So I told you to build relationships. Giving, 00:26:48.589 --> 00:26:54.890 not receiving. That's the fastest way to build 00:26:54.890 --> 00:26:58.890 a relationship. And remember, people hate to 00:26:58.890 --> 00:27:04.220 be sold. They hate to be sold to. They love to 00:27:04.220 --> 00:27:09.259 buy. And a way to think about you in somebody, 00:27:09.400 --> 00:27:13.660 you networking in itself, don't think about how 00:27:13.660 --> 00:27:17.960 many people are in your network. Think about 00:27:17.960 --> 00:27:21.180 how many people, how many people that you are 00:27:21.180 --> 00:27:26.660 in their network, right? So just remember, that's 00:27:26.660 --> 00:27:30.619 very important. So that's what I have to tell 00:27:30.619 --> 00:27:37.369 you. First of all, doing my podcast was just 00:27:37.369 --> 00:27:40.049 an idea in the beginning, just a way for me to 00:27:40.049 --> 00:27:44.130 spread the word that I can. I can help other 00:27:44.130 --> 00:27:49.049 people. It's turned into quite a bit more. I've 00:27:49.049 --> 00:27:53.509 had wonderful guests from besides Canada, Mexico. 00:27:54.370 --> 00:27:59.089 Australia, the UK, Israel, Egypt. I've had them 00:27:59.089 --> 00:28:01.910 from all over and all of them bring something 00:28:01.910 --> 00:28:06.150 different to networking. So it's very important. 00:28:06.349 --> 00:28:10.230 And I tell them all, networking is the base of 00:28:10.230 --> 00:28:15.210 all businesses. But anyway, okay, all right. 00:28:15.430 --> 00:28:20.930 That's a wrap for episode 100. And I'm Michael 00:28:20.930 --> 00:28:24.640 Foreman. Thank you for sticking with me through 00:28:24.640 --> 00:28:28.319 100 chances to mess up and to mess up a handshake 00:28:28.319 --> 00:28:32.779 and 100 ways to get it right. If one of today's 00:28:32.779 --> 00:28:36.299 actions landed for you, do me a favor. Cry it 00:28:36.299 --> 00:28:40.599 within the next 24 hours and send me a one -sentence 00:28:40.599 --> 00:28:44.940 victory report. I'd live for those. So just send 00:28:44.940 --> 00:28:51.470 it to michael at michaelaforman .com. You can 00:28:51.470 --> 00:28:54.890 subscribe to subscribe wherever you get podcasts. 00:28:55.470 --> 00:28:58.549 Leave a quick review. If this episode helped 00:28:58.549 --> 00:29:03.490 you or if it made you laugh, I'll tell a colleague 00:29:03.490 --> 00:29:06.990 that treats LinkedIn like a museum that didn't 00:29:06.990 --> 00:29:08.549 want to do it. They get a connection. They'll 00:29:08.549 --> 00:29:11.150 leave it. They don't bring value, bring value 00:29:11.150 --> 00:29:15.329 to your network. Remember, go to foreman .com 00:29:15.329 --> 00:29:19.089 because I have digital courses on there from 00:29:19.089 --> 00:29:24.269 the. beginner to the experienced. I have a full 00:29:24.269 --> 00:29:26.769 course on there. Everything I just talked about 00:29:26.769 --> 00:29:32.589 plus more. But I also have networking made simplistically. 00:29:33.029 --> 00:29:37.049 I have networking for realtors. I have all sorts 00:29:37.049 --> 00:29:41.150 of podcasts. So let me tell you, I'm going to 00:29:41.150 --> 00:29:44.269 see you next week or actually later on this week. 00:29:44.670 --> 00:29:47.650 And I just want you to put the useful moves. 00:29:49.259 --> 00:29:54.059 And if you do what I told you, you'll increase 00:29:54.059 --> 00:29:57.940 profits. I did this with a company. I think I 00:29:57.940 --> 00:30:01.160 traveled to Ohio. And I got a call back about 00:30:01.160 --> 00:30:04.079 four months later. I said, Mike, we brought in 00:30:04.079 --> 00:30:07.640 everything that you told us to do. We increased 00:30:07.640 --> 00:30:14.380 our ROI by $25 ,000. So it works. So if anything. 00:30:15.400 --> 00:30:18.220 Hats off to you. Hats off to me. Whatever. I 00:30:18.220 --> 00:30:23.900 will see you for number 101. Thank you and have 00:30:23.900 --> 00:30:26.599 a good night. Hold on, folks. Don't go anywhere. 00:30:27.019 --> 00:30:30.259 Let's hear from our sponsors. David Neal, co 00:30:30.259 --> 00:30:33.900 -founder, Revved Up Kids. Revved Up Kids is on 00:30:33.900 --> 00:30:36.880 a mission to protect children and teens from 00:30:36.880 --> 00:30:39.859 sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking. 00:30:40.140 --> 00:30:43.339 They provide prevention training programs for 00:30:43.339 --> 00:30:46.880 children, teens, and adults. To learn more, go 00:30:46.880 --> 00:30:51.240 to revvedupkids .org. Henry Kaplan, Century 21. 00:30:51.769 --> 00:30:53.970 When it comes to making the biggest financial 00:30:53.970 --> 00:30:56.950 decision of your life, leave it in the hands 00:30:56.950 --> 00:31:00.269 of a proven professional, Henry Kaplan. Henry 00:31:00.269 --> 00:31:03.450 is a global real estate agent with Century 21, 00:31:03.630 --> 00:31:07.609 celebrating his 41st year in business. No matter 00:31:07.609 --> 00:31:10.630 where you're moving, Henry has the right connections 00:31:10.630 --> 00:31:17.829 for you. You can contact Henry at 561 -427 -4888.