Welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building Profitable
Connections, the show where conversations stop
being polite and start creating opportunity.
I'm Michael Foreman, and today we're tackling
one of the biggest reasons people leave business
on the table. They have a network, but they're
not using it well. My guest today helps professionals
make small changes in how they communicate that
lead to more referrals, stronger partnerships,
and better opportunities without working harder
or talking louder. We're diving into how to explain
what to do so people actually remember it, how
modern networking really works, and how relationships
turn into long -term growth when you approach
them with clarity and intention. If you've ever
said, I know great people, I just don't know
how to get enough for my network. This episode
is for you. So let's jump in. I would like to
introduce to all my listeners, Dana. Dana is
a great networker from North Carolina, I believe,
and she has her own group out there, but I don't
want to really bastardize her background. So
I'm going to give you over to Dana. Dana, welcome
to the podcast and tell us a little bit about
yourself. Thank you so much, Michael, for having
me on the show. I'm really excited to be here.
So a little bit about myself. I founded the group
Charlotte Networking Knowledge in 2024. We're
a local group for business owners here in the
Charlotte area. I also am a networking and client
visibility and acquisition expert for businesses.
So I help you gain more referrals and double
your sphere of influence and get more clients
through networking. And my strategy is not just
networking. It's leveraging your current network,
finding those strategic partnerships, and also
posting organically on social media and connecting
with your network that way, in addition to hosting
your own events and speaking engagements. That
sounds great. That sounds great. It sounds right
along the lines of what I do for a living. So
that's why I couldn't wait to get this podcast
started. Okay. I have a series of questions that
I'm going to ask you and just give me your answers
and just let's see where it takes us. Most people
have a network. They just don't use it well.
Where do you see professionals leaving the biggest
opportunities on the table? So I think a lot
of people aren't asking their network for support,
advice or help. And I think. This is important
because you want to have a network where people
support you. I believe in having a network where
people will actually help you. Now, not saying
that someone you meet at a networking event for
the first time, they don't owe you anything.
But if you have a professional relationship with
someone, you've been going to the same events
for years. but you've never reached out for advice
or help, how can they help you if they don't
know what you need? Also, another mistake is
not having a one -to -one with folks in your
network because you might consistently see them
at a networking event, but it can be busy and
distracting and you might not be able to... remember
exactly what they do and they probably don't
remember exactly what you do so it's really key
to have a one -to -one with everyone in your
network at least once a year even more often
if possible so you stay relevant to them and
they know exactly what you need and you'll be
top of mind for referrals they can't refer you
if they don't understand what you do Who you're
looking for and who you help. That's great advice.
What would you say to somebody who has a huge
following? Let's say I have 10 ,000 connections
on LinkedIn. How many people should I keep in
that close sphere of influence to have those
one -on -ones or keep them in top of mind to
network together? So I think there's some different
levels to the type of relationship you have.
But I do agree that 10 ,000 followers or 10 ,000
people in your network, that's too many to realistically
be close to you. Because I've had one -on -ones
and they go nowhere. So it's important to really...
to strategize your time. So you have one -on
-ones with folks who are in a similar industry
or an adjacent industry where there's synergy
and their clients are similar to your clients
as well. So you guys are working with the same
clients. So I think it's important to narrow
down how many people you're actually close with.
Because followers don't mean anything. These
could be like, robots online or something but
or just folks you've never met in person I know
a lot of people will follow me on LinkedIn or
send me a request and I'm like who is this but
I think it's really important to have at least
10 people where you're seeing them consistently
like once a quarter and in person is definitely
the best way so I'd say have 10 people in your
network you say you see once a quarter And kind
of go from there if you want to call other people
and try to add. But it's really important to
nurture your current relationships because trust
takes time. And you can't get a referral from
someone who doesn't trust you. So it's a process.
So I would say focus on your current connections.
Try to nurture them. You have time for other
connections, add them. But you want to make sure
you're giving adequate time to each connection.
There is a mantra in networking. If they know
you, if they like you, if they trust you, then
they'll do business with you. And to know me
or to know you, that's a wide circle. Right.
But to like you, that narrows it down a little
bit because everybody doesn't like you. You know,
you have to just face facts, but know you like
you trust you. That's the important part, because
if they don't trust you, they'll never do business
with you. So you always have to keep that in
mind. So you talk about small shifts in communication,
creating big results. What's one simple change
that immediately increases referrals and introductions?
So I would say when you're meeting someone for
the first time at a networking event, when you
say, when they say, oh, what do you do? You explain
it. But you want to have a catchy phrase, something
like, you know, if you're a financial advisor,
you don't want to just say. I'm a financial advisor
because that's boring and there's a million of
you. And that's not to be rude or negative, but
there's billions of people in the world. So realistically,
there's millions of people doing exactly what
you do. So you need to make your value proposition
very clear, like what separates you from your
competition. Also, who you work with as well.
So that's really important because like you can
have a financial advisor for businesses or retirees
or young families. Like what exactly do you offer?
So being specific about who you work with is
going to be key to getting more referrals because
they might say, oh, I actually know a retiree.
But if you just say. I'm a financial advisor.
People will say, OK, what does that mean? Especially
folks who aren't in your industry and don't understand
the jargon, your industry jargon. That's very
important to say who exactly you serve and make
it clear for anyone to understand what exactly
that is you do. Very good. Very good. And so
when somebody asks me. What I do, and I do a
plethora of things, I just very quickly say,
I'm a networking strategist. And they say, what
does that mean? I help you increase your money,
increase your profit margin in less time, narrowing
in what you do, what you say, and everything
else. And that usually leads into other conversations,
but I give them just enough so they ask me questions.
And I think that's what your whole goal is to
have the other person ask you those questions
so you can delve a little bit deeper into it.
Yes. And I will add to that point. I think that's
really so true. And one mistake I see is when
people, someone asks you, oh, what do you do?
And then you respond. And then immediately after
you tell them what you do, you say, what about
you? They were trying to figure out what exactly
you do, but now the focus is back on you and
you got to think of what to say. So it's hard
to have a conversation about what you do if you
turn it immediately back to them. Now, I think
it's important to learn about them. their business
and that way you're gonna build rapport and trust
and yeah get them to like you but you can't put
all the focus on them the focus needs to be on
you as well for a little bit and your business
as well so I think some people in networking
they say oh you have to make the focus all about
them no that's not true I don't believe that
personally it has to be about you as well. Okay.
Why do so many capable people struggle to explain
what they do? And how does that confusion cost
them business? So I think they don't adequately
explain what they do because for the most part,
they're not looking at it. From a third party.
So if I say I'm a networking coach, I know what
that is. But someone who's like new to networking,
they might think, oh, what exactly does that
mean? I get it. You're your coach. But like,
how exactly do you coach people? How exactly
do you advise them? So it's really important
to think about like how someone who's not in
your industry. how they would respond and understand.
So typically your referrals and your network
are going to come from people not in the same
industry as you, because that could be competition,
but there is like collaboration, but really your
referrals are going to. be from people outside
your industry so it's really important when you're
practicing your elevator pitch you could ask
someone outside your industry to you know what
they think and make sure that what you offer
is crystal clear to them. Because that's why
I think there's so many benefits of a networking
coach. Because I have clients who are bookkeepers,
financial advisors, business lenders. And it's
hard because they're in there. They think, oh,
I know what that is. I do it every day. I don't
need to explain this. But sometimes you need
to even simplify what you do. So everyone has
a crystal clear understanding. That is true.
And really the most important person to understand
what you do is you, right? You have to, people
can't exactly explain what they do in its entirety
because they're like a shotgun shell. They're
all over the place. When I coach my students,
I always have them, first we figure out their
30 second elevator pitch, right? I have them
lock that down. Then I have them take the 30
seconds down to 10 seconds. They say, it took
me so long to do 30 seconds. You expect me to
do 10? Yes, do 10. And as soon as we get that
hammer down to 10 seconds, I say, okay, now throw
it out. Now, what do you mean? Because now you
know exactly what you're going to say. So let's
work on that. And we work on that. So, you know,
you don't sound robotic. You don't sound like
this is a canned response. You're being yourself,
authentic self. Authenticity is thrown around
like a very common buzzword. But it's so true
that your authentic self has to come through
because if the person doesn't believe you, then
nothing's going to work. Yeah, that's so true.
Being authentic. I'm a big believer in being
your true self at networking events. Yes. When
someone says, I don't get referrals, what's usually
missing from the way that they communicate with
their network? So typically, there could be a
few reasons why you don't get referrals. So I
think the main... reason is have you been reaching
out to your current clients and letting them
know about I have some additional openings this
quarter if you have anyone else who would want
to prove your networking skills I would love
to help out so just I think letting people know
that you have some availability is key and also
serving your current clients very well, doing
such a good job that they're going to want to
tell you and tell you're going to want to tell
other people about your services naturally so
it's really important you want to go above and
beyond for your current clients because they're
going to be your best referral source in my opinion
because they know your work and they've experienced
your work and also letting them know just asking
them if they have anyone else who would be interested
and it's not a pushy thing but you could there's
nothing wrong with asking I think a lot of people
don't ask for referrals so I'm a big believer
in you don't get what you don't ask for so you
need to ask for what you want if you want more
referrals ask for it and also in your network
are you having these one -on -ones multiple one
-on -ones with the same person are you making
introductions for them are you referring them
business I think another way to get referrals
is to refer other people business because natural
and it's not supposed to be so transactional
but really I do think you can't be asking your
network for referrals like what are you going
to do for them you need to do stuff to help them
as well it needs to be a mutually beneficial
relationship and it's not like tit for tat in
that nature but you should be consistently going
out of your way to help your network grow their
business by offering introductions giving them
advice or support where needed and also just
asking them hey i have this new coaching program
I'm rolling out this quarter. I have a few slots
left. Wanted to see if you know of anyone who
might be interested in joining and just go from
there. I think it's really important to have
those relationships and also that your network
needs to understand what you do exactly and who
you're looking to connect with as well. And one
last thing I'll add is trying to find your strategic.
referral partners so folks who work with the
same type of clients it's good to partner with
them so it's a natural referral source yes um
in this area i'm known as a connector i'm actually
referred to as a super connector because i make
sure yeah i love to make sure that i put two
people together one that needs each other's services
and i step away I don't look for anything for
myself. I put the two of them together and say,
go ahead. But I know in the back of my head that
each one of them said, oh, you know something?
Michael referred me to this person. I better
give something back to Michael. So if I think
about that without even thinking anything is
going to come back to me, if I just connect two
people, I know it's really going to come back
to me. So that's a good way of doing it. Absolutely.
Yeah. And I think, yeah, it's important to get
that good karma flowing in the universe. And
I think eventually if you're going out of your
way to help your network and make introductions,
it's going to come back around one way or another.
I think it's important to have a few, like at
least 10 people you see consistently. And what
you had said before about referrals, about asking
for referrals, you're never, once in a while,
somebody will feel magnanimous and they're going
to refer you. But if you haven't asked for your
referrals, then you're really leaving a lot of
money on the table. And so I do that in my coaching
class. I coach them on asking for referrals,
but I too. ask for referrals. When the class
is over, when I realize that that's when they're
the happiest, I ask for the referrals because
they're more likely to give it to you. If I wait
two days a week afterwards, the peak has gone
and they're not, oh yeah, that's Michael. Okay.
But I always ask before it's over because that's
when they're, it's like when you buy a car. You're
always so happy. Oh, yeah. You start to see that
same car all over the place because you're in
the mind for it. So the same thing, you're going
to be in the mind to hire a coach. Okay. What
does it sound like when someone finally gets
clear about their message and how does their
network respond differently? So I would say it
sounds like. You're getting people to engage
with what you say for your elevator pitch. If
you say, I'm a financial advisor, a lot of people
aren't like engaging with that. Like it doesn't
give them much to work with. So I think a good
measurement is to see what kind of engagement
are you getting back after you deliver your elevator
pitch? Are they asking? open -ended follow -up
questions about what you do. Like you mentioned,
you're a networking coach and people are like,
tell me more. Are people asking to the listeners?
Are people asking you? Are they saying, tell
me more when you deliver your elevator pitch?
Are they saying, is it kind of basic things like,
oh, what kind of company or what company do you
work for? That's not an open ended question.
That's a closed ended question. But really, if
they're showing interest by asking open ended
questions after you deliver your elevator pitch,
I would say that's a good sign that your elevator
pitch is very clear. And it's intriguing to them.
It's very intriguing and it's very interesting.
And when you begin to network properly, I should
add, because if you don't do it properly, you're
never going to enjoy it, but you're really going
to have fun. You're going to enjoy networking,
enjoy going out and meeting with people because
you're networking properly, right? In modern
networking. Attention is short and trust takes
time. How do you build relationships that last
beyond the first meeting? So you got to have
your one -to -ones and this is so key. You need
to be having your one -to -ones if they seem
like a good connection for you. Now, you don't
need to have a one -on -one with everyone you
meet at a networking event. I think people need
to use their own judgment and see who would be
a beneficial connection for them. But you have
to have those one -to -ones and continuously
have those one -to -ones like once a quarter
with solid folks in your network. It's so important
to get involved in, I'd say, two networking groups.
And you'll see the same people consistently over
and over again. And that's a good way to build
trust because by seeing them over and over again,
they're going to like you more. They're going
to know you more. And then naturally, they're
going to trust you more. Even if you don't think
you have things in common with them, you're like,
Oh, hey, Joe. Hey, Dana. You'll recognize their
face and there'll be a familiar face to you and
naturally you'll talk to them more. Also, another
modern networking strategy is to add them online
as well. So you want to connect with everyone
you meet. on LinkedIn and Facebook and Instagram
if you have a professional Facebook and Instagram
because that way they will see your posts in
their feed as well and it's another way for you
to stay relevant and top of mind and I think
folks need to be the one you have to be the one
to add them on LinkedIn and Facebook on Instagram
because I'm sure as Michael a lot of people don't
follow up. That's true. And half of my workshops
is follow up, right? The follow up is, I would
say the follow up is more important than actually
meeting the person. Because it's the way that
you follow up is how much business you're going
to get from them. And if you don't follow up
properly, then you probably won't get their business
at all. You have AI. Nowadays, you have different
ways that you can promote yourselves on social
media. I'm different. I use a program called
Opus Clips and all my podcasts and things like
that. I post on LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook,
and Instagram four times a day. Wow. Four times
a day. And you know how long that takes me to
do it? Less than five minutes. Less than five
minutes. That's what Opus Clips does, right?
So it's amazing because it takes your podcast,
it clips it up into different pieces, and you
get to post it whenever you want. And you see
what social media platforms you want to post
it on. I happen to subscribe to those. Oh, I
also subscribe to X, Twitter, right? So when
I post one item. it automatically goes out to
Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Right? So if I do it four times, four different
clips, I could do all that in less than five
minutes. So I'm using this program to do what
normally would have taken me a half an hour or
45 minutes. So I get to do other things. So it's
just on how you structure it, but it's very important
because nowadays all the networking you do can't
just be face -to -face. It's in social media
as well. And also because folks are busy, they
don't have time to meet with you once a month.
I think that's a little unrealistic, especially
in like Atlanta or Charlotte traffic. Yeah. Yeah.
Forget about Atlanta traffic. It's no good. Okay.
What habits turn casual contacts into real partners
over time? So I really think getting to know
them and trying to offer value to your contacts.
It's so important because no one wants to be
sold. Don't sell them anything. focus on providing
value and eventually they're going to provide
value back in some way or a partnership but it's
really important to think about what you can
do for them either today or in the future keep
an eye out for their ideal client and if you
could refer them definitely try to refer them
make introductions and really yeah Focus on providing
value to them. And I think that is going to help
people turn just a phone number into a real,
genuine relationship. It's like a friendship.
There's dating apps and also like they have Bumble
BFF. I've met some women on Bumble BFF. Like
I get their number. I've met up with some. But
like you're not going to have a good friendship
if you meet the person once. You need to see
them consistently and be there for them in multiple
ways. And the same thing for any type of relationship.
So be there for them. Congratulate them. And
reach out if you hear a post on LinkedIn where
they're doing they had an achievement give them
a call or text them also invite them to networking
events you're attending so it's not like a one
-to -one but you can still see them i learned
a line which i usually say in all my workshops
and my coaching and everything else people love
to buy but they hate to be sold to so if you
think of a car dealership Do you want that salesman
to come up to you and say, hey, how do you like
this? Oh, this is a Chevy Tahoe. It does this.
It does that. It's great. Let me show you this.
Let me show you this. Okay. And it's all over
you and trying to show you and sell you and everything.
Or do you want the salesman to come up to you
and say, hi, I'm Michael. If you need any help,
I'm right over here. It's a different mindset,
but this is America. People love to buy things.
They just hate to be sold to. So if you keep
that in the back of your mind, you'll go a lot
further. Absolutely. Where do professionals unknowingly
make networking harder than it needs to be? So
folks make it harder by just thinking, oh, I
got to attend all of the events, every event,
happy hours, breakfast meetups. lunches afternoon
events and also they're just driving everywhere
across the city like for folks in major metro
areas that's unrealistic to attend all the events
so it's really best to get involved in one to
two groups and be very active in those groups
so stop trying to go to all of the events because
also I think a lot of people make a mistake of
just going to the free events and, oh, I'll go
to the free events. I'll go to all of the free
events. But that attracts folks who may not be
as serious to building their professional network
as those who are willing to invest their hard
-earned money in a membership -based group. So
free events are fine, but if you find consistently
you don't see the same people. over and over
again and people can be flaky, you might want
to consider a paid membership group because some
of my events, I've hosted free events and a lot
of folks just don't come back. And it's just
because they're just like doing all of these
events and they don't have any buy -in or commitment.
So I really think you should invest your time
into groups where Other folks are just as invested
with their time and their money to build their
professional relationships. Absolutely. I couldn't
agree with you more. I couldn't agree with you
more. Think about the most successful connectors.
What do they do in conversations that others
don't even notice? I think in their head, they're...
a matchmaker they're trying to their mind is
churning you're like oh yeah I do this and I'm
like oh I actually know someone like their mind
is churning with people they already can connect
you to even if you haven't even said who you
want to connect with I'm like that I'm like a
matchmaker for networking I love to connect people
to other folks who might they might benefit from
professionally so a key word for a super connector
is let me connect you with x or I can introduce
you to X or would you like me to introduce you
to X? It's very important to offer an introduction.
I often say, would you like me to introduce you
to this person through an email? And I'll go
online and I'll put everybody's email address.
And I'll say, Dana, this is Michael. Michael,
this is Dana. Dana, this is a networking expert.
And Michael, I believe you need her expertise.
You guys take over from here. And I let you converse.
So I've introduced you. I've given you each other's
contact information without me even trying to
promote it. And I am able to step away. I'm usually
about 80 % successful in having people take my
lead because if I invited them, that usually
means that I vetted them and they're pretty good
at what they do. So that's one thing. Okay, let's
bring this full circle. If someone wants their
network to truly work for them this year, what
belief do they need to let go of first? They
need to let go of the belief that these people
should be referring me clients immediately. And
also adopt the belief that people you meet at
networking events, they don't owe you anything.
They don't owe you clients. They don't owe you.
They don't need to be your client and they don't
owe you any referrals. Stop like thinking of
it so transactional. Think about. developing
relationships instead of getting business. Because
I know, and I was there too, like when I was
younger, I was like, oh, I was an office leasing
agent. I was like, hey, do you guys want to renew
or relocate to our office? And it's, I mean,
I did close deals that way, but I really got
the most deals by, you know, being consistent
with my follow -up and talking to the same people
over and over again. So really, Focus on providing
value to them and don't force anyone to a meeting.
We talked about no one wants to get sold. Don't
force a meeting. We can ask if they want to set
up a meeting once, but if they don't want to,
just drop it. Don't force anything. And I'd also
say adopt the mindset of focus on. relationships
that bring you happiness and mutual benefits.
Nina, I have to tell you, this was an enlightening
podcast. I love hearing about how other people
network, especially someone with your background.
You've created a networking environment and you're
passing it on. And I love that. If one of my
listeners was listening and they wanted to get
a hold of you, how would they do it? Thank you.
So if anyone wants to reach me, you can follow
me on LinkedIn and send me a message there. Dana
Alfirovic, my name is in the screen here. Also,
you can send me a message on our Facebook or
Instagram, which is Charlotte Networking Knowledge.
And you can also visit my website, which is Networking
Knowledge and That's the difference. If anyone
has any follow -up questions or just wants to
talk about networking or needs some support and
encouragement, feel free to reach out. I'd love
to talk. That's the difference clear communication
makes. Not louder, not busier, just clearer.
If something you heard today shifted the way
you think about your network, don't wait. Use
it in your very next conversation. Say what you
do with confidence. Ask better questions. Watch
how quickly doors start opening. If this episode
gave you value, share it with someone who's building
their future one relationship at a time. And
make sure you follow Networking Unleashed, building
profitable connections so you never miss a conversation
that helps you turn connection into momentum.
Michael Foreman. And remember, your network already
has what you need. The only question is, are
you communicating it clearly enough for it to
help you? Dana, thank you again for coming on
the podcast. And I will speak with you soon.
Thank you so much again. And thank you, everyone,
for listening. Well, hold on, folks. Don't go
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A huge thank you to our guests for sharing such
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