Welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building Profitable
Connections, the show where real conversations
turn into real results. I'm Michael Foreman,
and today we're stepping into a fast -moving
space where AI meets digital marketing, entrepreneurship
meets creativity, and relationships still sit
at the center of it all. My guest today lives
in that world every day. helping business owners
grow with smart tech while keeping their conversations
human. We're talking about how connections are
built in a digital age, how entrepreneurs stay
visible without losing their voice, and why trust
still beats the tool in every box. And yes, we're
even bringing in a special co -star, her dog,
Echo Whiskey. Because sometimes the best lessons
and connections come on four legs. If you care
about growth, real relationships, and staying
ahead without losing what makes you, you're in
the right place. I'd like to welcome to the podcast,
Amber. I am so glad that you made it here for
the podcast. And I would like you just to introduce
yourself and give us a little background of how
you got where you are today. Hello, Michael.
I'm so privileged to be your guest today. I really
love the work that you're doing and I appreciate
the plug for my precious Roddy. He's the best
doggie in the whole wide world. So I'm a third
generation entrepreneur and I'm a plumber's daughter.
And so I grew up in the blue collar world and
in the blue collar trade. So much so that in
the days of Nextel, two -way radios and maps
goes, we were dispatching trucks before it was
cool. I'll say that. And that is what instilled
the work ethic for me to go out on my own. That
is what taught me that marketing cannot be ethereal.
It must be practical. And that is what inspired
me to pursue the very best solutions in technology
and AI for the benefit of our agency clients
today. That's great. I'm really looking forward
to this podcast because everybody uses AI to
a certain extent. I use AI as a tool. Just one
of my many tools that I have to go out and network
and communicate. So I'm really looking forward
to everything that we're going to talk about.
You work at the crossroads of AI marketing and
business ownership. How has technology changed
the way real relationships are built today? Technology
is at the heart of almost every conversation
that you have at business networking events.
Technology rules our lives, as we found out from
the recent Verizon outage where all of our cell
phones on the Verizon platform did not work for
24 hours. Technology is the driving force and
differentiator between businesses today. And
so I personally believe that technology being
that great differentiator is also the great unifier,
because when you work with people who are forward
thinking, passionate about business growth and
risk takers, then they are usually early adopters
of technology as well. But the speed of light
that technology is advancing is absolutely new
to those of us that grew up. Prior to the internet
and cell phones, am I allowed to say that and
share my age? Facts are facts. Go ahead. Yeah,
yeah. So I just think we have to embrace or get
left behind. Yeah, I use the pandemic as a line
in the sand. Before the pandemic, networking
was really transactional. I have a widget, you
have $3. You give me $3, I'll give you the widget
and case closed, customer moves on. Ever since
the pandemic, the relationship has become more
important. And I think AI has contributed to
making it easier to keep those relationships
going. So I firmly believe in what you're talking
about. Many people use... Oh, go ahead. I was
just going to say, I also believe that COVID
and the pandemic taught us that... technology
can empower and strengthen relationships in a
way that we really took for granted previously.
Absolutely. I'm here talking to you. You're in
Texas. I'm in Georgia. And I'm talking to you
like you're sitting right next to me. So that
is just one platform with the AI that we can
turn to. And what we're trying to do, I'm trying
to. Take everybody out of their houses, out of
their homes, put them face to face with people,
get them back to nurturing those relationships
that it really counts, really means. But I digress.
I don't want to go there. Okay. Many people use
digital tools to reach more people. Few use them
to connect better. What separates the two? I
believe what separates the two is the way that
you use digital tools. You can reach more people
and still not make connection. You can reach
more people and still not make a sale, and especially
in the business world. So the use of the digital
tools in line with the offerings and services
of a company is what becomes of paramount importance
when you're talking about digital tools and marketing
for return on your investment. It's not enough
just to treat ChatGPT like Google. That's kids
play. My nine -year -old can do that. What you
have to understand is that with digital tools,
AI can be utilized to develop your audience and
prepare them for a sale before they're even aware
of your brand. Yes, yes. Very true. Very true.
Okay. When entrepreneurs rely too much, on automation,
what usually gets lost and how can they bring
it back? I think that's a great question because
when entrepreneurs rely too much on digital tools
and they lose sight of their personal brand and
authenticity, then they become, I'm going to
say they become just another brand, just another
part of the buzz, just another part of the noise.
And it's important to understand that the one
thing that technology will never replace is the
critical thinking capability of people and the
fact that people do people with those that they
know and trust. And so as an entrepreneur, you
have to maintain this fine balance of utilizing
technology to empower your sales. and your marketing
while still maintaining the personal branding
that keeps you local, powerful, and approachable.
Absolutely. And the word authenticity gets thrown
around a little bit too much, right? Everybody
wants to become that authentic self. But the
true thing I believe that separates us from AI,
that's emotion. And emotion is the main cog that
holds you together and makes you that authentic
self. AI can tell you what you are, what you
do, and actually reproduce you and your voice
and everything else. It can't yet, anyway, bring
in that emotion. And that emotion drives a lot
of sales, right? And the positioning and the
nuances behind branding. is what will convey
emotions and evoke emotions and opinions in potential
clients or existing clients. So knowing how to
pick your colors, establish your brand voice,
put them into play of your tech -based platforms
in a way that is consistent, clear, and evocative
is, again, what creates a better opportunity
for success. Absolutely. And when you look at
the commercials that are being produced now,
it's those commercials that create those emotional
draw. My wife can't watch a dog food commercial
without crying. She just YouTube. So it's that
kind of emotion that AI can't bring in. Not yet,
anyway, but they can't bring in. So that's really
a big difference. You've built connections in
fast moving spaces. What habits help relationships
last when everything else keeps changing? I think
we touched on this a little bit with the emotions.
I think people are not going to care about you
until they know that you care about them. Everyone
wears a silent sign around their neck that says,
make me feel special. So I think the habits that
we develop are intentionality, frequency of communication.
Heartfelt touches and messages. I still handwrite
notes every single week in my business to clients
and to connections and the stack of business
cards that I keep on my desk of people. When
I go to events, I'm going to write them a handwritten
card. I'm not going to send them a LinkedIn introduction.
Usually I'll do both. So I think the habits of
maintaining those opportunities to out serve
one another are what really helped to establish
and maintain those meaningful. connections i'm
going to give away advice all day long i'm always
going to try and bring value to a conversation
i'm going to lift people up it's those kinds
of opportunities to give back into your networking
community that position your reputation as a
giver and not just a one -sided transaction you
hit on so many things that are So correct that
I can't begin to tell you how much I am right
behind you, right? Between giving the thank you
notes, between the giving. When you go to a networking
event, you're going with a servant's heart. You're
going to give and not receive. Bob Berg, who's
a famous author and speaker and everything else.
He does that. He's been for 25 years. He's been
talking, going on stages, saying that you have
to give first before you receive. Be a connector.
And he's made the whole career of this. And it
was really nice. I had him on a podcast a few
weeks ago, and he was just sensational. But it's
true. And everything you're doing. I teach, I
coach, I mentor, and I teach everything that
you just said. So I'm just so happy with your
answer. We knew we had alignment prior to the
podcast, but birds of a feather flock together.
Absolutely. Absolutely. What's one moment where
a genuine connection mattered more than any campaign
system or strategy? Oh, goodness. It's hard to
pick just one because I think genuine connection
is what keeps us all in business if you look
at it. I'm going to give an example of my friend
who is now in political office. When I was a
very young mother, I took my son to a chiropractor's
office because he was born without the ability
to turn his neck to one side. And because of
that, we had some health concerns for my son.
And the precious woman behind the counter who
was the receptionist was beyond compassionate
and helpful. Anytime that he spit up, anytime
I was running late, anytime we needed to book
an appointment, she knew my name, my son's name,
my insurance information, and the intentionality
of her service was unparalleled. Fast forward,
my son is now nine years old. And yesterday,
I got a phone call from this same person who
said, Amber, I don't know if you remember me
or not, but I am running for reelection. And
I have found myself in need of a messaging strategist.
And when I looked up on ChatGPT, the top strategic
experts in our city, your name came up. And I
know you probably don't remember me, but would
you be willing to take on my account? And the
fact that we had formed a connection nine years
prior brought me business yesterday with someone
who I hope to serve throughout her political
career. So you never know when it's going to
come back around, whether or not it's a big ticket
item or not. My name awareness and her reputation
is what brought the business opportunity together.
Absolutely. And I can't. put enough behind what
you just said. I can't drive it home enough because
the little things you do, when I tell all my
students, my clients, everybody, I say, you know
what, give a little bit more, give a little patience,
give a little information, give whatever you
can. If they want from what you're trying to
sell, they're going to buy. Okay. Or if they
want more information. But it doesn't take very
much for you to give that information to them,
right? If one of my clients was interested in
a company, I say contact them on LinkedIn. Contact
the person that you want to contact and ask him,
say, look, can I call you for 15 minutes? I want
to pick your brain. They'll be more than happy
to give you everything. Plus, it's an amazing
thing. And if more people thought the way you
and I feel, I think the world would be a much
better place. Oh, we'd certainly have fewer confrontations,
wouldn't we? If we could just stop and take some
of the hyper -emotionalism out of it and realize
we're just humans trying to find common ground.
Just trying to get along. That's exactly what
we're trying to do. Yeah, while using technology,
right? To do it better and faster. While using
technology. Yes, yes. Should business owners
use AI to support conversations without turning
them into copy and paste interactions? This is
the temptation when you utilize certain plugins
and automations is that it feels robotic. So
I believe, and we coach our clients to use technology
for automation, for streamlining, but to program
the technology to be personalized. So it doesn't
take that much more time for you to personalize
your responses by putting someone's first name
in there. Michael, thanks for reaching out. How
can we be of service to you? Instead of you've
reached far beyond marketing, what's your marketing
problem? So you personalize it. You customize
your responses. You offer things earlier in the
conversation that will solve the most common
problems that your audience faces. You are warming
up an audience with educating them about how
you make their life better. But you duplicate
your efforts. through automations and platforms
that will take you further faster. So again,
I run a very lean, mean marketing machine with
my team and we serve a lot more clients than
we would be able to if we didn't have plugins,
automations, and things like that, that tech
powers. It's so true. And companies now are doing
more with less and they're actually more efficient.
with the less than having more people. That's
creating an atmosphere where people like you
and I, whether we have a two, three, four, even
five person company, we make the assumption or
have the people look at us and say, oh, wait,
you're ahead of a bigger company. You're 10 people,
15 people. And I'm like, oh, yeah, sure, sure.
Meanwhile, it's me and three other people. But
that's how it all works. But it's to make you.
better. It's not to replace anything that you're
saying or doing, but just to make it better.
And you're right, the personalization of it,
just that little bit, that little touch of Amber,
this is Michael, and yada, yada, yada, just to
make it personal. A great example of this, Michael,
is I recently met the incomparable, brilliant,
beautiful Vera Stewart. And Vera is based in
Augusta, Georgia, and she is the premier caterer
for the Masters Tournament. And Vera has had
her creations in Goldman Sachs and in Neiman's,
and she had three SKUs in Costco. She started
out in Augusta, Georgia, as a home economics
teacher, and she has built a 44 -year career
on culinary arts, hospitality, and excellence.
And I will tell you that her business empire
is so impressive. But in the course of the conversation
with Vera while she was signing my cookbooks,
she continued to impress upon me and the audience
at the importance of customer service, personality
profiling your employees, never compromising
on quality, no matter what it is that you're
doing. Have you ever read the book, The Raving
Fan? Oh, one of my favorites. Okay. Because I
used to be in the mortgage industry and I must
have bought 25 of those books. And I used to
hand them to all my realtors whenever they're
having a problem or as a small gift. It's out
of print already, but I still have five left.
And I just, it's a quick read and it just teaches
you the basics of customer service. 100%. Raving
Fans, The One Minute Manager. Yep, absolutely.
I have all my shelf. I have all my shelf. Okay.
Okay. In digital marketing, attention is easy
to get and hard to keep. What makes someone worth
staying connected? What makes someone worth staying
connected to after the first interaction? You
should always stay connected. It's a mutual decision.
So if that person elects out of your communication,
you're not going to force them to communicate
with you. But I believe that when you continuously
reach out and you continuously provide value,
people intrinsically want to stay connected.
So when you're looking at things like digital
marketing, whether you're running ads on Facebook
or YouTube, or you're establishing an email campaign,
or you are talking on a chat bot. The primary
reason to stay connected is brand awareness and
opportunity so that you are in a prime position
to be remembered when that person is ready to
buy. And that equates to frequency overreach.
So over communicating both in person and in digital
marketing is hugely important. What would you
say to somebody who has a huge LinkedIn following?
I have 10 ,000 people that I'm connected to.
How big would you say I should keep my circle,
my sphere of influence, so that I can keep up
on those interactions? Especially in light of
today's conversation, I would say there's no
reason to shrink your circle. Just employ some
technology to help you stay in front of all of
them. I don't think you have to decrease. I don't
think that just because you're reaching the masses,
you have to decrease the quality. of your communication.
That's the basis of technology and AI. So I tell
my clients all the time, the wider the net you
cast, the more opportunities you bring in. But
the more narrowed you are in your approach, the
faster you are to bring someone around to doing
business with you because you have highly vetted
them. So is it a numbers game or is it a quality
game? Frequency over reach, quality over quantity.
These are the consistent conversations that keep
marketing companies in business because every
client has a different desire. Our job is to
create the right mix to generate the success
definition that the client has. Yes, I could
agree. A thousand percent, I agree. Okay, entrepreneurship
can feel lonely. How has networking shaped your
growth when things felt uncertain? Oh, when did
things feel uncertain as an entrepreneur, Michael?
Absolutely. We're the last to get paid and the
first to hear about the problem. God bless all
entrepreneurs everywhere. I think networking
is what brings entrepreneurs solitude and friendships.
And I think that there is networking, again,
for the sake of business transaction. And then
there was networking for the sake of connection.
I am incredibly picky about where I spend my
time networking. I am not a serial networker.
I can't be. I'm a mother and I'm a business owner
and I'm a rotting owner. So I don't have to be
home petting my dog then out until midnight.
I guess it's boring in that way. But I think
that networking with like -minded professionals.
whether it's an industry group or a shared clientele
group, allows entrepreneurs to realize that they
are not alone. I was at a wine bar yesterday,
I'll give you an example, with a fellow female
business owner who has also been in business
for over 10 years. And we were just sitting at
the table before our Chamber of Commerce event,
and she said, I am so tired of reinventing myself.
For 10 years, I've been reinventing my business
and reinventing myself. And my comment to her
was, when you stop reinventing yourself, you
might as well close your doors because you are
always going to be reinventing an offer, a strategy,
a product or a service. And that is what entrepreneurship
is about. It's about lifting each other up, sharing
common concerns, finding solutions together and
serving one another. So I believe that entrepreneurship
requires. a huge community somehow of people
that are going to lift that entrepreneur up and
keep them encouraged. If it's a beat down, entrepreneurship
is not for the faint of heart. Absolutely. I
actually, I run a networking group, a weekly
networking group from 5 .30 to 7 o 'clock at
night. And between 17 and 20 businesses come
together. And we talk about, we do networking
and everything else. But about the last 15 minutes
or so, I say, okay, what frustrates you the most?
And then what excites you the most? Every week
is different, of course. It's getting through
certain problems. There are 17 business minds
in that room. So if you have a problem, who better
to answer those problems than other... business
owners like yourself. And that's what keeps me
going. We have a great time. We have a great
time. Phenomenal. Phenomenal. Let's talk Echo
Whiskey for a moment. What has your dog taught
you about patience, presence, or connection that
shows up in business too? Well, my dog is perfect.
He has no faults. So when you want to look at
the model of patient's connection and purpose,
you just look at his little chocolate cover eyes
and you go, yes, you are absolutely right about
that. Let me give you a duck foot. Absolutely.
They say dogs are a man's best friend. I think
that when you look at companionship from a dependence
perspective, who would lay down their life for
you. If you ever needed them to. And that's why
I'm a Rottweiler owner, because I believe in
a strong working dog. I'm sorry. I know I'm five
foot tall, but I don't have time for a little
dog. Sorry. Give me a real dog. I shoot big guns.
I got a big dog. I drink big whiskey. Anyway,
but I think when you look at the perspective
of power versus dependence and servanthood, there
is a beautiful continuity in the two. Be powerful,
but give love. Be consistent, but have boundaries.
Understand that you can provide peace and protection,
but also offer a sense of companionship and truth.
And I think that's what we get when we have relationships
with others. And also when we recognize, even
as pet owners, that these are powerful creatures
that still rely on us for their well -being.
And it's really an amazing connection that we
have. to steward our relationships yeah i'm a
dog owner myself and i the longest time i went
without i think was a year and a half that was
after one dog passed away it took me about a
year to a year and a half to adjust to her being
missed it was like a piece of me was torn out
so we finally got a puppy and now she's about
five months old But yeah, if she was around,
I would show her to you. She's probably upstairs
with my wife. But it's just, it's an incredible
thing that you, the love and affection you can
get, but the protection you can get. And it's,
you, in business, you find like minds, right?
And you don't want yes men. You want people that
are actually going to give you constructive criticism.
but they'll lay down their life for you. Absolutely.
So that's what a true friend, a true cohort is.
And I couldn't agree more. But I had to do that
question for Echo Whiskey. I'll let him know.
How did you come up with the name Echo Whiskey?
Okay, so here's a funny story for you. So I come
from a military family and I see your veteran
logo and thank you for your service because our
military families are the backbone of America.
And so my nephews are Marines and my grandfather
was in the Navy. And so military is just part
of who we are. And I unfortunately did not serve.
I was the creative type who decided she was going
to be an opera singer and tour the world. And
I did that for a time, but found out quickly
it doesn't pay the bills. So my artistic operatic
side came out when I had to pick a name for my
buddy. And I was going to name him Avic Von Century,
which meant my eternal guardian because Avic
is the word of eternal in German. But it is spelled
E -W -I -G. Okay. Okay. And so military call
letters, Echo, Whiskey, India. So instead of
Avic. He is Echo Whiskey. And as soon as I saw
it, I knew it was associated with the military.
Just because I phonetically spelled the alphabet.
So I knew automatically. So I had to ask. Okay,
so let's bring this podcast full circle. If you
could change one belief people have about networking
in a tech -driven world. What would it be, and
why does it matter now? Connection, I think we've
established in our time together today that connection
matters more than ever. Genuine connection is
hard to find, and technology is what empowers
us to have both. I think what we have to change
is the opinion that tech is going to replace
connection. It never will. Tech is going to empower.
Tech is going to allow us to have more connections,
just like it's allowing us to connect today.
But it will never replace. Like you said earlier,
emotion, it will never replace connection that
is human. And it's never going to change the
way that people choose to make their buying decisions.
Because even digitally, I would argue that you
have to feel a connection with a brand, even
if it is purely for your own self -betterment.
If you are not feeling connected to the product
or purpose, you're not going to spend your money
on it. So don't assume that tech replaces connection.
Tech underscores connection and allows you to
do it more efficiently and on a broader scale.
Absolutely. Absolutely. Amber, we probably could
talk for another two hours about this or a multitude
of things, but time constraints. If somebody
wants to get hold of you, either just to talk
to you, be consulted by you, or ask you about
your companies. Where should they go? You're
welcome to find me on LinkedIn, Amber Gage, G
-A -I -G -E. You're welcome to go to our website
and take advantage of our free quiz to assess
what marketing you currently have. That's www
.farbeyondmarketing .com. You're welcome to follow
us across all the social channels. We'd be very
happy to connect. That's wonderful. That's what
happens when technology, creativity, and real
connection come together. You don't grow a business
through clicks alone. You don't build trust through
tools alone. You don't build it though, how you
show up online. You build it through how you
show up online and in person. Take one idea from
today's episode and try it in your next conversation.
Watch how people respond when you bring more
presence, more curiosity, and a little more heart
into the room. If this episode made you think,
smile, or see networking in a new way, share
it with someone who's building something of their
own. And be sure to follow Networking Unleashed,
Building Profitable Connections, so you never
miss a conversation that helps you grow the right
way. I'm Michael Foreman, and remember, your
next connection right, your next connection.
might come from the last place you expect, sometimes
even from a dog named Echo Whiskey. Amber, this
was just a wonderful time. I thank you so much
for coming on my podcast. It was my humble privilege,
Michael. Take care. Well, hold on, folks. Don't
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A huge thank you to our guests for sharing such...
insights today. And of course, a big shout out
to you, our amazing listeners, for tuning in
and spending your time with us. If you're interested
in my digital courses, being coached or having
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