Today we're going to talk about networking because networking is a part of all of our businesses. I want to make sure that you are really keeping your networking game strong, so stay tuned.
I am Jen Argue, I have been leading masterminds for the past five years for six and seven-figure entrepreneurs, and I would love to help you start your own mastermind as well so that you can create a really big impact with those around you and work a lot less and make a lot more at the same. As a business owner, you are going to be networking all the time, whether you go to conferences or if you have a service-based business.
Networking is a strong part of your marketing strategy. So when we talk about networking, I want to give you some very practical tools and we're going to divide them up into what you do before you meet with the person. What you do when you meet with a person and what you will be doing after. So first, let's take a look at what you are going to do.
Before now, let me just preface and say networking is not easy for most people, and you do not have to be an extrovert to be really good at networking. But once you get the networking down, even though it is so uncomfortable, Just let me say it's uncomfortable for most everybody. But once you get this down and once you develop a really strong network of people who help you with your business and you help them, you will probably feel invincible like there are going to be.
So many benefits that come from this that they tend to build on each other, so it will be hard at first, but over the long run, it's going to really serve you and help you to really be able to take your foot off the gas pedal. But for now, we're talking about putting our foot on the gas pedal because we want you making more money in your business and more known and networked.
So let's start. So first before you meet with somebody, there are two things that are really important to do. Number one, get your messaging straight. So being really clear with your messaging is going to be so important going into a networking situ. So what does that mean? It means on getting really clear on your positioning with your offer, knowing the pain points and the challenges that your audience has and the dreams and hopes and desires that they have.
And are you able to communicate how your offer meets your client where they're at and gets them to where they want to be. So what that means is it comes in the form of having a really good elevator pitch. Now, an elevator pitch is something that. You could have a lot of versions of, and here's a practical tip.
Keep all your versions in the notes app in your phone or somewhere that is very easy to access for you and go over it before you go somewhere where you're going to be networking, maybe to a meetup, maybe to a conference, maybe to an online summit where you're hanging out with others or a mastermind, an in-person master.
Wherever that is, I want you to take out the elevator pitch that really works for that audience and practice it. I want it to be so natural when you say it, that it just rolls off your tongue without hesitation, without choking or coughing without fixing your hair. Just a very strong elevator pitch that you have really great energy behind.
And this is something I work on with my clients, is getting their elevator pitch down so they feel really, really comfortable with it. So that is the first. Also, you can think about your messaging in a larger sense as well, but typically in a networking situation, especially in the first couple ones, an elevator pitch is about as far as you're going to go.
The other thing that you want to do before you go out and start networking is to create an Excel sheet or some type of spreadsheet where you keep track. So at these networking events or in your personal networking, I encourage you to think about who are the type of people. Would make a difference for your business and that you think you could make a difference for them as well.
So when you think about that, you think about first, who your ideal client is, and then think about who are the people that work with that ideal client before you. So let's say your uh, therapist, the people that might. Know about a potential client that might work with the type of people you would like to work with before, could be related to whatever niche you have as a therapist.
So let's say you're a generalist, depression, and anxiety. Well, Those people are everywhere. They're all of us, right? So you think about a, maybe a hair salon or a physical therapist or a general practitioner or maybe a specialist, you know, maybe somebody who helps people when they're in a painful situation.
Whoever those people are, those would be people that you would want to reach out to and get to know because the people they're seeing could be your client someday as. And it works out for them as well, because people that you see might actually have a need for them too. So, As you're building your networking, you might not just be thinking about the conferences that you go to and the meetups that you have, especially if you are a service provider.
You want to be actively networking all the time, especially early in your career. So thinking about who are those individuals, and then reaching out to them and keeping track of your reach outs on a spreadsheet. This spreadsheet is going to be very important to your business and the health of your business.
So when you think about this spreadsheet, you're going to have different columns in it. One column is going to be. The organization because oftentimes the people that you meet with might not be solopreneurs. They might be part of an organization, and so put the name of that organization down and then have another column for the name of the contact who is important for you to connect with and then what the contact info is.
So is it going to be an email, is it going to be a phone number? Maybe both. If this is an online contact, you'll want definitely their email. and how you originally found them. You know, what social platform did you find them on? Or was it through a Google search?
So make a note of that as well. And then make a column for the date that you reached out. So whatever date that was, if it was today, it would be March 28th. And then you want to put the date that you actually met. The reason you put both is because if you put the date that you reached out and you haven't heard from them yet, then you'll know when a good time is to follow up and to try to get that meetup to happen.
Then once you meet with them, you put the date for that and a column for notes. You want to take notes on what's important to them, some personal things. So I've been in sales for a really. Time, and there is one thing I know about sales, and it's the less that you try to sell yourself, typically the more sales you make.
So for example, and this is actually moving into the next point now, which is during the meet. You really want to focus on the other person and getting to know them. There are these studies that have been done that show that a person feels closer to somebody else when they were being asked questions by that person, so, The more they reveal about themselves to you, the closer they're going to feel to you, even though they maybe didn't spend a lot of time getting to know you.
So it's how we make somebody feel, right? If somebody feels like you were attentive, you really listened, you cared about them, you were inquisitive. That in itself, even though you maybe didn't say very much, speaks very loudly to what type of person you are. That shows you're a caring person, that you are intentional, that you're a good listener.
All of those things can say so much more than anything we could actually say with words. So when you're in the networking part, when you're in the networking time with somebody, I would have my questions ready. Ask them all about themselves. Ask them, you know, personal things, business things, really get to know them and see actually too, if they're the type of person you would want to keep networking with.
And then at the end, I want you to say this, this has been so great meeting with you today. I have absolutely loved your time together. Then I what I, the key phrase I want you to say is, how can I support you going forward? And just that simple question of how can I support you is going to be so refreshing to the other person.
First of all, it's refreshing that you just listen to them because typically at networking events or networking meetings, people just. Want to talk about themselves, right? The person who initiated the meeting. But here you approached the meeting in a very gracious sort of way by wanting to listen and learn more.
And then you go on top of that and you ask them, how can I support you? That is typically a really great way to start a networking relationship, and I want you to keep in mind the keyword there is relationship. This is an ongoing connection. They don't need to know everything about you in the first meeting. And likewise, you don't need to know everything about them in the first meeting either.
You want that first meeting to be pleasant. You want it to feel like. I think I can work with this person and if not, make note of that and, you know, grow your list to expand to other people. There are always other people out there. If one meeting doesn't go right, I want you to have the mindset of abundance and that it's okay.
Maybe this person is not the best person for me to network with right now, but maybe just won't ever be a good time. But maybe also the person's going through something and they're not showing up fully as themselves, and it's okay. Maybe. But there are always more people out there, and it'll be uncomfortable putting yourself out there to get to arrange new networking meetings.
But there are the people out there for you, so don't worry about it if one meeting goes wrong or doesn't feel good. It's okay. There are more meetings out there. And plus to it's okay to keep the meetings short and light and do more meetings in the future so that you can build upon that relationship going forward.
So the third thought about networking. Okay, so we've talked about before the meeting, during the meeting, and now after the meeting. After the meeting, what is really important is the follow-up. So you made a note on your spreadsheet when you met with the person or when you last talked with the person, or maybe you reached out and didn't hear back.
That's okay. We're going to wait about four to six months and we're going to follow back up and we're going to reach out again. And here's a bonus tip. When it comes to reaching out, think of what kind of value you can offer the person. So if you have, let's say, a freebie in your business that you think would help this person, then share it with.
Or maybe you have a low-cost course or offer product of some type, bring it along and, or, or send it in the email as, uh, some sort of value that you can share that shows that you're. Interested in fostering a really healthy relationship that's alive and that's fun and that you are trying and you're putting forth some effort.
A little effort goes a really long way when it comes to building relationships and networking. I can tell you there is a story. I was meeting up with a woman that I had met online and she was going to be in. And she offered that we get together and her business definitely was complimentary to mine and besides, we just liked each other, so we got together.
And at our coffee slash lunch that we had, she ended up bringing a little gift bag, a little gift bag of goodies, you know, a little candle, some tea. And I was so impressed by that, that she did that. She did say gifts are her love language, but you know, whatever is your love language, you can get that.
Somehow in a networking relationship or even just bringing a little gift, it's a very thoughtful thing. And to this day, I still remember that lunch very vividly. And when I have needs in my business that are the kind of things that she offers, I still think about her first. So little things like that can go a long way.
So when you follow up or you reach back, or even during the meeting, think about how you can add. And one last note about meeting up with people and networking with people. Go into these situations with no attachments. Be ready to show up and expect not to get anything back. I hope that you do. But if we go in with the expectation or the hope that we get something out of it, it can come across.
Being maybe a little needy or a little graspy and instead it's so much more refreshing to meet with somebody in a way that's, how can I offer, you know, anything to you? How can I help you And to not expect things in return that often will get you something in return and work in a way that will kind of surprise?
So one last thing, even after that is once you start getting into this networking and you start doing this a lot, and you find that there are certain people who are really, really great to network with because they're always the ones that are telling you, Hey, there's this other person, I think you.
Connect with, or, Hey, there's this speaking event I think you'd be great for, or, here's this person that I want to introduce to you because I think you could really help them. Those type of people are going to rise to the top for you and they're going to really stand out, and I want you to pay very close attention to those relationships.
Some people are just really good with networking and we want to stay connected to those. And so eventually on that spreadsheet that you have, you're going to be highlighting them in a color that stands out, and you're going to be categorizing people like, oh, these are the ones that always get me referrals.
These are the ones that always get me speaking engagements, and this is the one that just. Really is great to network with. I just enjoy them. So as you go on and on and on, you can see how this builds on top of the other, and you're going to have this. Very rich spreadsheet built out of relationships that you have invested in little by little over time that is going to pay you back in your business over and over for the whole time your business is open.
You are not only building these relationships, but you're developing the. Of developing these relationships and you'll start to remember how hard it was in the beginning and how much easier it gets over time. So hopefully today's show really helped you. If it did, I would love to hear about it in the comments, in the notes, wherever you're listening or watching to this.
And I hope that even though this type of networking is a very hard skill to learn, it is really going to bless your business beyond imagination, the more you engage.
Thank you so much for listening today, I hope that if you found value in this, that you would subscribe to my podcast and share it with a friend and leave a review.
Thank you so much!
