Latest / Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections / Networking Unleashed: S1E88 An Interview with Brandon Sherwood and Michael A Forman, Public Speaker

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Networking Unleashed: S1E88 An Interview with Brandon Sherwood and Michael A Forman, Public Speaker · Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections

0:14
Welcome back to Networking Unleashed, Building
0:18
Profitable Connections, where we don't just talk
0:21
about networking, we rewire the way it's done.
0:25
Today's episode is for anyone who's ever walked
0:27
into a room full of name tags and fake smiles
0:30
and thought, there has to be a better way. My
0:36
guest is on a mission to replace performative
0:39
handshakes and shallow chit -chat with something
0:42
far more powerful, human -first networking. We're
0:46
diving into what it means to build real relationships,
0:50
why honesty and transparency aren't soft skills,
0:54
they're smart strategies, and how niche networks
1:00
might be the shortcut to exponential growth.
1:05
If you've ever been collecting contacts, or we're
1:08
not making connections, or you're tired of networking
1:11
that feels like speed dating other than real
1:14
conversation, this episode will help you reset
1:17
the way you show up. Let's get into it. I apologize
1:20
for me going in and out like that. But I have
1:23
to tell you one thing, Brandon, before I introduce
1:25
you, this is exactly what I talk about. This
1:31
is exactly what I do when I go on stages, when
1:34
I do conferences, or when I do workshops. What
1:38
you're talking about is exactly what I'm talking
1:41
about. So I'd like to introduce Brandon Sherwood
1:44
to the podcast. And I hope all my listeners are
1:48
keeping their ears on because I think that this
1:51
episode is really going to teach him a few things.
1:55
Brandon, how are you? And welcome to the podcast.
1:58
Thank you. Thank you, Michael. I'm doing well.
2:01
Doing well. It's a balmy day in the summer in
2:04
Utah. Okay. How about if you give us a little
2:07
bit about your background? Yeah, so I have basically
2:11
done two things in my life. I have sold RVs and
2:15
I've bought teeth, which may sound really strange,
2:18
not the RV part. So I run a company that buys
2:22
dental scrap, old crowns and bridges from dentists.
2:24
And I've done that for a long time. And we have
2:28
about 38 reps around the country that I manage.
2:30
And on top of that, we've also just started a
2:34
really cool company called Gladly Network that
2:36
helps to build upon our mission. to bless lives.
2:40
And with that, we've created an employee perk
2:44
program that will help connect individuals from
2:49
offices, employees, and really cool, innovative,
2:53
and most importantly, impactful companies around
2:56
the country. Okay, that sounds great. That really
3:00
does. That sounds great. Okay, so I put together
3:03
a few questions for you, and hopefully they were
3:06
right in line with what you wanted to talk about.
3:09
But you talk about human -first networking. What
3:14
does that mean in practice, and how does it challenge
3:18
the way most people approach networking events
3:20
today? I actually hate networking events. I don't
3:25
know if it's a little social anxiety or what
3:28
it is, but if I walk into a room full of people,
3:30
I'll stand in the corner and watch everybody
3:33
until somebody comes up to me. I have a little
3:36
anxiety about that. And so to me, Human First
3:39
takes those networking events with loads of people
3:43
and trying to decide who's the most important
3:45
person to talk to or how you can mutually help
3:48
each other to... lunches and personal meetings
3:53
and calls and whatever it is that creates more
3:58
humanity than a room full of people that are
4:01
awkwardly trying to determine who can help them
4:05
the most. Okay. I understand where you're coming
4:08
from with networking events. And I agree that's
4:11
part of a social anxiety, so to speak. But if
4:16
you what I try to teach my clients and the places
4:20
where I go is that if you go in with a plan,
4:23
you don't just go in thinking like, oh, there's
4:26
300 people here. Which way do I go first? If
4:30
you go in thinking who you want to talk to or
4:33
better yet, you pick out those people and you
4:37
don't go and expect to take 300 business cards.
4:41
Right. You go in, expect to take 15, maybe 20
4:45
business cards. But that means that you've created
4:48
a relationship with those people and you can
4:51
do a proper follow up. And follow up, I believe,
4:55
is more important than meeting the people. Yeah,
4:58
I think there's some planning and strategy involved,
5:01
too. I think just saying, hey, I'm going to go
5:03
to any old networking event and I'm going to
5:06
get something out of this, certainly that can
5:08
happen. But I know for me, in Utah, we have a
5:12
really big entrepreneurial network around here.
5:15
It's called the Silicon Slopes for a reason.
5:17
There's a ton of tech companies. There's a lot
5:19
of people who have done really well for themselves.
5:21
And so when I see a networking event, the thing
5:24
that I'm looking for is who's likely to be there.
5:27
Right. Who and then I can go in and I can make
5:30
it more personal. I can find out that Todd's
5:32
going to be there. Todd works for X company and
5:35
I'd really like to meet Todd. And so. I'm going
5:38
to either send him a note ahead of time. Hey,
5:40
we're both going to this event. Let's link up.
5:42
Or I'm going to at least find out something about
5:45
him and set a goal to talk to him. And maybe
5:48
I do that with 10 or 15 or 20 people that I think
5:50
are going to be there or from companies that
5:53
I'm interested in networking with. And so that
5:56
preparation is really important as well. It helps
5:59
you to really focus on what the purpose of the
6:04
event is. And then. Again, it allows you to hit
6:07
them ahead of time, potentially, and get your
6:10
name out there. And then when you do introduce
6:12
yourself, it's not completely cold, which is
6:14
usually the awkward part. Absolutely. Absolutely.
6:18
And you're right on the mark when you say you're
6:22
going with a plan or going with thinking of who
6:25
you want to attack first. Let's move on. What's
6:31
the biggest myth about networking that's still
6:34
being taught? And why is it keeping people broke
6:38
or disconnected? I think that the biggest myth
6:44
is that you have to be a social person or you
6:51
have to be this introvert to be able to network.
6:55
And I think it keeps a lot of people from being
6:57
able to go out and... What networking is, creating
7:00
that network, creating those relationships. I
7:03
found, and I've managed a ton of salespeople
7:05
over my life, and I found that some of the best
7:07
salespeople I've ever managed have been introverts.
7:10
They don't get their jollies from talking to
7:12
people. They talk to people because that's how
7:14
they make a living. And so they've learned the
7:16
skills to be able to do that. And so if you're
7:19
an introvert, if you're a person that doesn't
7:22
like to be in big crowds, if you're a person
7:24
that doesn't like to put themselves out there
7:26
and go talk to people, That doesn't necessarily
7:28
mean that you can't network. We can do lots of
7:31
different things. Again, with that preparation
7:33
and that planning, you can decide ahead of time,
7:35
hey, I'm going to go talk to this person. This
7:37
is the purpose. And even though this may drain
7:39
me a little bit, I can still do this. And again,
7:43
I think that there's lots of people out there
7:45
who avoid networking events or avoid networking
7:48
at all. And anything that might say networking
7:50
scares them to death because they think that's
7:53
for those social butterflies. And that's not
7:55
necessarily the case. That's absolutely true.
7:59
I found that one of the biggest myths of networking
8:04
is talking. But when you go up and you just start
8:07
blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, diary of
8:09
the mouth, and people are looking around like,
8:12
why? I just, I'm a firm believer in that when
8:17
you walk up to a table or something else that
8:20
you don't talk, you never talk. You wait for
8:22
the conversation to come around to you. If it's
8:24
a good fit for you. Then you either move on or
8:27
you become part of the conversation. But that's
8:30
just me and part of my teaching. You've mentioned
8:33
the awkwardness of traditional cocktail party
8:37
networking. What should someone do differently
8:40
the next time they walk into a room full of strangers?
8:45
You know, I think your recommendation to maybe
8:48
keep your mouth a little tighter is probably
8:50
really helpful. When you walk in and essentially
8:54
announce yourself, yeah, that creates some awkwardness.
8:57
Part of the kind of the people first approach
8:59
that I take to networking is looking at every
9:02
interaction through the lens of the person that
9:05
you're communicating with. It's not just me.
9:09
trying to get my message across or get some benefit
9:12
out of this relationship, if I can take a step
9:14
back and look and see how each person in that
9:18
room, that cocktail party or whatever it is,
9:21
if I can take that a step back and say, okay,
9:24
this person, how can I help them, right? What
9:28
can I do for them? Then the network just happens,
9:32
right? It becomes mutually beneficial because
9:35
you had this mentality of, I want to help this
9:39
person. And it goes back to the lens that we
9:41
look through, through Gladly and through other
9:43
opportunities that we have, which is how do I
9:46
bless this person's life, right? How do I make
9:48
this person's life better? And it hasn't failed
9:53
me yet that when I take that approach, it amplifies
9:57
everything that I'm doing as well. I agree a
10:00
thousand percent. It's called having a servant's
10:03
heart. When you go into networking, What can
10:07
you do for them and not look for something that
10:10
they can do for you? Yeah. So if you're doing
10:13
that and have to get into a conversation with
10:15
them and without you even saying what you do,
10:18
you come across with the same thing as like,
10:20
how can I make you more successful? How can I
10:26
be a good referral source for you? And, you know,
10:29
when you do that, it just takes all the pressure
10:32
off you. It takes all the pressure off. You begin
10:35
to enjoy yourself. which is the other half of
10:37
this. And you start doing it and you start connecting
10:40
people. Say, oh, you know what? You needed that.
10:43
Oh, this person is in need of that. I'm going
10:46
to put you two together. And, you know, I make
10:50
it a practice every week. I do that with two
10:53
people. I put them together and I back away.
10:56
I don't expect anything in return, but I'm just
10:59
connecting those two people. Yeah. And because
11:01
of that, you become the person, you become a
11:03
person that people want. to be networked with,
11:06
that people want to be connected with. I had
11:09
a meeting with a guy that somebody, one of my
11:11
mutual friends had connected us and we were talking
11:13
about this friend and that's the way this guy
11:16
is. He's the type of guy that connects everyone
11:19
around him and he has a huge network. And the
11:21
guy I was meeting with said, I could just tell
11:23
from the instant that I met him that this was
11:25
a guy I needed to keep up with. Right. This was
11:28
a guy that was going to introduce me to a lot
11:30
of different people. It was going to be a positive
11:32
experience and he was going to help me as much
11:35
as he could possibly help me. And that's the
11:37
people we all want to connect to. We don't want
11:39
to connect people that it's ask. It's hey, I
11:43
know this guy. I know this lady. They're doing
11:46
something similar or maybe they could be of use
11:48
to you or even sometimes just I think you really
11:51
need to get to know this person. And. Yeah, keeping
11:54
everything within your network, all those connections
11:57
moving together is definitely the way to continue
12:00
to build. Yeah, because what goes around does
12:03
come around. Absolutely. Because pretty soon
12:06
that they're going to say, well, you know what?
12:07
Michael introduced me to him. I think I should
12:10
introduce Michael to X, Y, Z, somebody else.
12:13
So it does come around. Okay, you champion niche
12:17
networks. How does narrowing your circle strategically
12:22
lead to broader and more profitable opportunities?
12:27
It's really easy in life to look at, and especially
12:31
when you're starting a business or when you're
12:33
starting this whole networking approach, it's
12:35
really easy to look at the total addressable
12:38
market, right? You hear, you watch Shark Tank
12:40
and you hear, this is a billion dollar market.
12:43
And what that means is, There's this opportunity
12:46
for all this stuff. But in reality, when we look
12:50
at networking especially, yeah, I can go into
12:53
this big room and I can have an idea. I'm going
12:55
to talk to everyone, right? And everyone is a
12:58
customer, which may be true, right? But what
13:02
if I say, okay, in my case, I've worked in dental
13:08
sales for a long time. I know that market. I
13:11
know that industry. When I hear somebody say
13:13
DDS or talk about dentistry, it perks me up a
13:17
little bit because I know that. And so if I can
13:20
go in and say, hey, I'm going to find anybody
13:22
that might have anything to do with dentistry.
13:25
Let's target it to that because we can have a
13:27
conversation. We're going to know some of the
13:29
same people. We're going to speak the same language.
13:31
Right. And in doing that, instead of getting
13:34
all this periphery. that is really just distracting
13:39
a lot of the times. We can hone in and target
13:42
the network that we're really interested in and
13:45
the people that can really help us, but also
13:47
the people that we can really help. Yes, that's
13:51
exactly right. And you hit upon so many different
13:55
little things that I agree with so much that
13:58
I can't even, I don't have time to hit them,
14:03
but you're 100 % correct. Okay. In a space that's
14:07
often filled with inflated egos and polished
14:10
personas, why does honesty and transparency actually
14:21
attract better connections and clients? Boy,
14:25
that was rough to get out. It seems like there's
14:28
a lot of alliteration in there, right? Hung twisters.
14:33
Yes, yes. Yeah, I'm a guy that I feel like honesty
14:38
and transparency is the best. Honesty is the
14:40
best policy or whatever, but it really is what
14:42
attracts people. And maybe this is just personal
14:45
preference. I know that there's a lot of people
14:46
who like the fluff and the fanboying over somebody
14:50
that has all this polish. That's not me. I'd
14:53
rather somebody walk up to me and say, hey, I
14:57
just am here because my boss told me I needed
15:00
to be here and it was a free lunch. Great. Let's
15:03
talk. That's the guy I want to talk to because
15:05
he's at least honest and transparent. And chances
15:08
are, because of that, we're going to find something
15:11
at least interesting to talk about. And if not
15:13
interesting, beneficial, right? Something we're
15:17
being straightforward with each. And so that's,
15:20
I feel like that attracts a lot of people. It's
15:23
not the norm and most of these, these situations.
15:26
And so you really stand out as, man, that guy's
15:29
just. He's correct and bold. And what's he got
15:32
to say? Because whatever he's saying, I know
15:34
is at least honest. It's truthful. And he's not
15:38
blowing any smoke. You're right. But you're leaving
15:42
out one third of that persona. That's authenticity.
15:49
So if that person is honest, his integrity is
15:54
there, but he's authentic, he's authentic to
15:56
himself and to the job. You know what? That's
15:59
the person that I want to go connect with because
16:02
you're right. Because even if you have nothing
16:04
in common, you'll find something. Right. And
16:07
you'll enjoy yourself that much more. But that
16:09
is a very distinct part of what that question
16:12
was all about. Yeah. Okay. So here, let me. I
16:17
don't want to get into that problem again. Can
16:19
you recall a moment when being real, second,
16:24
when being real rather than impressive completely
16:27
changed the outcome of a business relationship
16:30
for you? I don't know that I'm ever that impressive.
16:37
So all I've got to go on is real. I was telling
16:41
a friend earlier this morning that I don't think
16:44
I've ever had the problem of being the best at
16:46
something and not having to try. So yeah, being
16:49
real, I've been in sales for a long time. And
16:52
this may be a story more related to that and
16:54
networking, but I think it's all the same. I
16:56
think sales is relationship building. Networking
16:59
is relationship building. And so I walked into
17:03
30 or 40. sometimes more dental offices every
17:06
day for five or six years of my life. And they
17:12
were the same offices every six months. So I'd
17:15
run and see 3 ,000 offices in six months, go
17:18
back and see the same 3 ,000 offices. So I pretty
17:21
well knew the offices that were going to be cold
17:23
and the offices that were going to be warm, the
17:26
offices that were going to like me and the offices
17:27
that weren't. And I had several instances where
17:31
the... Instead of walking in with this positive,
17:35
salesy, pitchy attitude, I knew that they didn't
17:38
want me there. And I'd walk in, hands in the
17:41
air. Sorry, guys. It's my job. I'm back again.
17:45
Let's be real here. Do you have anything or not?
17:47
Right. And the reaction, because you just turn
17:51
the table so much. People just aren't, the word
17:55
you used, authentic. They're not real. And so
17:58
when you're slapped in the face with that authenticity,
18:01
when you're slapped in the face with that real
18:04
persona, it's not, it almost makes you stagger
18:08
back, right? And all of those walls that you've
18:11
put up, whether it's a networking event or a
18:13
sales meeting or whatever the case is, all the
18:16
walls that get put up, they start to crumble
18:19
because it's not what you're expecting. And so
18:23
being real, I think is as much. It does as much
18:27
to disarm someone and to put them in a vulnerable
18:32
and authentic state themselves as anything that
18:35
you could possibly do. There's a mantra. When
18:39
you're networking, if they know you, if they
18:42
like you and they trust you, they'll do business
18:44
with you. Now, you don't have that problem with
18:47
everybody knowing you. You're in and out of 6
18:50
,000 offices, right? They knew you. Now, if they
18:53
like you. narrows the field down just a little
18:57
bit, you know, not by much, but a little bit.
19:00
So they know you, they like you, and they have
19:02
to trust you in order to do business with you.
19:05
And that comes in that authentic part of that's
19:09
where the wall starts to come down. That trust
19:12
factor begins to increase. And once the trust
19:16
factor increases further than the wall coming
19:19
down, you have a shot. Yeah. Okay. Before then.
19:24
You don't have any shop, right? Would you do
19:26
business with somebody you didn't trust? No.
19:29
Not likely. Yeah, no, not likely. So, you know,
19:33
that's what you need to really work on, that
19:36
trust factor. And I think it would really be
19:39
handy. I think you have already. All right, let's
19:43
talk ROI. How does human -first networking directly
19:48
translate to revenue referrals? or reputation
19:52
over time? Again, I've managed a lot of different
19:57
salespeople and there's, I feel like a handful
20:00
of different personalities and skillset within
20:03
sales. And sorry if I'm talking about sales when
20:05
I should be talking about networking, but again,
20:07
I feel like it's a lot the same. And so one of
20:10
the most successful salespeople that I ever had
20:14
was what I'd call a hammer. He could take any
20:16
nail and he could pound it into a board. Now,
20:20
Later on, that nail would be really upset. But
20:23
they were in the board. I've never been that
20:25
guy. I've always been, again, the guy that tries
20:29
to look at everything through the lens of somebody
20:32
else, what they're seeing. And so my goal has
20:36
always been to take their view. How are they
20:40
feeling about this? How can I turn this around
20:42
and make their life better? And in doing that,
20:45
again, that human first interaction. People,
20:50
you're more likely to create a long -term relationship.
20:52
I've had competitors come in behind me that have
20:55
taken business away. And it usually doesn't happen
20:57
for more than one interaction because people
21:00
realize that's, yeah, that was forced. That's
21:03
not what I wanted. Yes, most people can be talked
21:06
into doing things they don't want to do. But
21:09
when you have that human first, again, people
21:14
first, putting them, putting yourself in their
21:17
shoes. When you have that mentality, you're going
21:21
to create more relationships. You're going to
21:23
create the referrals because that's how people
21:24
want to be treated. You're going to create revenue
21:27
and it's all going to come naturally instead
21:29
of through some sales process that you learn
21:33
knocking doors to sell pest control. No, I agree.
21:38
I feel that ever since the pandemic, because
21:42
Before the pandemic, people were all out to build
21:45
their customer list. I have 3 ,000 customers
21:48
and, right, they don't even know their name.
21:50
But after the post -pandemic, people are into
21:54
creating relationships. And where in my former
21:59
life, I was in the mortgage business, I would
22:02
go to a show and come back with 300 cards and
22:05
say, look how good I did. Did I do good? No,
22:08
I didn't. I did horrible. Right now, when I go
22:12
to a networking event, I come back with 15 or
22:14
20 business cards because I've had conversations
22:17
with them. I've had a relationship with them
22:20
and I can follow up with them properly. So yeah,
22:24
so what you're saying really comes through. What
22:26
advice would you give to someone who's been collecting
22:29
contacts but not connections? How do they reset,
22:34
re -engage more meaningfully? Just go over that.
22:38
Yeah, we just talked about that. And I do think
22:42
that the pandemic changed a lot of things. And
22:45
it did. I feel like it helped all of us understand
22:49
the importance of relationships. The times when
22:51
we couldn't just go into the office or go into
22:53
the grocery store and talk to anybody we wanted
22:55
made us realize that those interactions are important
22:58
and we may not get. All of them that we expect.
23:02
And so take advantage of the ones that you have.
23:04
Really, really make the most of them. Yeah, collecting
23:06
contacts. Honestly, I can go to ChatGPT and get
23:10
it to make me a list of contacts all day long,
23:13
right? I can get email addresses. Anymore, I
23:15
don't even really have to pay for the stuff.
23:17
I can go find it. It doesn't make a difference.
23:20
But collecting connections, collecting relationships,
23:24
and having that group of people that that you
23:30
actually know. You know how to help them. You
23:32
know how they can help you. You know who they
23:34
know, what their connections are, right? And
23:37
having that is far more important. I would much
23:40
rather have 10 or 15 people that I'm really,
23:43
really close to that I can help and they can
23:46
help me than a thousand people that I know their
23:50
name. Absolutely. And what you said was so real
23:54
about after the pandemic, because you don't know
23:58
what you don't have until it's taken away from
24:02
you. So that interaction with people, it was
24:06
taken away from us. And all of a sudden we realized,
24:09
I miss that. I miss talking to the person online.
24:12
I miss on a store line or clothing line or something
24:17
else. I miss that interaction. And that's where
24:20
the beauty. of the in -person networking comes
24:24
in because you get to feel the vibe of the person
24:28
that you're speaking to, the vibe of the room.
24:31
And you get to say, you know what? I don't want
24:34
to continue this conversation. Don't politely
24:37
bow out. Say, look, that's nice. I'll see you
24:40
around the event. I'm going to go, right? And
24:42
just do that. So you're still meeting the people
24:46
and everything else, but you're walking away
24:47
with. 15 or 20 contacts that you can follow up
24:52
with. And it goes much further. Okay, so are
24:57
there any specific tools or platforms where niche
25:01
networking thrives better than others? Or is
25:05
it really about how you show up and not where?
25:08
Again, you're talking to a guy who likes smaller
25:11
events and smaller things. And yeah, there's
25:14
different tools and platforms. I said in the
25:18
beginning that I've sold RVs. That's something
25:20
that I, my dad had a dealership when I was growing
25:22
up for the largest RV dealership in the country.
25:25
And I've worked for small ma and pa type dealerships.
25:29
And I found that going to an RV show or going
25:35
to a trade show in any capacity, to me, the easier
25:40
thing to do was sit down in an RV and wait for
25:43
somebody just. to show interest and i'd talk
25:46
to them at that point we'd have small talk before
25:49
that i'd interact with everybody but like like
25:52
we talked you have a chance to step back see
25:54
everybody how they're interacting and then you
25:56
you can hone in on and choose the people that
25:59
you want and a large trade show where you go
26:02
and you come back with 300 cards that to me it
26:05
could be a niche trade show right it could be
26:08
really focused on dentistry but If you're not
26:14
taking a niche approach and a human -first approach
26:19
to interacting with people and meeting people,
26:21
then again, you're walking away with business
26:23
cards that are kind of empty. And yeah, maybe
26:25
you can shoot an email and say, we talked, or
26:28
I got your card. But it goes a lot farther to
26:33
have those 10 or 15 people that you can say,
26:37
how was your wife's surgery? That goes a lot
26:40
farther. And it gets even more honed in, more
26:44
targeted as far as your network goes. Sometimes
26:48
that can be by industry. Sometimes it can be
26:51
by type of person, right? Like we can look and
26:53
we can go, that guy's standing over in the corner.
26:56
I'm going to go talk to him. He looks like he's
26:58
having a hard time. That's the guy I'm going
27:00
to key in on. And so it's like we've talked about.
27:05
It's about, yes, planning. And figuring out that
27:09
these are the things that I'm looking for. I'm
27:12
walking in here like with this, but also having
27:14
the flexibility and the agility to go, okay,
27:17
I've talked to three people that this is what
27:20
they're looking for. I'm going to look for more
27:22
people like that. I know that's not what I came
27:24
in for, but I think I've got something here and
27:27
I've got something that I can work with. Okay.
27:31
Okay. Before I ask you the last question, I ask
27:34
every guest the same question. You, most of the
27:39
guests, because it didn't pertain to all of them,
27:41
but it pertains to you. You are successful in
27:46
what you're doing. You've had a roundabout way
27:49
of getting to it. But why don't you give us all
27:52
a mistake that you've made and how you came out
27:56
of it? I'm not the guy who's pausing because
27:59
I have to think of a mistake. I have to think
28:01
of all of the mistakes and which one we're going
28:04
to talk about here. That's the majority of the
28:07
answers, by the way. I want to be authentic in
28:10
this. So one of the roles that I have in my current
28:14
position is to... to create new businesses, new
28:18
ways of making money, but also new ways of supporting
28:21
our current rep base and helping them to be able
28:24
to make more money. And so we've tried a handful
28:27
of things and failed. And I'll tell you that
28:30
the biggest thing for me that I've learned is
28:34
that as soon as I start chasing money and ignoring
28:38
people, that's when the failure comes. Well,
28:44
we're in startup mode with Gladly Network right
28:47
now. And it's really easy every day to look and
28:51
see all the things that we're doing wrong and
28:53
not to see the things that we're doing. I'm convinced
28:55
that the one thing that we're doing right. that
28:59
I haven't done in the past in some cases is that
29:03
I'm looking at every decision, every relationship,
29:06
every connection with that mission to bless lives
29:09
and mind. And so I'm convinced that if I continue
29:13
to do that, then we won't be able to fail. Because
29:16
to me, the perspective that you go in with, and
29:21
whether it's a project or whether hiring somebody
29:23
new or whatever the case is, whatever the problem
29:26
is that you're approaching, If you can look at
29:30
it through that lens of how can I help other
29:33
people, that servant's heart, right? And in our
29:36
case, the verbiage that we use is how can I bless
29:38
lives? And if we can look at it through that,
29:41
then it's inevitable that success will come.
29:46
It's just us getting out of the way. So right.
29:50
And you can build off of your failures probably
29:54
a lot better than you can build off of your success.
29:57
Because you learn so much more. Listen, I've
30:00
been a small business owner, pizzerias, restaurants,
30:04
graphic design studios for six, 12 years at a
30:07
time. But I didn't learn more from my successes.
30:13
I learned so much from my failures. And it made
30:16
me who I am today. So I agree with that. Last
30:20
question. If you had to build your network from
30:24
scratch today, what are the first three things
30:27
you do differently from how you started? It's
30:31
a different world than when I started, for one
30:34
thing. I think one of the things that all of
30:37
us are guilty of is collecting the cards and
30:40
not the people. And so I think that's the first
30:43
thing that I would say is, how do I, what's my
30:46
focus going to be so that I'm not just... Going
30:49
out and finding contacts or finding this customer
30:51
list, but actually finding relationships that
30:55
matter and friends and real connections. I think
30:57
that would be the absolute key there. I would
31:00
probably take advantage more of organic networking
31:05
opportunity. I feel like I've probably had more
31:08
success in networking with really organic and
31:13
unique. interactions than i have with say a typical
31:17
networking event and so for instance i had an
31:21
extra couple concert tickets and i posted them
31:24
on facebook marketplace and the guy who bought
31:27
them ended up being a guy that that was really
31:30
great to network with he was just he knows everybody
31:33
he's been around the block he had a lot of positive
31:37
things to talk to me about i introduced him to
31:39
some people and it wasn't at a networking event
31:42
it was literally selling tickets to a con, right?
31:45
And it's just because we started texting and
31:47
both of us were open to creating that connection.
31:50
And so I think that would be another thing would
31:53
just be, be open to creating connections and
31:56
whatever situation that is, whether it's at your
31:58
kid's soccer game or it doesn't have to be at,
32:03
at a big event. And then I would, I would probably
32:06
walk in a lot more authentic and real than. than
32:10
I used to probably when I started. It felt like
32:14
you needed to be all polished up. I felt like
32:16
you needed to be this, you had to portray that
32:18
you had everything together. And in reality,
32:21
none of us do. And it's refreshing to see somebody
32:23
that's willing to say it. And so I think with
32:27
growth and maturity, I would probably step back
32:29
and go, hey guys, I don't know what I'm doing
32:31
here, but let's do this together. I agree with
32:34
that. When I first started out in sales, aspired
32:40
to be that professional, everything done correctly,
32:43
nothing wrong, you know, that perfect scene,
32:46
that scenario. And what I've grown to learn is
32:50
that nobody wants that. You know, everybody just
32:53
wants you and me. I made a mistake. All right,
32:55
I'll own it. You have to own your mistakes and
32:58
correct the mistakes. But the whole thing is
33:00
to be authentic, be yourself. Brendan, I can't
33:04
tell you how much of a pleasure it was to have
33:07
you on as a guest today. It was really a great
33:11
conversation. If somebody wants to get hold of
33:14
you, whether it is to be coached or find out
33:17
about your companies or find out about networking
33:19
or whatever, what's the best way for them to
33:22
get hold of you? I'm really active on LinkedIn,
33:25
our digital networking that we all do. I'm super
33:29
active on there. Brandon Sherwood. And then email
33:32
is always easy. Brandon at gladlygood .com. And
33:36
the thing around Utah, I try to make myself known
33:40
and I try to make myself go to. Even though it's
33:42
not my favorite thing in the world, as much as
33:46
anything, I want to be there for somebody else
33:48
that's having a hard time and standing in the
33:49
corner. Maybe we can be wallflowers together.
33:53
Well, that's great. I'm telling you, Brandon,
33:56
this was great, and I look forward to speaking
33:58
with you in the future. Sounds good. Thanks,
34:01
Michael. Well, hold on, folks. Don't go anywhere.
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34:59
All right, folks. A huge thank you to our guests
35:02
for sharing such incredible insights today. And
35:06
of course, a big shout out to you, our amazing
35:08
listeners, for tuning in and spending your time
35:11
with us. If you're interested in my digital courses,
35:15
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35:18
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35:21
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35:25
about being perfect. It's about being present.
35:28
So take what you've learned today. get out there,
35:31
and make some meaningful connections. If you've
35:34
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35:43
Let's keep the conversation going. You can find
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35:50
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