Latest / Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections / Networking Unleashed: An Interview with Prya Marie Robert and Michael A Forman, Professional Speaker

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Networking Unleashed: An Interview with Prya Marie Robert and Michael A Forman, Professional Speaker · Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections

0:14
Welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building Profitable
0:18
Connections, the show where relationships stop
0:21
being random and start producing real results.
0:25
I'm your host, Michael Foreman. Let's be honest,
0:28
most people are networking constantly. They're
0:32
attending events, making introductions, collecting
0:35
contacts, and staying busy, yet very little business
0:39
actually comes from it. Why? Because networking
0:43
without structure, often leads to conversations
0:46
without outcomes. My guest today is changing
0:49
that. We're talking about why most networking
0:52
fails to create real growth, how referrals can
0:56
become a predictable business channel instead
1:01
of an occasional surprise, and why almost nobody
1:04
teaches professionals how to intentionally build
1:07
a referral team. This episode is about moving
1:11
beyond random introductions and creating relationships
1:14
that consistently generate opportunities. If
1:18
you want your networking to finally produce measurable
1:21
business growth, this episode is for you. I'd
1:25
like to welcome you to my podcast, Priya. And
1:29
I said before we went on. that you are so in
1:34
line with what I talk about that I'm really looking
1:37
forward to this podcast. So Priya, if you don't
1:40
mind, introduce yourself and tell us, give us
1:43
the clip notes of how you got here today. It's
1:47
good to be here from Adelaide with you, Michael,
1:51
and your audience. Thanks for having me. My journey
1:54
was simply going into sales at a young age and
1:58
we didn't have a huge budget in those days. So
2:01
we were just sent into large networking events
2:03
and told to go and make a sale. It was then I
2:07
quickly learned that that is not what networking
2:10
is about. And actually, it's very rare that people
2:14
turn up to networking events to buy. Everyone's
2:17
there to sell. It led to me understanding early
2:19
that you had to develop a way of creating value.
2:24
and letting people understand how you could support
2:27
and actually help them. And that's been and served
2:30
me well for the next 25 years across countries
2:33
in different sales and marketing roles, and especially
2:36
going into a country like Dubai. Being Australian,
2:39
it was tough. Nobody really wanted to know me,
2:42
and they didn't think I really had the goods,
2:44
but I was able to. develop again, using my structure
2:48
and system and start to form meaningful relationships,
2:52
which then would become my referral partners
2:54
that then would lead me to continued growth just
2:59
through my networking. So yeah, it's, it's served
3:03
me very well. I don't think you can see my gray
3:05
hairs on the podcast, but I've certainly got
3:08
enough skin in the game. I can tell you. Yeah.
3:11
I've been in sales for about 40 years. And so
3:15
I know exactly what you're talking about. I went
3:18
to the school of hard knocks. I learned how to
3:20
do everything wrong before I learned how to do
3:23
it correctly. Sent me on this journey. But anyway,
3:26
you say most networking doesn't lead to real
3:30
results. What are people doing that keeps conversations
3:33
from turning into opportunity? I think the thing
3:38
that needs to occur is your mindset has to shift.
3:42
So we need to shift from collecting contacts
3:45
to building meaningful relationships. And what
3:48
I mean by that is people are mistaking activity
3:51
for outcomes. So they're attending lots of events,
3:55
they're collecting business cards, then they're
3:58
finding them on LinkedIn, which is a very popular
4:01
platform, as you and I both know, and they feel
4:04
really productive. But then there's crickets.
4:07
Nothing's happening because there's actually
4:09
no real strategy with why they were at that networking
4:12
event in the first place, what meaningful connection
4:15
were they looking to build, and how that was
4:19
going to help them get into meeting more of their
4:21
ideal clients. So I think a lot of the conversations
4:24
as well stay very surface level. People spend
4:28
time explaining what they do. rather than helping
4:33
other people understand who they're best suited
4:36
to help. And I'll say that again, because I think
4:39
it's important that people start to share who
4:43
they're best suited to help and how they do that.
4:46
So what are the problems that they're solving?
4:47
Because that's the real value that you're adding.
4:49
And when to think of them. That's another great
4:52
one is to teach people when they hear an opportunity,
4:57
hey, that's a great time to bring us up. And
5:00
move away from talking about the weather, how
5:03
busy you are, and the football. I know we all
5:06
love our sports, but it's a bit hard to develop
5:09
a fast, meaningful relationship just based on
5:12
those things. And I would probably also say my
5:15
last point would be that people are talking too
5:18
much and they're asking too little. So they lead
5:22
with a rehearsed pitch, the elevator pitch about
5:26
themselves rather than being curious about the
5:30
other person. So better questions, as you and
5:34
I both know, uncover the hidden gems, the opportunities,
5:38
the challenges. And so if we don't ask better
5:42
questions, you're never actually going to. dive
5:45
deeper and find out what's under the surface
5:48
level. So I always like to ask a question at
5:52
a networking event when I'm meeting someone for
5:53
the very first time and I like to say, if I could
5:57
connect you with your ideal client, who would
6:00
that be and why them? Immediately it changes
6:04
the dynamic of the conversation because I'm not
6:07
trying to sell you anything. I'm actually trying
6:08
to learn about you and I'm hoping that I can
6:12
support you by that connection. by actually asking
6:16
who that ideal client is and maybe by understanding
6:18
why I'm going to find out what's the goal, what
6:21
separates you from your competitors. What I do,
6:26
what I teach is an 80 -20 rule, right? You let
6:30
the other person speak for 80 % of the time.
6:35
You only speak for 20 % of the time. And while
6:40
they're speaking, you're 20 % of the time, you
6:43
should be trying to figure out questions to ask
6:46
him about the 80 % of the time. Yes, totally
6:51
agree. When you first walk into a networking
6:53
event, you have to have what's called a servant's
6:57
heart, right? You go in looking to help and not
7:01
receive. And what does that do? That takes all
7:04
the pressure off your shoulders. That takes all
7:07
the pressure off. So you're walking in there
7:09
trying to help people and refer them and put
7:12
them with somebody else. So you're getting everything
7:16
off your shoulders. Yeah. And all you're doing
7:18
is trying to, and you actually enjoy yourself.
7:23
And that's the thing. Yeah, 100 % I agree with
7:27
you because the moment you go into that room
7:29
and you think about, wow, I wonder who I could
7:31
help connect today to my network. Because it's
7:34
also about the network behind you that you're
7:36
representing when you walk into a room. I think
7:38
people forget that. They think, oh, I'm just
7:39
here with my brand and my 50 business cards that
7:42
I've got to hand out today. You don't have to.
7:45
In a minute, you can release that fear and have
7:48
that. That's what I'm saying. It's a mindset
7:49
shift from the beginning. When I walk into that
7:51
networking room, what are some of your objectives
7:54
and KPIs? I think the people who get the best
7:57
results from networking aren't necessarily the
8:00
best talkers. They're actually the best listeners.
8:04
Another part of what I coach is introverts and
8:08
extroverts. Everybody thinks that extroverts
8:11
are the best salespeople and everything else.
8:14
And I try to tell them, no, it's introverts because
8:17
they know how to listen more than speak. So there's
8:22
a whole mindset shift with that. But one thing
8:25
you have to remember when you're speaking to,
8:27
when you're going into a networking event, you're
8:30
not just speaking to those people. You're speaking
8:32
to their network of people. So you have to think
8:36
about all of that. So let me ask you a question.
8:39
What separates someone who occasionally gets
8:42
referrals from someone who creates a predictable
8:46
referral engine? Yeah, it's a really good question.
8:52
And I think we and the economy that we're in
8:54
now with the rise of AI comes the rise of human
8:57
interaction again, and looking at your whole
9:00
business development system and saying, okay,
9:03
we've got this great online strategies happening,
9:06
but something you've got absolute control over
9:08
your fingertips at your fingertips is networking
9:12
and your offline structure. So I think moving
9:15
from the hope to chance to a structured, reliable
9:17
system. going to be more enjoyable. I think stop
9:21
relying on the random referrals. The businesses
9:25
generating consistent referrals don't leave it
9:28
to luck. So what I mean by that is they're actually
9:31
intentionally identifying a small group of people,
9:36
could be three to four, three to five, who are
9:39
actually regularly encountering your ideal clients.
9:44
That's a really good takeaway. trying to put
9:47
a structure behind your networking and looking
9:49
at who you're spending time with to stop random
9:51
referrals, spend time with three or four people
9:54
who are actually already working with your ideal
9:57
clients and who are a trusted partner. I think
10:00
the next thing is once you identify those two
10:02
or three people that really get your business
10:04
and understand your value and, again, can put
10:07
you in front of your ideal client, is educating
10:10
them. So our role really is about how do I make
10:14
it easier? for you to refer me. I want to make
10:18
your life easy. I don't want to make it harder
10:20
because I know you're busy. So I like to think
10:23
one of the biggest mistakes is assuming people
10:25
know the how to refer you part. I think that's
10:30
where we fall down sometimes. We make a mistake
10:32
or an error. So where I would suggest some points
10:35
to if you can gain some clarity here and share
10:38
this with your referral partners and have that
10:40
system is who's your ideal client? So the industry,
10:45
number of employees, maybe they're award winners.
10:48
That's a great way to spot who you're looking
10:50
for. The problems that you solve. So that really
10:54
showcases your value. So all the different ways
10:56
that you can relieve or create success. I love
11:01
the trigger moment. So when I educate people
11:03
about the trigger moments to listen for, I think
11:05
in sales we've always called them buying signals.
11:07
That makes it easy for people to go, oh, hang
11:10
on a minute, that's a... That problem that you're
11:12
having, Audrey, Michael can solve it or Priya
11:14
can solve that. You should come and meet them.
11:16
They're my friends and let me introduce you.
11:19
And that's the bit we need to teach people. Do
11:21
you prefer the lovely email? Is it an in -mail
11:24
on LinkedIn so they can see your other testimonials
11:27
and referrals? Do you prefer a phone? or messenger
11:30
kind of system where you can start that group
11:33
chat. Some people prefer that. It just saves
11:36
them time because I don't know about you, but
11:37
I get a lot of emails every day. So sometimes
11:40
that's a bit easier. So, yeah, I think that predictable
11:45
growth channel comes from structure. And once
11:49
you've got two or three people in that small
11:51
group, how do you set them up for success? That's
11:54
what I've just covered. And I think from there.
11:57
You create a rhythm. Once you've got that group
12:00
together and everyone understands what they're
12:02
there to do and they've got the material to lean
12:06
on or access when you're not there to set up
12:08
a referral for you and that's their job is they're
12:11
actually happy and excited to do that when you're
12:14
not there. That's the fun part about being a
12:16
connector. I think then the next thing is to
12:19
say how do we continue to catch up regularly?
12:24
so that we can keep top of mind. And you want
12:27
everyone to be referral ready. That's the fun
12:33
bit, right? I'm really known in this area as
12:37
being a connector or a super connector, somebody
12:40
has said it, right? Because I make sure that
12:43
I connect at least two people every week. Every
12:48
week. I'm referring, I'm connecting, and some
12:52
people like to do it on LinkedIn and others like
12:55
to do it email. So I figure out which one is
12:59
which, but I've been doing this for three or
13:01
four years. So by now, everybody knows, well,
13:05
oh, Michael gave me a referral, so I'm going
13:08
to have to give referral back. That's not what
13:11
I'm looking for, but it's nice that it's there.
13:14
But I think that's how people work in business
13:16
is thanks a lot for helping me and supporting
13:19
me. What can I do for you? And therefore that's
13:24
how it works. So I think referral shouldn't be
13:27
something that occasionally happens to your business.
13:30
They should be a channel that you've intentionally
13:32
built. And that's why that system and structure
13:35
is so important. But I think a lot of the time
13:39
people do really need a little bit of education
13:41
and support from you. And it's always good to
13:44
go back. I always go back to my top referral
13:46
partners and teams because that's obviously what
13:48
I build and set up. And I always say to them,
13:51
so what was working well this month? What did
13:53
the material I provide? Was that helpful? Was
13:56
it the event that I was running? Was it that
13:58
Google review? That was really front and center.
14:01
Or is there anything else I could be doing to
14:05
make it easier for you to refer me and support
14:08
my business growth? Because obviously as I'm
14:09
growing, I'm bringing them along too, right?
14:12
Because we're all complementary partners. What
14:16
qualities should someone look for when identifying
14:19
people to become part of your referral ecosystem?
14:24
Yeah, great question. I prefer people, so when
14:29
I'm clear about who my ideal client profile is,
14:31
and for a lot of service providers, they might
14:33
say accountants, what I become very aware of
14:37
is then who is the trusted person for that accounting
14:40
firm? Who does that accountant go to when it
14:43
comes to legal advice, HR advice, recruitment,
14:47
marketing? It's then that becomes my target.
14:52
I then think to myself, when I'm going networking,
14:55
I want to meet the top law firms and HR providers
15:00
and marketing people that are supporting accountants
15:03
because that then becomes my new ecosystem. That's
15:07
one way to target. So ideally what you've got
15:10
is your ideal client and their trusted suppliers.
15:15
Yeah. The other flip side. The other flip side
15:18
to it could be you're in a marketing situation
15:21
and you do an exceptional job perhaps with Facebook
15:26
advertising and lead gen, but you're not necessarily
15:30
the best when it comes to graphic design, branding,
15:35
videography, photography. So then what I would
15:38
look for in that referral team and ecosystem
15:40
is complementary value -add services. Because
15:46
that way, in either scenario, we're not competing.
15:49
We're all actually working together to support
15:52
the ideal client profile. So that could be two
15:55
selection criteria. And I would also make sure
15:59
that... You're actually aligned as a referral
16:02
partner. So your values, your timing, your, for
16:06
example, I wouldn't put a team together where
16:08
you've got two people who are close to retirement
16:10
and thinking about succession planning and two
16:13
people are who are going to dominate the world
16:15
and, you know, global domination, et cetera,
16:18
because they'll find that there's not a balance
16:20
there. But the number one thing I always. Yeah.
16:23
The number one thing I always say, though, if
16:25
you can develop relationship with people you
16:29
enjoy working with to start with is good and
16:32
you're impressed by the work and you can see
16:33
their value. But pick people who've already got
16:36
and are working with and are trusted to the ideal
16:41
client that you're targeting. OK, but what mistakes
16:45
cause referral relationships to weaken or disappear
16:50
over time? The initial understanding of the goal.
16:57
So the people will come together, but you have
17:01
to have a agenda. You have to have it like with
17:04
any team you've got to form. So there's the early
17:07
parts where you might think, oh, gee, this person
17:10
looked really committed. But when we said that
17:13
we were going to meet at nine o 'clock on a Monday,
17:15
they're always late. Doesn't sound like a lot.
17:20
it wears thin real quick because the other person
17:23
starts to feel disrespected because their times
17:26
are important. They start to think you're unorganized.
17:29
The biggest one, it creates doubt in your professionalism
17:33
because if you're doing that to them, are you
17:35
going to do that to their referral partner or
17:37
their client? And that's going to make them look
17:39
bad. So I think commitment is a really big one.
17:43
But I also think at the end of the day, it's
17:45
also about your value and your goals, so where
17:48
you're going. So I think as a group, if you don't
17:51
sit down early and say, look, I really want to
17:53
dominate this market or I want to be an advocate,
17:55
I want to be global in the next three years,
17:58
you've really got to break it down and explain
18:00
to people what the vision is and what's the why
18:02
behind all of this. I think if you don't understand
18:05
people's why, money's not really the biggest
18:08
motivator, if I'm honest, in all of the referral
18:11
teams I've set up. It's always about providing
18:14
for the family. And if it's not the kids or the
18:17
partners, it's the fur babies, cats, dogs. It's
18:20
the holidays. It's the extra time with mum and
18:23
dad. We're part of the sandwich generation now.
18:25
So we were taking care of the elderly parents
18:27
along with the kids as well. So those are some
18:30
of the things I see when things don't go well.
18:33
That's why some of the fundamentals were missed.
18:38
former military person. I was in the Air Force
18:41
for nine years. And I have one major time thing.
18:47
If I'm on time, I'm late. If I'm early, I'm on
18:51
time. And you would think that this is not too
18:54
difficult to do. I've been doing this my whole
18:57
life. And my boys, who are 35 and 31 right now,
19:01
they understand that if we're invited somewhere,
19:04
I'm going to be early. right and they can't get
19:08
over that because they're used to like no I won't
19:11
get there right on time or it's a party we're
19:13
going to get there a little late never I've in
19:16
40 years I've never been late for anything important
19:18
like that so it's really my dad my dad was an
19:22
air traffic controller so his advice to me was
19:25
Priya be whatever time they say you are there
19:28
ready to go 15 minutes before As you get older,
19:32
it ends up being 30 minutes. But what's nice
19:35
about that is you're very relaxed on arrival,
19:37
right? You're not stressing out about anything.
19:40
Absolutely. You have time to think. You have
19:43
time to relax. And you're not just rushed as
19:46
soon as you go and meet somebody. You're just
19:48
saying, hi. You're relaxed and you can talk to
19:52
them and everything works out. Okay. Can professionals
19:57
stay top of mind with referral partners without
20:00
constantly checking in awkwardly? So I think
20:06
it comes back down to the understanding of that
20:09
person. And if you're in a referral partnership
20:11
or a team, so a referral team is different because
20:14
you're now a team with a common vision and goal
20:17
that you're driving towards. Before the team,
20:19
though, comes partnership. I can't tell you how
20:25
many referral partners and they all like to communicate
20:29
in different ways. I have a marketing person
20:32
that 90 % of our communication is on Facebook
20:35
Messenger. It's fast. It's quick. I have others
20:39
who enjoy and as I don't like a long email or
20:42
text, I much prefer a voice note. I can listen
20:45
to that at my own speed and I can action that
20:47
quickly. And I think it comes down to. finding
20:51
the balance between the two parties and saying,
20:53
okay, look, when I hand over, and I think that
20:56
comes down to setting an expectation. So for
20:59
me, before I set up a referral, I will call the
21:02
person, I'll give them context. How do I know
21:05
the person? How did I spot the opportunity? Where
21:08
did I see the value add? How have I positioned
21:11
it? And that's all done on a voice note. Then
21:14
that person's got absolute clarity and then I
21:17
tell them I'm now going to set up an email with
21:20
your email signature. All of my referral partners
21:23
already have a template. I don't want to sit
21:25
there rewriting anything and I don't want to
21:27
use the wrong language when I'm. referring them.
21:30
So they have to make sure that's how my referral
21:33
partners work with me. They don't get a referral
21:35
unless that template is set up because I want
21:37
to make them look professional from the minute
21:39
that introduction is made. So I think those are
21:43
some key things and you can ask people what their
21:45
expectation is after that. Do they want a follow
21:48
-up? So I don't want to be CC'd on every email
21:51
then back and forth until they book the meeting.
21:54
I would just prefer, yes, we met. This is the
21:57
next point of action we're taking. And then to
21:59
give me an update if it worked or it didn't work.
22:01
I will also ask for feedback as well. So I think
22:06
it's a good one is to let your future referral
22:08
partners say. listen, I'll make the introduction,
22:11
I'll set up the referral, but I'm also going
22:13
to call that person for feedback and see how
22:15
they felt in that experience with you just to
22:18
make sure that I'm on point as well. So I think
22:21
that's the way to work it out is to find out
22:23
from that person, how do you, what's your expectation
22:27
and what's your process when I give you a referral
22:30
and when I receive a referral, how often do you
22:33
want to be contacted and on which medium? So
22:37
I think it's about setting, finding out what
22:40
that other person wants. And honestly, once you
22:42
get into a really good referral dynamic where
22:44
this week alone on my whiteboard is about 17
22:48
referrals that have been set up and we're not
22:50
even halfway through the week, that's because
22:52
my referral partners have set me up for success
22:55
on how to spot a service for them. and then I've
23:00
got the email templates ready to go so again
23:02
they've made it easier for me to make that connection
23:05
so certainly spend time with your people and
23:08
check in with them I know it's very common sense
23:11
what I'm saying it's amazing how common sense
23:14
everything that we've said today is But if you're
23:17
not practicing it daily, it's not a habit. Yeah,
23:21
it's a good one to check in how people like to
23:23
be connected. Me personally, I can't stand those
23:26
group messages. I much prefer a quick voice note
23:28
and an email to let me know what's going on.
23:30
What about yourself, Michael? I find that people
23:34
are generally lazy. Right. They want all the
23:38
communication. They want all the kudos. They
23:41
want all the success without really putting the
23:43
work in. And what you're talking about is it's
23:46
not a lot of work. It's just a little work. It's
23:49
just a little bit. And the voice note on the
23:52
email that I've been using for a while. And it's
23:55
that it puts you a little bit ahead of everybody
23:59
else who's referring. And I do that. And I also
24:02
the follow up. with the referral is key. And
24:07
I have a whole follow -up system. But the second
24:11
day, I have all my students write a handwritten
24:16
thank you note to the person. And that's what
24:21
puts them different from everybody else. Like,
24:24
oh my goodness, look at this. He wrote me a handwritten
24:28
thank you note. Some of them have chicken scratch.
24:32
Others have really nice handwriting. But the
24:35
fact of the matter is they received it and it's
24:39
not a bill. It's not something you have to take
24:42
care of. It's just a thank you. And that goes
24:45
a long way in keeping that person top of mind.
24:50
That's all you want to do. And I have a whole
24:52
structure on the follow -up system because I
24:55
feel that follow -up is more important than actually
24:57
meeting the person. right? Your follow -up is
25:00
so key. And that voice notes definitely is on
25:04
top. The handwritten thank you notes are on top.
25:07
All these little things that you have to put
25:10
just a little bit of effort into it, and it comes
25:13
out so much better. Okay, so let's bring this
25:16
party. Yeah, that's a really lovely, lovely thing
25:19
to do, a handwritten note. I saw a great one
25:21
the other day where they sent a small bouquet
25:25
of flowers and they said, thank you so much for
25:28
the referral. Each referral you give me, you
25:31
give our business, helps us to bloom. And I just
25:34
thought, wow, wow. That's just, again, because
25:37
people are not expecting that. And do you know
25:40
what? I think when that happens, they think.
25:42
I want to refer this person again because the
25:44
feeling is so nice. It's a great feeling when
25:47
you've referred somebody and they're appreciative
25:50
of the fact that you've heard. Now, regardless
25:53
of where that referral goes, right? But the fact
25:57
is that you referred them, that it was an honest
25:59
referral. It makes you feel so much better. And
26:02
all these little things, you just don't forget
26:04
about the people that referred you. I hold a
26:08
networking. group meeting every week at night
26:13
at a restaurant. And I get between five and 15
26:17
businesses per week. And we discuss everything
26:20
that we're discussing. And each week I'm bringing
26:24
in one little more nugget and I'm running out
26:27
of things because we've been holding it for six
26:30
months now, six or seven months. So I'm repeating
26:32
some of the items, but they enjoy it. They really
26:36
do. They sit down, they have a drink. where we
26:39
discuss it, and then we discuss things like,
26:42
okay, you're having a problem getting into this
26:46
company. Does anybody have a contact within that
26:50
company? And we can make it more personal. But
26:53
anyway. I digress. Well, it's important. I think
26:56
in this day and age, it's really good to know
26:58
that something like that exists. I run my own
27:01
once a month where we have about 30 to 40 of
27:04
a combination of my network and my students and
27:07
my graduates. And we too are practicing the same
27:10
thing, which is how do you network where it's
27:13
more than just an activity to throw business
27:16
cards around. It's really about how do you turn
27:18
it into a profitable system that brings you bankable
27:20
clients every month and have fun doing it. well
27:23
because there needs to be a commercial return
27:25
networking can be a serious expense and investment
27:29
in terms of time and activity i'm sure we anyone
27:31
that would be listening to this would be nodding
27:33
because they're networkers but yeah most people
27:35
don't have a networking problem they don't have
27:39
a referral they actually have a referral system
27:41
problem so that's what we teach in my school
27:44
absolutely absolutely so let's bring this podcast
27:49
full circle if a listener wanted to build a referral
27:53
-based growth system over the next 90 days, what's
27:58
one relationship -building habit they should
28:00
start immediately? The first thing I would say
28:05
to you is get clear on the relationship you want
28:08
to build and why. So really understand how you
28:12
can bring value to that person, how you can give
28:15
to them first, and then how they can then give
28:18
to you and start targeting where you're going
28:21
networking to start finding these people. It's
28:25
a recruitment exercise. I'll tell you that now.
28:27
You need to think through where you're going
28:29
and networking. Let's stop the art of random
28:32
networking events. Let's actually go and build
28:35
and go with meaning and intention. Very good.
28:39
Very good. Now, Priya, if somebody wanted to
28:43
get hold of you, or what's the best way that
28:47
they can get hold of either to talk to you, say
28:49
hi to you, be mentored by you, be coached by
28:52
you, whatever the case, what's the best way for
28:55
them to get hold of you? So the best way right
28:58
now is through social media. So PM Enrich is
29:02
the name of the company. You can find us on Facebook
29:05
and on LinkedIn. I'm on LinkedIn as well. So
29:08
you can connect with me there and reach out and
29:12
say hello. And if I can support you in any way,
29:14
happy to know. But by following us, what will
29:17
be exciting is you'll be the first then to hear
29:19
when we're launching our online. international
29:21
program which is going to be super exciting how
29:25
we show people how to create an actual referral
29:27
team so it's called the referral team playbook
29:30
we're having great traction here in australia
29:32
and i'd love to bring it over cities and maybe
29:35
come to one of your networking nights michael
29:37
absolutely as a matter of fact i put on two shows
29:41
a year two business expos And the last show I
29:46
put on, there's only 20 businesses. The next
29:50
one's 25 businesses, but it's an event. The businesses
29:54
get a table and I have about 250 people walk
29:59
through and the business is being done all over
30:02
the place. I'm also part of another business
30:05
expo. It's in a huge building over here in September.
30:10
It's called Dream Big and it's... Portals South
30:15
building, whatever. But that's going to be a
30:17
huge business networking event. And just that's
30:22
what I do. I do all these events. It's awesome.
30:26
I think more and more now as humans, we need
30:28
to be able to find places to develop meaningful
30:32
connections and to remember that doing business
30:35
is still done in person. I think what you're
30:37
teaching and what you're providing through your
30:40
coaching and speaking and your events is fantastic
30:43
because we're just not taught these things at
30:45
school. Great to have a human being leading the
30:48
way. Well done. Great. Thank you. This conversation
30:52
is a reminder that referrals don't happen by
30:55
accident. They happen through trust, consistency
30:59
and intentional relationships. When people clearly
31:03
understand who you help, trust how you operate
31:07
and stay connected to you over time, referrals
31:11
stop feeling random and start becoming predictable.
31:15
Take one step this week. Identify one person
31:19
in your network who could become a strong referral
31:22
partner and invest in strengthening that relationship.
31:25
One intentional partnership can change the direction
31:29
of your business. If you found value in today's
31:33
episode, make sure you like, follow, and subscribe
31:35
to Networking Unleashed Building Profitable Connections
31:39
so you keep getting the best insights on networking
31:42
and communication. And share this episode with
31:45
someone who is ready to turn networking into
31:48
real business growth. If you'd help strengthening
31:51
your communication and building relationships
31:53
and build opportunity, visit michelaforman .com
31:57
to learn how I work with professionals, teams,
32:01
and organizations. So until next time, build
32:04
trust intentionally, strengthen your referral
32:07
network, and create connections that consistently
32:10
move business forward. Priya, I want to thank
32:14
you again. You are a magnificent guest. Thank
32:18
you so much. And I hope all the listeners out
32:21
there, I wish you happy networking or referral
32:24
partner shopping, as I might say to you now.
32:26
Good. Thank you. All right, folks. A huge thank
32:31
you to our guests for sharing such incredible
32:33
insights today. And of course, a big shout out
32:37
to you, our amazing listeners, for tuning in
32:40
and spending your time with us. If you're interested
32:43
in my digital courses, being coached, or having
32:46
me come and talk to your company, just go to
32:49
Michael and fill out the request form. Remember,
32:53
networking isn't about being perfect. It's about
32:56
being present. So take what you've learned today,
32:59
get out there, and make some meaningful connections.
33:03
If you've enjoyed this episode, please don't
33:06
forget to subscribe. Leave us a review and share
33:09
it with someone who could use a little networking
33:11
inspiration. Let's keep the conversation going.
33:15
You can find me on Apple, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube,
33:19
or my website, foreman .com slash podcasts.