Latest / Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections / Networking Unleashed: An Interview with Jessica Rhodes and Michael A Forman, Professional Speaker

Transcript

Networking Unleashed: An Interview with Jessica Rhodes and Michael A Forman, Professional Speaker · Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections

0:16
Welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building Profitable
0:19
Connections, the show where conversations don't
0:23
just sound good, they lead to real opportunities.
0:26
I'm your host, Michael Foreman. Today, we're
0:29
talking about something many professionals overlook.
0:32
Networking isn't limited to rooms, coffee meetings,
0:35
or events anymore. One meaningful conversation
0:38
heard by the right audience can open doors you
0:42
didn't even know existed. My guest today helps
0:46
coaches turn podcast interviews into ideal clients,
0:53
real relationships, and long -term opportunities.
0:57
She believes podcasting is one of the most powerful
1:01
visibility channels right now. And a big part
1:04
of that comes from something that most people
1:06
avoid, honest, behind -the -scenes stories that
1:10
build trust quickly. We're diving into why voice
1:15
builds connections faster than content, how to
1:19
show up on interviews so listeners feel like
1:22
they already know you, how one conversation can
1:25
start a business relationship even before you
1:28
meet in person. If you ever wondered how to turn
1:31
conversations into opportunity, you're in the
1:34
right place. I'd like to welcome to the podcast,
1:37
Jessica. Jessica, I am so glad that you are here.
1:41
You have no idea. I've been reading about you.
1:45
I've been watching you. I've seen you so many
1:48
times. I'm glad to have you on my podcast. So
1:52
would you mind introducing yourself and just
1:55
giving us a little idea of how you got here today?
1:57
Thank you so much for having me. I... 13 years
2:01
ago, I was a new mom, actually almost 13 years
2:04
ago to the day I was about to have my first baby
2:07
because my oldest child turns 13 years old on
2:10
Tuesday. And I was already starting to do some
2:13
freelance virtual assistant work for my dad because
2:16
I wanted to be a stay at home mom when my son
2:19
was born. So I was finishing things up with my
2:22
job, knowing that after the baby was here, I'd
2:24
be working from home with my dad as my first
2:27
client. As my son got a little bit older, I was
2:32
learning a little bit more about the entrepreneur
2:34
life. And I got bit by that bug of entrepreneurship.
2:38
And I thought, okay, I don't just want to build
2:41
by the hour as a freelancer, basically with my
2:44
own job. I want to build a business. And so my
2:47
dad had a conversation with me. He was also my
2:49
business coach. And he asked me some questions
2:53
about what I like doing, what's in most demand,
2:55
what do my clients get the most value out of.
2:57
And it all came back to what I was doing with
2:59
podcast booking, booking my dad on podcasts,
3:03
booking people for interviews on his podcast.
3:06
And that is what led to me founding the first
3:09
ever podcast booking agency, Interview Connections
3:12
back in 2013. And over the last now going on
3:17
13 years, we've booked over 50 ,000 podcast interviews.
3:21
I've worked with over a thousand clients. tens
3:24
upon thousands of entrepreneurs through our free
3:25
masterclass, how to use podcast interviews as
3:30
a way to network, to build your audience, to
3:33
get new clients and create content that earns
3:36
people's trust so that they want to work with
3:39
you. That sounds exactly what I feel that every
3:44
one of my listeners should hear. That's how,
3:47
well, I began, I'm a professional speaker and
3:50
I go on stages and I talk about networking, communication,
3:54
leadership, everything. But when I got into the
3:57
podcasting world, it opened up what I do. I've
4:02
had on every continent, every country. It was
4:05
just incredible. So I'm really enjoying this.
4:07
So that's why I'm looking forward to your podcast.
4:10
Okay. You say podcast interviews can lead directly
4:14
to dream coaching clients. What happens in a
4:18
conversation that makes someone trust you faster
4:23
than traditional marketing? So the part about
4:27
podcast interviews that is most effective in
4:30
getting clients is not actually the interview
4:32
itself, but it is the conversation that is happening
4:35
before the recording with the host and after
4:38
the recording with the host. And I saw this work.
4:42
13 years ago with my dad as my first case study.
4:45
He is a business coach and I saw him use podcast
4:49
interviews as a really effective way to get coaching
4:52
clients. And the way that he would do this and
4:54
the way I've seen so many other entrepreneurs
4:55
do that I've worked with is that in the green
4:57
room chat, he got to know the host. He asked
5:00
them questions. He learned about their business.
5:03
He showed that he cared about them. First, not
5:07
just getting something from them, which was visibility
5:09
to their audience. And that's what would happen
5:11
with him as a guest on their show. So he really
5:14
built a relationship with them first, getting
5:16
to know them. He did a great interview. And then
5:19
there was a natural invitation in, I call it
5:22
the green room. In that conversation with the
5:25
host after the recording is over and you're just
5:27
chit -chatting about when the episode's going
5:29
to go live and how you can stay connected, there
5:31
would often be a very natural invitation. And
5:34
it wasn't done in a salesy way or a high -pressure
5:36
way, but he would have a dream business academy.
5:39
It was his in -person seminar. He did it for
5:41
many years. And oftentimes he would say to the
5:44
host, I have a seminar, a dream business academy.
5:46
I'd love for you to come. I'll give you a complimentary
5:47
ticket. And he would invite hosts to come. So
5:50
he had many people that interviewed him. on their
5:52
podcast, do a great interview. And they're like,
5:55
yeah, I'd love a free ticket. And they would
5:56
come to the conference and then they would sign
5:58
up to work with them after the event. So it's
6:00
like having a very natural next step to invite
6:03
the host to, if they are an ideal client. So
6:05
that's just one story example of how to network
6:08
with the host, give value and just have a natural
6:11
next step for that relationship. That's really
6:14
good. And it really, it's keeping it real, keeping
6:17
yourself, being yourself. before and after. And
6:22
I find that happens mostly with me. It's before
6:26
the conversation begins and after the conversation
6:29
ends. That's where you get the real juicy stuff,
6:32
as I would say. So I would understand that completely.
6:35
Yeah. Another tip I have just for people that
6:38
like some, what do I say? Another thing that
6:40
you can ask the host as a guest to get to know
6:44
them better. If you're just like, I don't really
6:45
know what to say or how to get to know them.
6:47
Just ask them why they started their podcast.
6:49
Like take an interest because they're why everyone's
6:53
going to be different. Like why did you start
6:55
your podcast? Just ask questions that allow you
6:58
to get to know them better. We had a client that.
7:00
always ask the podcast host and he's a business
7:03
coach and a sales trainer. And one of the podcast
7:05
hosts was like, Oh, basically their question
7:08
or their answer to that question was like trying
7:10
to increase sales, trying to get more business.
7:12
That's why they started their podcast. And so
7:14
very naturally he's, Oh, I think I can help you
7:16
with that. If that's what you're trying to accomplish,
7:18
you can have a call, like not a sales call, no
7:20
pressure. You will have no obligation to buy,
7:22
but I just think I could give you some more value.
7:23
So just finding ways to give more value and discovering
7:26
what the host needs help with. It's a very good
7:30
way. It's a very non -assuming way. And you just
7:34
ask that question and whatever the answer is,
7:36
it's fine. There's no pressure. I like that.
7:39
I like that a lot. Why does hearing someone's
7:42
voice for 30 to 45 minutes build a deeper relationship
7:46
than reading posts or watching short videos?
7:50
So I had a call yesterday with somebody that
7:54
I've been Facebook friends with for years. She
7:56
and I followed each other. I've seen her photo.
7:58
I've seen her post. And my assumption about what
8:04
her personality was like or how she would be
8:06
was completely wrong, like 100 % wrong. What
8:11
I assumed based off of her headshots and just
8:14
her branding. Quite frankly, I was like a little
8:17
bit intimidated. I was like, she's such like
8:19
a powerful businesswoman. I was like a little
8:20
bit nervous. She could not be further from intimidating.
8:23
Like we had such a connection. She was so sweet,
8:26
so open. And it wasn't until having a whole 30
8:30
minute conversation with her that I really got
8:32
to know her. Years of reading her posts, seeing
8:35
her photos, interacting in the text conversation
8:38
over DM, completely off of who she actually is.
8:42
You just cannot get your actual personality.
8:46
Try and you could definitely share stories, but
8:49
once somebody actually hears you speak and they
8:52
feel your energy, they just see how, you know,
8:55
how they interact with you. It's completely different.
8:58
Like you would just will never get a relationship
9:00
to the point of actually knowing somebody until
9:02
you hear them speak. And especially now buyers,
9:07
clients, they need to feel that trust. They're
9:10
not going to buy. They're not going to sign up
9:12
and work with you. If they don't feel like they
9:15
know you and they can trust you. And that's just
9:17
not, you're not going to, maybe you get 90 %
9:19
of the way there. They read your sales copy.
9:20
They read your post. They're like, I'm pretty
9:21
sure it's the person. They're not going to buy
9:24
unless they can hear you speak. You hit the mark
9:27
almost exact for networking, networking, communication.
9:32
It's know you like you trust you. They'll do
9:34
business with you and know you. Well, everybody
9:37
knows you're on LinkedIn. You're in every, everybody
9:39
knows you likes you. That narrows the field down
9:43
just a little bit because everybody isn't going
9:46
to like you. But that trust factor, that is so
9:49
very important. And when you're speaking to them,
9:52
because now you're speaking to them and not just
9:54
posting, that trust factor is going up and that
9:58
wall between the two of you is going down. And
10:01
once that wall goes down, once that trust factor
10:03
goes up, then it's a home run. And then you can
10:06
discuss anything. So yes, you hit that right
10:09
on the mark. Yeah. What should a coach do before
10:13
a podcast interview to make sure the right listeners
10:16
feel drawn to them afterwards? Oh, okay. So it's
10:21
all about preparation. You want to be prepared
10:24
for your podcast interviews, not only to be able
10:27
to do everything we've already talked about,
10:29
which is having a great conversation with the
10:30
host, knowing what questions to ask, having an
10:33
idea of who the host is, but knowing what is
10:35
the best content to talk about on that, you know,
10:38
on that podcast, like what angle that podcast
10:41
tends to go in. I know that you're a professional
10:44
speaker. You talk about networking. Like I came
10:47
into this prepared that we're going to get into
10:48
some nuts and bolts. That's the vibe of your
10:51
show. Whereas I've been on other shows where
10:52
they're like going back to like my life story
10:55
where it's totally different vibe. So do your
10:58
prep work to understand what the podcast is about
11:01
and who the target audience is. And then come
11:04
prepared with a proper next step, an invitation
11:07
of where the listeners can go to. learn more
11:12
about you and to take the next step in spending
11:14
more time with you. Because when a listener hears
11:17
you on a podcast, that's probably the first time
11:20
they're hearing you. It's like that first coffee
11:23
meet. And they're probably not going to just
11:26
reach out and want to buy from you right away.
11:28
There has to be a way for them to get more from
11:31
you. For example, I've interviewed Michael, your
11:35
amazing host here on my podcast. And so my call
11:39
to action, if he gives me the opportunity is
11:41
to say, go listen to Michael's interview on my
11:43
podcast. So hopefully they'll want to listen
11:46
to more episodes and get to know me. But it's
11:48
also a way to give you value as a host who's
11:52
giving me the spotlight on your show. And that's
11:54
also really important in podcasting is to find
11:57
ways to give value to the host. Absolutely. And
12:01
listen, I always give you that opportunity at
12:04
the end of the podcast to say how people can
12:06
contact you. I've been on, I've been on hundreds
12:09
of podcasts and they, at the end of the podcast
12:13
to say, okay, thank you very much. Yeah. And
12:16
that's it. I'm going, don't you want to contact
12:18
me at michaelayforman .com? Oh yeah, sure. And
12:22
I'm going, why didn't you say that? But you know,
12:24
it all depends on your podcast. But yes, many.
12:29
Guests focus on sounding impressive. What should
12:33
they actually focus on if they want connection
12:36
instead of applause? Oh my gosh, Cher. Okay,
12:41
this is so real for me right now. You have to
12:43
share your story. Don't be afraid to share your
12:46
failures. Share actually how you've come to learn
12:51
the lessons that you're teaching because I love
12:54
the expression, there are wins and there are
12:56
learns. There are no failures in business. Any
13:00
failure, quote unquote, is just a lesson learned.
13:04
Some of them hurt more and are more expensive
13:07
than others, but ultimately every failure or
13:09
mistake teaches us something. And so if you're
13:12
going out there and teaching audiences, your
13:15
lessons. How did you learn those lessons? What
13:17
scars and wounds do you have to share? And don't
13:21
be afraid to share the actual mistakes you've
13:24
made to share the struggles that you've gone
13:27
through or that you are going through. Cause
13:29
I think what most people are, I think a lot of
13:31
coaches and entrepreneurs are fine being like
13:34
10 years ago, I was rock bottom, blah, blah,
13:36
blah. But today I'm great. And it's you. Probably
13:39
have cried in the last month if you're a business
13:40
owner. I'm just going to say that. So like, it's
13:44
okay to also share what you're going through
13:47
now. And I've really experienced this over the
13:48
last 90 days have been pretty intense for me.
13:50
My business partner left at the end of the year.
13:52
I've restructured my business model. There have
13:55
been really challenging moments and I've been
13:57
sharing as much as I can. Some things like are
14:00
more confidential than others, but by sharing
14:03
the challenges that I've experienced and the
14:05
wins, but the challenges. That's actually what's
14:08
created the deepest connection with my audience.
14:10
I've had people sign up to work with me who have
14:12
followed me for years. Not because suddenly the
14:14
tips I'm giving are better. It's because I started
14:16
sharing more vulnerably. I've started sharing
14:18
like, wow, I'm having cashflow issues. I had
14:21
to extend my line of credit. It's been really
14:23
tough, but I see the vision and I believe and
14:25
I have faith and I'm going forward. And then
14:26
I'll share the wins and it's like, yay, it's
14:28
paying off. So people are in it for the journey.
14:30
Stories are good when there is conflict. People
14:33
are not watching a story for everything's great.
14:36
They watch it for the conflict. And then how
14:38
do you get through the conflict? So that's how
14:39
you're going to really compel people to want
14:41
to connect with you. Absolutely. I went to the
14:44
school of hard knocks, right? I did everything
14:47
wrong before I did it correctly. And I had to
14:51
learn and I fell down. I got bruised, but I got
14:54
back up and I fell down again. A hundred times
14:58
I got, I fell down, but I got up 101 times. And
15:03
all the bruises and everything, it all paid off
15:05
because I can actually share that with the people
15:09
that I'm speaking to about my failures. Because
15:12
I learned from my failures more so than my successes.
15:18
And that is just true for any business. Yeah.
15:22
And that's how, as a leader, you're able to help
15:25
other people. The best leaders, the best mentors,
15:27
the best coaches are those who have... been there,
15:30
who have been where it's challenging. The story
15:32
just popped into my head, but I like kind of
15:35
pulling stories from stuff outside of business.
15:37
My daughter does competitive cheerleading. So
15:38
she goes up and performs and she's in this routine.
15:41
And at the big summit, which is like the grand
15:43
finale of all the competitions down in Florida
15:46
or Disney world, like it's super intense. There's
15:49
a two and a half minute routine that they've
15:50
all practiced for. And my daughter falls in the
15:53
routine. It was heartbreaking, like heartbreaking.
15:56
She's in tears. And you know what her coaches
15:58
say? I felt once too, I know exactly how you
16:02
feel and you're going to be okay. And hearing
16:05
her coach say that to her, that we have all fallen.
16:08
I've seen like professional dancers post the
16:10
videos of them falling on stage. They've all
16:12
been there. That's how you lead your student,
16:16
your client through a challenging time saying,
16:18
I know exactly how that feels. I've been to the
16:20
other side and I'm going to help you get to the
16:22
other side too. Absolutely. Absolutely. I'm thinking
16:25
of the Olympics. We just had the Olympics, the
16:28
Winter Olympics, and the guy who was supposed
16:31
to win everything when he fell. Yes. All of a
16:35
sudden, you could hear a pin drop. It was like,
16:38
oh, my God, he fell. And then he was very upset
16:42
for that day. And afterwards, he said, there's
16:44
this competition, this competition, and I'm going
16:46
there and I'm going to win. It's like he picked
16:48
himself back up, brushed himself off. He was
16:50
upset. He gave time to be upset and he went right
16:54
back into it. Yes, that's very much. Okay. You
16:57
believe podcasting is the most powerful visibility
17:00
path for coaches right now. What does it do differently
17:05
from other exposure methods when it comes to
17:08
relationships? It is just the most powerful way
17:13
to just show who you are. The thing that my dad
17:17
taught me in business many years ago is that
17:20
people hire you for who you are, not what you
17:23
do. And that like, I am hiring a coach for who
17:29
they are, not what they do. I have a business
17:32
coach right now. And there are lots of business
17:35
coaches who could offer me the same package,
17:37
who could offer me the same number of calls,
17:39
who could help me grow my sales, who could help
17:42
me with my team. I hired this particular coach
17:45
because of who he is and his experience and his
17:48
approach to client experience. It's who he is,
17:51
not what he does. You can't communicate that
17:55
outside of an actual verbal conversation. Your
17:59
stories make you who you are, and podcasts are
18:03
the way that you can tell those stories and really
18:05
allow people to connect with you as a person.
18:08
Absolutely. I couldn't agree with you more. You're
18:11
100 % correct. You talk about sharing vulnerable,
18:14
behind -the -scenes stories in real time. Why
18:18
does appropriate vulnerability accelerate trust
18:23
in networking conversations? It's because everyone
18:28
knows that we're all going through stuff behind
18:33
the scenes, right? Like, I think one of the reasons
18:35
that people hate networking is they're so sick
18:37
of saying, how are you? And someone's saying,
18:38
great, how are you? Great. And you're like, no,
18:41
you're not. I'm not even so fake. People are
18:45
so tired of those fake answers. And so when you
18:50
actually have the courage and the bravery to
18:54
be honest, not to just do therapy from the stage,
18:57
that's not what I'm talking about. Cause it's
18:59
important to share the full story. Not every
19:01
day is bad, but also not every day is great.
19:05
In the last week, I have had days where I am
19:07
on fire. Whoa, I'm crushing it. And then days
19:10
where I'm exhausted and stressed, like it's,
19:13
that's what entrepreneurship is. But if you're
19:15
not willing to be right, if you're not honest
19:18
about that, then your content's out of alignment.
19:21
Like alignment is when the outside matches the
19:25
inside, when everything clicks into place. But
19:27
if on the outside, you're like, I'm great and
19:29
everything's awesome. And then on the inside,
19:31
you're struggling, but you're not sharing that.
19:33
So it takes, it's an art. There's some nuance
19:36
to it because you want to make sure you properly
19:39
process feelings before you're bringing it to
19:41
your audience. And you think through the full
19:43
impact and the effect and like the energy of
19:45
like, why am I sharing this? Like all of that's
19:47
super important, but I've shared things like.
19:50
you know, two weeks after it happened. Like I
19:52
had a salesperson that left and I decided to
19:55
eliminate the position of my company. I didn't
19:57
post it the day after she resigned. I gave myself
19:59
a couple of weeks to like process and think about
20:02
it. And then I'm like, okay, I have a story that's
20:03
about this that I can share with my audience.
20:05
And it's a post that's gotten more engagement
20:08
than most of my other posts. Yeah. It's all about
20:10
alignment and honesty. Absolutely. And I'm not
20:14
sure if I shared this with you with our. podcast,
20:17
when you walk into a networking event, you want
20:20
to go in with what's called a servant's heart.
20:22
And what you do is you don't talk business because
20:25
everybody's like afraid of that fake smile and
20:30
like, how are you doing? I'm okay. No, you're
20:32
not. No, just take all that, throw it away and
20:35
just talk about anything else. And it takes that
20:38
pressure off your shoulders so you can relax.
20:41
You can enjoy. And networking, as you well know,
20:45
is a skill. and a talent. So you're going to
20:48
have to practice, practice before you get better.
20:51
And what's a better way to practice than to go
20:54
to start networking and just be free. You have
20:57
to be free, free yourself of the business. It'll
21:00
come Zig Ziglar, Bob Berg. They all say the same
21:04
thing. Just it will come. It will come. So that's.
21:07
I love that Bob Berg. I love Bob. He was a friend
21:10
of my dad's. And when I was a new mom and like
21:13
just working with my dad, he was I live in Rhode
21:15
Island and he was speaking at an event in Massachusetts.
21:18
And I went up and saw him speak and I brought
21:20
my baby and he held my baby. I love Bob. Bob
21:24
is great. Bob is way up on the speaker scale.
21:27
Yeah. And when I. About two months ago, I said,
21:32
you know, what the heck? I'm just going to invite
21:34
him on my podcast, just to say. So I sent him
21:37
an email, not expecting him to answer. The very
21:41
next day, he said, Mike, I'd love to come onto
21:44
your podcast. When do you want to sign it? It
21:46
was just like, and he's so, as great as he is,
21:50
that's how humble he is. He's so great, yeah.
21:54
He is just, he's a great person. And I can't
21:57
say enough about him. Okay. Where is the line
22:01
between being authentic and oversharing, especially
22:05
when you're building a professional reputation?
22:09
Great question. Yeah, perfect. Perfect segue
22:11
from our last topic. And I think the line is,
22:15
are you good? Have you processed this? Or is
22:19
it still hurting a little bit? I have a friend
22:21
who's also a professional speaker, and she's
22:24
the one who I heard say, don't do therapy from
22:26
the stage. So you have to. Are the emotions process?
22:31
Can you share this and have you reached the point
22:33
where you're clear on your next step? You're
22:37
clear on the lessons. You're clear on what you're
22:41
going to take from this lesson. If you're still
22:43
in it, right? Like you're still like, I, I went
22:46
through something in my business last week that
22:49
I, it's, I haven't really shared yet. And because
22:52
it's fresh, right? And I'm not at the point yet
22:55
where there's it's ready to be shared. It's like
22:57
you got to let the storm pass before you can
23:01
make it public. So I just think it I had a mentor
23:05
named Melanie and layer that would always say
23:07
the energy needs to be squeaky clean. If there's
23:11
any kind of muck in the water, like you're feeling
23:14
so a little bit frustrated about something like
23:16
just hold off a minute because you've got to
23:18
show up and lead. And you can lead by being vulnerable
23:21
and being honest about challenges, but a leader
23:24
needs to be ready to have people follow them.
23:27
Yes. And a leader, with my coaching clients,
23:32
the leader, you're teaching other leaders. You're
23:35
helping give them the responsibility. You're
23:37
helping you share the blame. You do all that
23:40
as opposed to being a boss. A boss is just middle
23:43
management, barks orders and walks away. But
23:46
a leader is a mindset. And with my speaking,
23:49
I always bring humor into it. And I'm always
23:53
self -deprecating because I'm the easiest mark.
23:56
I can just put myself down and everybody enjoys
23:59
that and they get a big laugh and I can move
24:02
on. But that gives me clarity. And the more that
24:06
they laugh, the better I feel and so on and so
24:09
forth. You're right. You don't do the therapy
24:11
from the stage, but you feed off of the audience.
24:16
So I think another good kind of like litmus test
24:19
is, do you have the capacity to hold other people's
24:24
opinions about what you're going to share? Because
24:28
if you don't, you are not ready to share it yet.
24:31
Well, that's very good. That's very good. I can
24:33
write that down. Good thing we're recording.
24:37
It's a good thing. Otherwise, I'd have to be
24:39
all over the place. After an interview airs,
24:43
what follow -up actions turn listeners into real
24:47
conversations and eventually clients? So you
24:52
want to get the listeners to actually connect
24:55
with you because you are, think about it like
24:58
you're going to somebody's house. Like I'm in
25:00
Michael's house right now. I'm at Michael's event
25:02
right now and I'm going to leave after this.
25:04
But if I don't tell the listeners where to find
25:07
me, how could I possibly follow? They're going
25:08
to all go home too. And so if you want to be
25:11
able to follow up and connect, there has to be
25:14
a natural next step. For example, having my own
25:17
podcast, having interviewed you on my show, that's
25:20
a very natural next step. Hey, guys, when you're
25:22
done with this party, I've got another party
25:24
down the road. We're all going to go there. And
25:26
then a certain percentage of them will like the
25:28
show and then want to listen to more episodes.
25:30
If you don't have a podcast, maybe you post a
25:33
lot on LinkedIn and you say. Hey guys, come to
25:36
my LinkedIn, send me a connection request. Tell
25:38
me you heard me on Michael's show and I'd love
25:40
to connect with you. And then from there, you
25:42
can be posting, you can be, my client Evan calls
25:45
it building his choir and builds his choir on
25:48
LinkedIn. And then he posts and shares stories.
25:49
And then again, it's just a natural next step.
25:51
People will then want to take the next step from
25:53
there. Very good. Very good. What mistakes do
25:57
guests make that quietly prevent listeners from
26:01
ever reaching out even when content was good?
26:06
I think that's just it. They gave good content,
26:09
but they didn't give great content. They didn't
26:11
share stories. They didn't allow their full personality
26:14
to shine through. They just showed up and the
26:17
energy was maybe a little bit flat. Like it wasn't
26:19
bad, but it wasn't great. You know what I mean?
26:21
That's another thing that my friend Jacqueline
26:23
would say. She's like, when people walk away
26:26
from interviews saying, yeah, you were really
26:27
good. They're not going to become your client.
26:29
It's when the listener says, oh my gosh, she
26:32
was in my head. How did you know that's what
26:36
I was thinking? That's when people reach out
26:40
and sign up and want to work with you is when
26:42
they feel like you are in their head. So having
26:45
the content not just be good, but having it be
26:48
so aligned with your ideal client that it feels
26:52
they're like, how did you read my mind? That's
26:55
exactly right. That's exactly right. And that's
26:58
the difference between good and great content.
27:00
So it's really good. Okay. So we're going to
27:02
bring this podcast full circle. If a listener
27:06
wanted to use podcast guesting to build meaningful
27:10
relationships and opportunities in the next 90
27:13
days, what's one habit that would create the
27:17
biggest ripple effect? So the first thing is
27:22
to have a podcast one sheet. not so much a habit,
27:25
but make it and know what your topics and questions
27:27
are. Come have a one sheet prepared and then
27:31
have some regular outreach to podcast hosts.
27:35
You'd have to get on the radar of podcast hosts
27:38
who are looking for guests if you want to be
27:40
regularly getting interviewed and converting
27:43
clients. So a lot of people are like, I want
27:45
this, but what action have you taken to make
27:46
that happen? Nothing. I just want it. Take the
27:49
action, make the one sheet, make the media kit,
27:52
put it out on your LinkedIn that you're available
27:53
to be interviewed. You've got to take some steps
27:56
to get out of your comfort zone and start making
27:58
it happen. Very good. Absolutely. Jessica, as
28:02
I said in the beginning, if somebody wanted to
28:06
get hold of you, either to be coached by you,
28:09
to buy the services, to get interview connections,
28:12
all of that, what's the best way for them to
28:15
get hold of you? So my website is interviewconnections
28:19
.com. When you get there, I want you to click
28:22
on the button that says podcast. It's at the
28:24
top. And you're going to listen to Michael's
28:27
episode on my podcast. That's what I want you
28:29
to do. Obviously, once you're at my website,
28:31
you can choose your own adventure. You can book
28:33
a call with me. But go check out my podcast.
28:35
Listen to the other side of the mic and listen
28:37
to me interview Michael. That's great. Jessica,
28:40
I'm telling you, we can probably talk for another
28:42
two hours about everything going on. Unfortunately,
28:46
it's just a podcast and not any longer, or some
28:50
people may think it's fortunate, but I don't
28:52
know. Okay, this episode shows that networking
28:55
at its best is simply a real conversation shared
28:59
with intention. When people hear you think, respond,
29:03
and tell your story honestly, trust forms naturally.
29:07
And trust is what leads to relationships and
29:10
opportunity. If you enjoyed this episode, do
29:13
me a favor. Follow, subscribe to Networking Unleashed,
29:17
Building Profitable Connections, so you keep
29:19
getting practical insights on networking and
29:22
communication. And share this with someone who's
29:25
ready to be heard, not just seen. If you're interested
29:29
in being a guest, collaborating or improving
29:32
how you show up in conversations, visit foreman
29:35
.com to learn how I work with professionals,
29:38
teams and organizations. So until next time,
29:41
have better conversations, stay consistent and
29:44
build connections that open real doors. Jessica,
29:48
thank you again for coming on my podcast. You
29:51
were wonderful. Thanks, Michael. This was fun.
29:58
Well, hold on, folks. Don't go anywhere. Let's
30:02
hear from our sponsors. David Neal, co -founder
30:05
Revved Up Kids. Revved Up Kids is on a mission
30:09
to protect children and teens from sexual abuse,
30:12
exploitation, and trafficking. They provide prevention
30:16
training programs for children, teens, and adults.
30:20
To learn more, go to revvedupkids .org. Henry
30:24
Kaplan, Century 21. When it comes to making the
30:28
biggest financial decision of your life, leave
30:31
it in the hands of a proven professional, Henry
30:33
Kaplan. Henry is a global real estate agent with
30:37
Century 21, celebrating his 41st year in business.
30:42
No matter where you're moving, Henry has the
30:44
right connections for you. You can contact Henry
30:47
at 561 -427 -4888. insights today. And of course,
30:58
a big shout out to you, our amazing listeners,
31:01
for tuning in and spending your time with us.
31:04
If you're interested in my digital courses, being
31:07
coached or having me come and talk to your company,
31:10
just go to Michael and fill out the request form.
31:14
Remember, networking isn't about being perfect.
31:18
It's about being present. So take what you've
31:21
learned today, get out there and make some meaningful
31:24
connections. If you've enjoyed this episode,
31:27
please don't forget to subscribe. Leave us a
31:30
review and share it with someone who could use
31:33
a little networking inspiration. Let's keep the
31:36
conversation going. You can find me on Apple,
31:39
Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, or my website, foreman
31:44
.com slash podcasts.