Latest / Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections / Networking Unleashed: S1E99 An Interview with Marvin Booker and Michael A Forman, Public Speaker

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Networking Unleashed: S1E99 An Interview with Marvin Booker and Michael A Forman, Public Speaker · Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections

0:16
Welcome back to Networking Unleashed, Building
0:20
Profitable Connections. I'm your host, Michael
0:23
Foreman, and today we're diving into the power
0:26
of networking through a very unique lens. My
0:30
guest has built success in two very different
0:33
industries, launching his own fitness company
0:36
and later stepping into the world of life insurance.
0:40
Both ties, excuse me, what ties both journeys
0:45
together? The ability to build meaningful relationships,
0:48
turn conversations into opportunities, and grow
0:52
businesses through the art of networking. Today,
0:57
we'll explore how he used networking to get his
0:59
first clients, how those same skills translate
1:03
across industries, and the lessons he's learned
1:07
about building authentic connections that lead
1:11
to real results. So if you ever wondered how
1:15
to take your networking beyond just handshakes
1:18
and LinkedIn requests and actually turn it into
1:22
profit, you're going to love this conversation.
1:25
I'd like to welcome to the podcast Marvin Booker.
1:28
Marvin, listen, I've known Marvin for really
1:31
a short amount of time, but we've become friendly.
1:34
We know each other through networking events,
1:36
and I'm a real proponent of what he has to offer.
1:41
Marvin? Why don't you say hello and give us a
1:44
little bit about your background? Yeah, Michael,
1:47
thanks for the great introduction. It's been
1:49
a pleasure interacting with you throughout various
1:52
networking events and hearing your wisdom and
1:55
how you share to other people and how people
1:57
actually gravitate to it. They take the pointers
2:00
that you give out and they apply it and then
2:04
they see results. So I think that's great, first
2:06
and foremost. But yeah, you gave a great background
2:09
on me. I appreciate it. Marvin Booker, born and
2:11
raised in New Jersey, born in East Orange, New
2:14
Jersey, went to high school in Piscataway, New
2:16
Jersey, went off to play college football at
2:19
Rutgers University, as well as graduating there
2:23
with my degree in labor relations and employment
2:25
and minor in Africana studies. Just to fast forward,
2:30
I had on and off the field, I had some different
2:32
things going on, a lot of different life experiences
2:36
that taught me how to maintain my health, my
2:41
body, right? Playing football, you have to train
2:43
all the time every day, right? Growing my body,
2:47
manipulating my body to get the best out of it,
2:49
to perform at a high level. And also when football
2:53
was, when I was transitioning out of football,
2:56
I always saw that fitness was always a part of
3:01
my life. transitioning out of football, growing
3:03
up, throughout my childhood, everything, throughout
3:05
my whole life, fitness has been a huge part and
3:07
component to me because it keeps me centered.
3:09
And then there are different life experiences
3:12
that have come about to say, hey, maybe you need
3:15
to learn this, how to deal with your finances
3:17
better. Maybe you need to learn this, so on and
3:21
so forth. So I would find different jobs that
3:24
would help me refine those skills. And in finding
3:28
those jobs, it was really about networking. It
3:31
was really about shaking hands, meeting people,
3:33
not necessarily asking them for anything up front,
3:37
but just building genuine connections with people
3:40
to see if our energy even aligns at any type
3:43
of situation. Once that would happen, then I
3:49
will also do the giver's game, right? I will
3:51
make sure that if I hear something or... know
3:53
a connection that somebody can benefit from.
3:55
I'll connect those people or give some wisdom
3:57
from my experiences. And people really appreciate
4:01
that. And then when it was time for me to ask
4:03
for something or if I shared my experiences or
4:07
what I was looking to do, they would do the same
4:09
for me, whether it be in that moment or sometime
4:10
down the line. So these were certain skills that
4:14
led me to start my fitness business, right? Down
4:18
the line, I started my insurance company, Ace
4:20
Advisors LLC. And that was... All through, I
4:24
was able to build those two components strictly
4:26
through networking and meeting people and just
4:29
really slowing down and having genuine conversations
4:31
with people and letting people know what I do.
4:33
So networking is a huge component of my lifestyle,
4:37
even outside of business when I've lived in different
4:40
cities. Going out and being comfortable talking
4:42
to people, shaking hands with people, listening,
4:45
actively listening to people has been very important
4:48
and allowed me to keep my boots on the ground
4:50
in any environment that I was in to build those
4:52
relationships to just feel comfortable and adapting
4:55
to the new environments that I've been in. So
4:57
networking across the board is amazing and I'm
5:00
happy to be a part of this podcast so we can
5:02
share best practices and help other people be
5:04
successful too. That's great, Marvin. What it
5:07
sounds like is that, first of all, even through
5:10
football and everything else, you have structure.
5:13
You have a sense of this goes this way. And by
5:19
you adding value to every relationship that you've
5:24
had, it means a lot. Because it tells me that
5:28
you are a true networker when you're looking
5:31
for giver's gain, when you're looking to see
5:33
what you can do for somebody, even before whatever
5:37
they can do for you. Because you know as well
5:40
as I do, that if you do that, what goes around
5:43
comes around. And you will absolutely get it.
5:46
Yeah, that's a great point, Michael. And the
5:48
funny thing is, I've been doing it since I was
5:49
young. I didn't know about giver's gain. I didn't
5:52
know about, before we talked about the book,
5:54
Go -Giver, right? I didn't know about that stuff.
5:56
That's all within the past five years I learned
5:59
that stuff. But these are things from being young.
6:02
And now when you get older and you get in these
6:05
real life situations and that there's benefit
6:07
to what your natural ability is, then it's empowered.
6:11
It's a blessing. Yeah. Now you can actually put
6:14
something behind. When you were five years old,
6:17
you didn't know about giver's gain. You know
6:20
about that, but as an adult, you do know about
6:23
it. It puts a little credibility behind what
6:26
you were doing when you were younger. So everything
6:29
all works together, but you've been doing this
6:31
for such a long time. It's ingrained in your
6:34
system. It's in your DNA just to be a nice person.
6:38
So by being that nice person, by always looking
6:42
to give, you will get and receive 10 times. Over.
6:47
So let me go into my questions. Okay. You've
6:51
built a fitness company and now work in life
6:55
insurance. Two industries where trust and relationships
6:59
are everything. What role did networking play
7:03
in opening doors for you early on? When it was
7:12
time for me to... There was a point in time where
7:15
I was a general manager with L .A. Fitness and
7:18
I still had my business. My business has been
7:21
with me since 2012. But that point where I want
7:26
to jump off the cliff and try to fly with 100
7:29
percent solo, it was hard to find when that point
7:32
would be. So when I was working with L .A. Fitness
7:36
as a general manager, I was still training people
7:39
on the side away from the facility. I just kept
7:45
on telling people, Marvin, you need to talk about
7:46
what you're doing, how you can help people, and
7:49
how your experiences from playing pro football
7:53
and getting to that level can help these people
7:56
that you're working with or that you're introducing
7:58
your business to. Because there was a point in
8:00
time where I think transitioning to civilian
8:04
life and being a pro player. That's how I put
8:07
it. I know we talked about that before. This
8:09
is a different mindset, right? I didn't want
8:11
to throw the fact that I was an ex -pro player
8:14
out there, right? I'm still pursuing the game
8:18
at one point in time. And then another point
8:19
in time, I didn't want to throw it in people's
8:21
faces. I just wanted to just gradually reveal
8:24
myself. But when you're talking about that business,
8:27
people want to know where your credibility is
8:29
going to come from. Yeah, they see my structure.
8:30
They see my body. But that doesn't mean I know
8:32
how to articulate my wisdom to somebody else
8:34
for them to take advantage of it. So it was just
8:36
me really putting myself out there, creating
8:38
marketing, business cards, Instagram to create
8:41
a digital footprint, reaching out to people on
8:43
Instagram, going to different networking meetings,
8:46
introducing myself, creating my elevator speech,
8:49
handing my business card to them and just letting
8:51
them know, hey, if this is something that you're
8:53
interested in, I want to offer you something
8:55
of giver's gain once again, a free fitness consultation.
8:58
And we can put that on the schedule and we can
9:00
see how we can help you out. And that's just
9:02
how I really went. Just being on tour. That's
9:04
how I met you. Being on tour, putting at least
9:07
three networking events on my calendar per week
9:10
and being adamant about showing up and being
9:13
consistent about promoting my business. That's
9:15
really how I got Booker Fitness really started.
9:17
And I have one or two true clients. I still my
9:20
clients today after two years plus. And they
9:24
referred me business as well. So both sides,
9:27
building those relationships, allow people to
9:29
feel comfortable to. giving me access to their
9:31
network as well. That's the best way. Referrals
9:34
are golden. Referrals is your best mode to see
9:39
what clients you can receive. But one thing you
9:42
had to figure out was, which you probably didn't
9:46
like doing, you had to talk about yourself. You
9:49
had to talk about what you can do, what you did,
9:52
everything like that, because people want to
9:56
know. They have to say, okay, look. I see him.
9:59
Listen, he's got a good physique, but I don't
10:02
know who he is. Networking is know you, like
10:05
you, trust you. They'll do business with you.
10:09
Know you, absolutely they know you because they'd
10:12
see your face. Like you, you're not going to
10:14
get along with everybody that you come in contact
10:17
with. So know you, like you, but if they don't
10:21
trust you, they'll never do business with you.
10:25
So that's what you're doing. And the givers gain,
10:28
giving value to the relationship. That's all
10:30
part of it. That's all building the trust up.
10:33
But once you build that trust up, that's okay.
10:36
And then you build something called social capital.
10:39
We'll get into that later on. I think the social
10:42
capital and the trust kind of went hand in hand
10:44
because if people see me first and then they
10:46
see other things, the reviews, the visuals. It
10:50
makes people say it takes the edge off. It's
10:52
not 100 % trust, but it takes the edge off. It
10:54
eases them into the situation for sure. Yes,
10:56
it does. Yes, it does. And you build your social
10:59
capital. You don't want to start out just flat
11:03
because the first time that you do something
11:06
incorrectly, I'll put that nicely, you do it
11:10
incorrectly. That means you're in the negatives
11:12
and you have to build it back up to zero to go
11:15
ahead. So the social capital is very important.
11:20
From your perspective, what's the biggest misconception
11:24
people have about networking and how do you approach
11:29
it differently? That's from the jump. There's
11:33
a point in time, like in college, when I was
11:36
going to different networking events that they
11:39
host for the student athletes and stuff like
11:41
that, things were very transactional. And I think...
11:46
That's just how networking is perceived. I'm
11:48
going here to get something. Right. Or I'm going
11:50
here to sell something or and that's OK for each
11:54
his own. But I think networking, the misconception
11:57
about networking is that's so transactional.
11:59
And some people go in there with that type of
12:02
mindset. I think you should go in there authentically
12:05
you. Absolutely. Go in there with Marvin Booker
12:10
first or Michael Foreman first and just have
12:13
conversations with people. knowing that this
12:15
is the room where people are coming to have conversations,
12:18
period. So all that standing on the wall, all
12:21
that other nonsense, get off the wall, right?
12:23
Go shake a hand, go say hi, because people are
12:26
looking for you to say something to them or to
12:29
talk to other people. That's number one. Number
12:31
two, I think that people should, like I said,
12:35
people should really be genuine and authentic.
12:38
Now, some people aren't genuine and authentic
12:40
as it is, forget networking or whatever the case
12:43
may be. So that's a whole nother story. But we're
12:45
going to go there. Yeah, we ain't going to go
12:46
there right now. We ain't got enough time, right?
12:48
So to step in the situation, be authentic, ask
12:51
questions, be comfortable about speaking about
12:55
yourself. I think that's another misconception.
12:57
People think that, and I had it myself, right?
13:00
It's okay to talk about yourself because people
13:03
want to learn who you are in those rooms. And
13:06
then if there's some, of course, you're going
13:07
to get to the point where you talk about what
13:09
you do and how you help people. And if there's
13:11
some synergy there, hey. Let's see if we can
13:13
connect again outside of this event. Right. And
13:17
try to see where we can help each other. Or if
13:19
you hear something that person needs, hey, I
13:21
have a referral. Let's connect. I can shoot it
13:23
to you, whatever the case may be. So I think
13:25
the big misconception is that networking events
13:28
need to be transactional. Networking events need
13:31
to be. genuine and authentic and just building
13:35
that rapport with that person. And then the business
13:37
comes in line to say, hey, is there somewhere
13:39
where we have some overlap? Is there some synergy?
13:42
Can I help you? Can you help me? I think that's
13:44
a second or third conversation. That's not an
13:46
initial conversation. Absolutely. And I find
13:49
that really, I use the pandemic as a roadblock.
13:54
Before the pandemic, networking was very transactional.
13:59
I have three widgets. You have a dollar. Give
14:02
me, we'll change it. Okay, great. You're on my
14:03
customer list. And that's it. But after the pandemic,
14:08
when everybody first went to Zoom and they lost
14:12
the sight of seeing people face -to -face, it
14:17
became more relational. And now it's where the
14:22
giver's gain began and everything else. But when
14:25
you walk into a networking event, I used to be
14:30
in the mortgage industry and I used to go to
14:33
these network events and come home with a shoebox
14:35
filled with business cards and say, look how
14:38
good I did. But I really didn't, right? So now
14:42
if I go to a three or four hour event, I come
14:45
back with 15 or 20 business cards because I know
14:49
that I created a relationship with those people.
14:53
And I do my follow -up sequence. It's my secret
14:57
sauce. And I have 15 or 20 people, but that all
15:02
goes into the relationship. So that's very, very
15:06
true. Okay. When you started your fitness company,
15:09
how did you use networking to get those first
15:13
clients and build a loyal base? Yeah, I think
15:18
being adamant about talking about what I do.
15:22
Right. So outside of working out and going to
15:26
the gym and doing my own personal workouts to
15:28
stay in shape and people see that that was one
15:32
way. Right. But if I'm in my casual clothes,
15:35
I'm going out and I'm having a conversation with
15:37
somebody. Don't be scared to put your business
15:39
card on the tables and introduce yourself with
15:41
your business card. Hey, what's your name? You're
15:44
Jack. Jack Spade. OK, I'm Marvin Booker. Introduce
15:47
yourself with your business card. Talk. Have
15:49
that conversation. Offer that person. that free
15:52
consultation and i think just to like i said
15:56
i think i really know the science behind i'm
15:58
just being myself and then i come in contact
16:00
with people like you and you're pointing out
16:02
different things that i'm doing that you teach
16:04
people how to do so it's like when i get that
16:07
the biggest thing i think here's the best way
16:09
to answer the question when i had one client
16:12
and i was jumping 100 into my business I was
16:17
thinking, damn, how can I get all these people
16:19
to come and invest in a package so I can help
16:22
them? And I was running myself crazy trying to
16:25
figure out how to do it and try to speed up the
16:27
process. Even going to the networking events
16:29
and even not having a casual conversation with
16:31
somebody and giving them that free consultation
16:34
doesn't mean that they're going to take advantage
16:36
of it. Right. I can't force that person to take
16:38
advantage of it and be consistent if they decide
16:41
to show up. So what I did was I refined myself
16:44
and I just gave 100 percent energy to the person
16:48
I was working with. And what I what that did
16:51
was it became a word of mouth situation when
16:53
they feel good, when they get the energy, when
16:56
we had deeper conversations that were talking
16:58
about different aspects of their life. And then
17:01
we're doing three sets of 12. You're on that
17:05
10th rep. It's burning. It's hurting. And I'm
17:08
pushing to go through. When we're on that rest
17:10
break, I'm talking to you about how that burn
17:12
that you just pushed through is equivalent to
17:14
what you talked to me about in your relationship,
17:16
your work, your X, Y, Z. We're relating it to
17:19
that lifestyle event that you're struggling with.
17:22
Then when they come back and they tell me two
17:25
weeks, a month later, they tell me that lifestyle
17:27
event, they pushed through it. And the toughness
17:31
that they're building in this workout is helping
17:33
to push through it. How do you think they're
17:34
going to feel when they leave me? They're going
17:36
to tell their daughter. They're going to tell
17:38
their friend. They're going to tell their pastor.
17:40
They're going to tell this. And then that's when
17:41
the referrals start rolling in. And that's when
17:44
I realized it's not about going wide. It's about
17:47
going deep with each person. And that's going
17:51
to open up the door. So once I got that first
17:53
foundation of clients, maybe about five to eight
17:56
clients. That allowed me to take the pressure
17:59
off of myself when I do go to these networking
18:01
events and have people have conversations with
18:04
them and offer that free consultation. Now it's
18:06
not looking like that free consultation is trying
18:09
to fish for business and I need it right now.
18:12
I've got that sales anxiety, right? No, it's
18:14
coming from, hey, this is what I really do. And
18:16
it's your loss. The energy behind it is your
18:18
loss if you don't take advantage of it. I can
18:20
speak from that space. Yep. Absolutely. Absolutely.
18:24
And I want to just, all of that was actually
18:29
great, but I want to bring you back to the first
18:32
part of our, of this segment of this question.
18:34
When you talked about giving the business card,
18:37
it's not you giving your business card. It's
18:41
them giving you their business card. And there's
18:46
a certain way about it that I use personally.
18:49
And when I'm in a networking event or something
18:53
else like that, and they're talking, they're
18:56
speaking, I haven't given my business card. I
18:59
haven't explained what I do, but they're talking.
19:03
They're telling me everything. And afterwards,
19:08
I listen, active listening, just like you said.
19:12
And I listen and I repeat something back to them
19:15
to show them that I was listening. And I say,
19:19
you know something, I like you. I like the way
19:22
you do business. How can I make you more successful?
19:27
How can I be a good referral source for you?
19:29
And nine times out of 10, they say, Mike, I don't
19:32
even know what you do yet. I don't even have
19:34
your business card. I said, I know, I know. But
19:37
how can I help you? And that is the biggest push.
19:41
And that goes right into what you were saying.
19:44
Now. When you get their business card, there's
19:48
a few things you write on the back. We'll go
19:50
into that later. But you need to establish that
19:54
for you to go through and have your mindset exactly
19:59
what you were talking about. Exactly what you
20:03
were talking about. And the 100 % that you put
20:06
into your clients, they feel that. They're going
20:09
to feel that, right? So they said, oh, my God,
20:12
Marvin is like a great. Instructor, trainer,
20:16
whatever. I'm going back. Wait, it's Monday?
20:19
When can I go back? Wednesday? Okay, when can
20:21
I go back? Friday? Because I have to get more.
20:24
And that's what you're after. And I think that's
20:27
what you're achieving. So anyway. All right.
20:30
So fitness and life insurance are very different
20:35
spaces. Have you found the principles of networking
20:39
to be the same in both industries? Or do you
20:43
adapt and approach? Depending on the field. That's
20:48
a really good question. Ask that last part again.
20:51
That's a really good question. Okay. I'm going
20:53
to repeat the whole thing. All right, cool. Fitness
20:56
and life insurance are very different spaces.
20:59
Okay. Have you found the principles of networking
21:03
to be the same in both industries or do you adapt
21:08
your approach depending on the field? It's a
21:13
very good question. When I walk into a room,
21:16
let's say I'm walking into a networking event.
21:18
When people see me, they already know. Did he
21:21
just come from the gym or is he about to go to
21:23
the gym or what did he used to do? So my physique
21:26
speaks for itself. I'm a walking billboard for
21:29
my business, right? So sometimes people are already
21:34
anticipating that. I'm in that line of work somehow,
21:38
some way. And when it is my turn to speak on
21:41
what I do, they're like, oh yeah, I could tell.
21:43
And they're adamant. They're more open to learning
21:46
from me when it comes to the fitness side. Then
21:49
when I throw in my experience and give them more
21:52
credibility, then they want to, they magnetize
21:54
to me a little bit more. When it comes to the
21:59
insurance side, it's a little bit more delicate.
22:03
I think my presence, like I said, same thing
22:06
from the fitness and the physique, that people,
22:08
it commands a certain type of attention in the
22:11
conversation. But then when we're talking about
22:13
networking with insurance, it's a little bit
22:17
different because when you're actively listening,
22:21
you want to listen for certain boxes that are
22:27
being checked off to introduce the insurance
22:29
to the person. if that makes sense. And sometimes
22:32
in those initial conversations, people aren't
22:35
comfortable enough to reveal those boxes that
22:38
need to be checked off in order for me to reveal
22:41
the insurance side of things, right? So most
22:46
of the time when I'm doing the insurance side
22:48
of things, I'm still actively listening on both
22:50
sides, but I'm a little bit more patient to offer
22:54
a meeting or an appointment for insurance, unless
22:59
I feel like that person is very comfortable in
23:01
talking to me about certain things. If they're
23:04
not, then I will introduce it and say, hey, I
23:06
also do this. I'm also licensed in life and property
23:09
and casualty. I help people accumulate wealth,
23:12
protect their assets, and start looking at retirement
23:14
planning. If you're interested in this, this
23:16
is something that we can help you with. We do
23:18
these services through life insurance products.
23:21
Is that something that you'd be interested in?
23:23
Do you have things set up for yourself already?
23:26
We can take a peek at what that looks like so
23:28
we can go over and see if you're in the best
23:29
position, so on and so forth. So there's certain
23:31
things that I would say an exit with, and then
23:34
I'll just follow up. The follow -up game is really
23:35
where it's at when it comes to the insurance
23:37
side. Same thing with the fitness side, but people
23:39
are more magnetized to me on the fitness side
23:42
than they are on the insurance side at this point
23:45
in time. And that's so true. And I don't want
23:48
to go into the follow -up because we can do an
23:51
entire hour just for the follow -up. Okay. But
23:54
I'm thinking about you with your two lives, right?
23:58
If you go to a chamber of commerce and I go every
24:02
Wednesday, I belong to the Johns Creek chamber
24:04
and there are four insurance people in there
24:09
at any given time. And each one. does pretty
24:13
much the same thing, but they're different in
24:16
the way that they tell everybody. It's different.
24:20
Now, there are different levels of trust. Now,
24:23
my insurance guy happens to be in there also.
24:27
He's a big guy and a boisterous voice and everything
24:30
else. And he says it one way. And there's another
24:33
guy who's a little more timid that says it his
24:36
own way. Then there's two females and they talk
24:39
about it very hesitantly. So who are you going
24:42
to trust? So when you walk in for your athletic,
24:46
for your training, they see your build and they
24:50
say, okay, he knows what he's doing. All right.
24:52
There's two different ways to see them, but you
24:56
should definitely join a chamber or something
25:01
like that. And because that's an every week thing
25:04
and there's more things involved. But what I'm
25:08
trying to say is that you're different. Right.
25:11
You're different from, let's say, those four
25:14
people, because you can explain what you do very
25:20
eloquently. Yet you have that training, the athletic
25:25
training. When I first saw you, I said, holy
25:29
crap, who's that? OK. And then I was like, all
25:36
right. But once I got to talk to you, you were
25:38
just like a normal guy. And so that's one thing
25:41
that I had to get over myself. But enough of
25:45
that. Let me go into another question. A lot
25:48
of people meet contacts but struggle to convert
25:51
them into paying clients. What's one practical
25:55
strategy you've used to move from very nice to
25:59
meet you to real business? That's always an ongoing
26:06
challenge as an entrepreneur. Because you definitely
26:12
know your worth, you know how you can help that
26:15
person. And sometimes it's about not necessarily
26:19
convincing, but getting on the same page with
26:22
that person so they can feel what you know, if
26:27
that's the best way to put it. So I think the
26:30
follow up game is really where it's at. You can.
26:34
It's interesting. It's interesting when you're
26:37
in a networking environment. No matter where
26:39
your business is at, whether it's struggling,
26:42
whether it's up and down, whether it's consistent,
26:44
whether it's skyrocketing and soaring, right?
26:49
You have to walk into a networking event with
26:51
a certain demeanor in a sense. You have to meet
26:55
people where they're at, right? I think getting
26:58
people on page with signing up or coming, it's
27:02
really just a follow -up game because they don't
27:05
need to know where your business is at. And sometimes
27:08
where your business is at will reflect in your
27:10
urgency on trying to get a close, if that makes
27:14
sense. So I feel like when you're talking to
27:16
people, you have to be patient with them. You
27:19
have to let them know. But you also have to have
27:20
a sense of urgency and letting them know this
27:24
is something that you need to look into. This
27:26
is something that you need to invest into. Please
27:28
come to this fitness consultation or come to
27:30
this. Let's schedule this meeting to go over
27:32
your portfolio, see if you're in the right position
27:34
financially or you have the right products in
27:36
place. So I think that urgency comes from being
27:39
consistent and showing up to the meetings when
27:41
you can and the follow up game. One day after
27:45
following up three days, seven days, 10 days,
27:48
14 days, 21 days, whatever. You have to have
27:51
a follow up program. That is consistently in
27:54
front of people so they can remember how you
27:55
guys connected and remember how important the
27:58
services that you offer are to their lifestyle
28:00
and their well -being. Absolutely. And you have
28:04
to realize that you're going in as a problem
28:07
solver because they have to have a problem in
28:11
order to utilize your services, whether they
28:15
don't have life insurance or whether they're
28:18
out of shape or whatever the case may be. You're
28:21
the problem solver. So you're not going to go
28:24
in there and start selling, but you have to have
28:27
a certain selling cycle, if that means anything,
28:30
right? So there's several books called The Art
28:35
of the Close. You have to learn how to close
28:38
the sale, close the deal. Now, you first are
28:43
going to give value to the other person because
28:47
you need to build up. That trust factor. They
28:50
have to trust you. Before you can close any deal,
28:53
they have to trust you. So you have to add value,
28:57
give value, and you have to build that up. But
29:01
then you have to come up with that very sensitive
29:04
time of urgency to close or just letting them
29:08
go. It's a very fine line. It is. You tightrope
29:15
walk. every time you deal with somebody. But
29:20
you have to see. No, I'm sorry to cut you off.
29:23
Go ahead. I'm sorry. I was just saying, you have
29:26
to see the difference. Yeah, I think the rapport
29:28
part of it helps you, makes that tightrope a
29:32
little bit thicker for you. If I can build that
29:34
rapport and we can have a good conversation,
29:36
we can go back and forth or we can have some
29:39
banter and it's not so professionally strict.
29:42
Just that rapport between me and you just feels
29:44
like light. That's why I say being authentic,
29:46
being genuine is important, right? If you come
29:48
in there strategic all the time, I'm not knocking
29:52
anybody that comes in there strategic. You got
29:53
to have a certain type of plan. You want to attack,
29:55
hey, I want to shake. five hands. I want to get
29:58
10 business cards, so on and so forth. I get
29:59
that part. But if you could build genuine rapport
30:02
with somebody and it feels like that wiggle room
30:05
to press somebody to come to that meeting, whatever
30:09
your service is going to be a little bit wider
30:11
than it is if you're trying to be so strict and
30:13
then you don't want to rub somebody the wrong
30:15
way when you're trying to be pushing them to
30:18
come to the situation. You see what I'm saying?
30:20
Absolutely. And that's why you never talk business.
30:25
First out of the gate. You never talk business.
30:28
And I use something called F -O -R -M, family,
30:32
occupation, recreation, and message. Because
30:35
I'll pick any one of the above, right? Have them
30:38
talk about their family, their son, daughter,
30:40
sister, brother, mother, father, whatever. And
30:43
I'll start talking to them about that. The recreation,
30:46
if they have children in youth sports, I told
30:49
you before, I've been a baseball coach for 16
30:52
years. I was an umpire for three years. I can
30:55
talk to them about any sport, baseball, football,
30:58
basketball, not soccer because I don't consider
31:02
that a sport. Even still. You better be careful.
31:06
You're going to be in Atlanta when the World
31:08
Cup comes, so you better be careful. I know,
31:10
I know. I'll bite my tongue. But I can talk to
31:13
them on just about any one of those levels. So
31:16
I listen for them to speak just slightly on one
31:20
of those levels, and then I stay with it. So
31:23
the first 10 minutes, we talked about everything
31:25
but business. And that's the way you started
31:29
out. Okay, so we've all had a networking moment
31:35
that flopped. Can you share one of yours and
31:39
what it taught you about building authentic connections?
31:46
now flopped in what way when i'm walking in the
31:49
room i'm having conversations with people or
31:50
flop like it dropped the ball on the follow -up
31:52
side more so that okay because listen you're
31:57
not perfect i don't want to be the one to tell
31:59
you but you're not perfect you had to have one
32:02
time where oh you know what i should have followed
32:06
up with this guy i didn't or i shouldn't have
32:09
said that to this guy i did what's one time that
32:14
happened follow -up game is crazy The follow
32:17
-up game is crazy. Literally, you think I'm playing
32:20
around. I wish I could twist this camera around.
32:22
One stack, right? Two stacks, right? Let me show
32:28
you. Three stacks. This is all from, and I got
32:34
four more stacks like that right here. I'm not
32:36
going to waste somebody's time, right? But this
32:39
is from the four months of being on tour networking.
32:43
Do you think I followed up with everybody there?
32:45
I did not. I did not. Did you put them on the
32:50
other side of your computer? That's funny. That's
32:52
funny. That's funny. So, if people don't... People
32:57
that are going to watch this, me and Mike had
32:58
a conversation and I told him about the business
33:01
cards on my desk. So, I told him when I get home
33:03
at the end of the day, I make sure I follow up
33:07
with him and then I move him to the other side
33:08
of the computer to know that these are people
33:10
that I followed up with. Just as... something
33:13
to keep the fire up under me, right? If I'm sitting
33:16
down, I'm relaxing. I got 30 minutes. I say,
33:18
you know what? There's some cards on this right
33:20
side of this computer. Let's go over there and
33:21
at least shoot two, three emails over there and
33:23
then put it on the side. That's what he was talking
33:25
about. But yeah, dropping the ball on some follow
33:27
-ups, dropping the ball on when I had a genuine
33:31
connection. And in that conversation, I'm like,
33:34
you know what? This popped off, this popped off.
33:37
Hey, I know Jody. Hey, I know Kyle that can help
33:39
you with what you're doing. Let me connect you
33:42
guys. I might have dropped the ball and not did
33:44
it right when I said I was going to do it, or
33:45
I might did it a month later. That has happened
33:48
because my mind gets so busy. So I definitely
33:50
have done that before. But I think that when
33:54
you do send that referral, when you do make that
33:57
connection, it feels good, number one, because
33:59
you did what you said you was going to do. Whether
34:02
the referral works out or not, You did what you
34:05
say you're going to do. And I think people appreciate
34:07
that because when you do speak to them and they
34:09
don't know you from a can of paint, when you
34:11
do speak to them, they know, okay, at least Marvin's
34:13
going to do what he say he's going to do. And
34:14
I'd rather have that stick with me overall than
34:16
really getting a service. I want people to feel
34:18
that way about me. But yeah, I mean, that's probably
34:22
one of the biggest way I may be consistently
34:25
dropping the ball, but I can always do better.
34:27
And I know that's an area of improvement for
34:29
myself. You're only as good as your work. Right.
34:33
That's it. In this, my mother used to always
34:35
say, you can take anything away from me, but
34:39
you can't take me. You can't take my word. If
34:41
I say something, I have to do it. And people
34:45
remember if you don't do it, listen, you can
34:48
do it a hundred times. You can do what you say
34:50
you do, but the one time you don't do it, that's
34:54
the time that they're going to remember. Yeah.
34:57
So you have to come through and you have to do
35:00
what you say. Now, when I had networking groups
35:04
and people had referrals back and forth, they
35:09
said, oh, when do you follow up? I follow up
35:12
within 24 hours and I'm really good about it.
35:15
And I said, that's good. Now change that to four,
35:18
right? Follow up within four hours because if
35:23
you leave it to the next day, And you'll forget
35:26
about it. Something else will come up. An emergency
35:29
will happen. And you won't do it. So follow it
35:33
up before you go to sleep. Yeah. That's tough,
35:36
too. That's tough. That is tough. And if that
35:38
was a big criteria, I'd definitely drop the ball
35:42
on that. You're working all day. You get home
35:45
from the networking event. The networking event
35:47
ended at 7 .30, 8 o 'clock. You end up talking
35:50
to somebody until 9, 9 .30. You get home at 10
35:53
o 'clock. You still got to eat. And then you
35:55
send an email at one o 'clock, you're like, ah,
35:57
I want to go to sleep now. So sometimes you do
35:59
want to carry that energy from the conversation
36:02
and follow up right away. But then sometimes
36:04
you do drop the ball and you don't get into it
36:06
until two or three days later. So it's important
36:09
to have different systems in play. But also don't
36:12
let that, for people that's watching, don't let
36:14
that deter you from being adamant about starting
36:16
the process. Lean into it, start the process,
36:19
go to networking events, get the cards, build
36:21
the relationships. Start following up. You drop
36:23
the ball, okay. At least you know where you got
36:25
to get better at as you're growing in this networking
36:28
process. And that's the biggest thing about it.
36:30
That's the smartest thing about it. Absolutely.
36:33
Absolutely. Okay. Let's go a little bit more
36:36
into the networking and ROI. For someone listening
36:40
who wants proof that networking drives profits,
36:44
what's an example of a deal, partnership, or
36:48
opportunity that came directly from your network?
36:54
I mean, from the fitness business, the referrals
36:57
for sure. I mean, the first person I had, I was
37:02
still, I met that person in LA Fitness and it
37:05
was just a casual conversation. I saw that she
37:08
was, I was actually my turn during my lunch break
37:12
to work out. And I've seen her a couple of times,
37:17
but we never spoke. I was on the mat. I was stretching.
37:20
I was doing some engagement stuff and some stretching
37:22
stuff. And she looked at me, she said, what's
37:25
that? What are you doing? I've never seen that
37:26
before. So we had a conversation. I showed her
37:29
some pointers. And I seen like her eyes just
37:32
pop open, right? And then she couldn't let me
37:37
out of sight. Every time I come in there, she'll
37:38
talk to me. She said, oh, how'd you learn this?
37:41
And I told her I run a business. I do this and
37:43
that, blah, blah, blah. And she was like, can
37:45
you train me? And at that point in time, I didn't
37:48
want to be a conflict of interest with the company.
37:50
Right? Sure. I said, no, I can't do that. I told
37:53
her why. And she was upset. And then she asked
37:57
me again, like a week later. Then she asked me
37:58
again a month later. And I told her no three
38:02
times. So something rang off in my head, like
38:05
in cells. I'm going to push for three no's. Once
38:08
I get three no's, I'm going to ease out. I'm
38:09
going to just. reconvene another time. I don't
38:11
want to turn you off to me as a person. And I
38:13
don't want you to feel like you're forced to
38:14
do anything. So when I told her no three times,
38:16
I'm like, this woman's pretty adamant. I say,
38:18
if she asks me again, I'm going to figure out
38:19
a way how to help her. If she asks me again,
38:22
I'm not going to say anything, but if she asks
38:24
me again, I'm going to figure out a way to help
38:25
her. A month goes by, she asks me again. She
38:29
comes sit down at my desk at the place. Hey,
38:31
and I was already thinking about leaving and
38:34
going and doing my own thing. I said, you know
38:36
what? Meet me here at this park at this time,
38:39
this day. I'll help you. All right. We started
38:41
doing that. And that person, I just had her as
38:44
a client yesterday. That was two years ago, two
38:47
and a half years ago. That was a real life example
38:49
of going deep with one person, giving them what
38:53
they need. And she opened up her network. And
38:57
little did I know, I didn't know who she was.
39:00
I didn't know what she did. I didn't know what
39:01
her background was. This woman is a very, she's
39:05
a pillar in her community. People really confide
39:09
in her. They ask her for advice. They ask her
39:11
for references. So when she opened up her network
39:14
to me, that's what really gave my business the
39:16
opportunity to thrive because it was all of her
39:20
clients for the first 10 months. And that was
39:23
a real life example of how Booker Fitness and
39:25
Performance got up and running the way it did.
39:28
That says a lot for you. That's an adamant to
39:30
you because to have somebody to stick with you.
39:35
that long, especially your first client. That
39:38
says so much about the way that you run your
39:41
business, right? So that's kudos for you. That's
39:44
my family from now. That's my family. Outside
39:46
of her referring business, we just have that
39:48
connection where we go out to lunch, we talk,
39:51
she invites me to places, I invite her to places.
39:53
That's like my family at this point. I have a
39:54
lot of respect for her. So I appreciate that.
39:57
Good, good. How important has personal branding
40:02
been in your networking success? And what advice
40:06
would you give listeners who don't feel confident
40:09
about how they show up? I'll answer the back
40:15
half first. I was always taught that your brand
40:20
is what people say about you when you leave the
40:22
room. That's what I was taught. From a... If
40:28
we're not even talking about religion, let's
40:29
just talk about from a spiritual standpoint.
40:31
If you believe in a higher power and you have
40:34
a talent ability that has led you to get a certain
40:37
role at a job, right? Led you to be a certain
40:40
type of person running your business, whatever
40:42
role that you play. You have to walk into a room
40:46
knowing that you are already one. Knowing that
40:49
you are the subject matter expert. Knowing that
40:53
you are... uh the leader of your own life and
40:57
that people should it might be a sound like a
41:00
little bit inner arrogance but people should
41:02
appreciate the fact that you're in the room and
41:04
that you're even talking to them about what you
41:06
do because you can benefit from it now that's
41:09
not something that you hey you should talk to
41:11
me because you could benefit i'm not gonna but
41:13
there's a mint as a mindset behind things right
41:16
there's an inner understanding about yourself
41:18
that you have to carry it's not for everybody
41:20
to know but they should feel it from you Okay.
41:23
So going on that thought, okay, when you walk
41:29
into a room, how should you be dressed? Because
41:33
that's a big part of how people perceive you.
41:37
That's a good question. And I can't say that
41:39
you should be suit and tie. Everybody should
41:41
be suit and tie, right? I can't say. Absolutely
41:43
not. You should wash your face, number one. don't
41:49
come in there with no sleep in your eye and white
41:51
in the corner of your mouth wipe your face clean
41:53
your face be presentable like your mother sent
41:55
you out the house smell good make eye contact
41:58
with people when you talk to them and you shake
42:00
their hand and just be presentable right that's
42:04
a part of being genuine and authentic if you
42:06
like to wear whatever you like to wear and it's
42:09
flashy, it's expressive, go ahead and do that
42:12
because people need to see that and feel that.
42:13
If you're just a guy who'd like to wear, you
42:16
got five jeans in your closet and you got five
42:19
shirts in your drawer, that's fine. Come presentable.
42:22
As long as you come presentable and you're representing
42:24
yourself how you want people to remember you,
42:28
it's all good. Like I said, your brand is what
42:31
people say about you when you leave the room.
42:32
So if you're making them feel good, if you're
42:35
leaving them with a scent that you have, If you're
42:38
leaving them with a certain type of impression
42:39
from the conversation or just them observing
42:42
you, your demeanor, all these things matter because
42:44
when you consistently show up or they see your
42:47
social presence that you build online, you need
42:50
it to add up and match. It needs to be an extension
42:53
of you. So going back to the first part, social
42:56
branding is important. I used to hate posting
42:59
when I first started doing it. But then I looked
43:02
at it like, I'm not posting for people. I'm literally
43:05
going on the Instagram. I'm connecting my LinkedIn,
43:08
my Facebook, and I'm posting to keep a digital
43:11
footprint of the things that I'm telling people
43:14
in person. And that mindset got me just posting.
43:18
People are like, yeah, you're posting all day.
43:19
I see you all the time. Yeah, that's good. Thank
43:21
you. I'm on the top of your mind. So next time
43:23
you're looking for insurance or you're looking
43:24
for a fitness performance consultant, you know
43:27
exactly who to call because I'm on the top of
43:28
your mind. That's what I want to do. I always
43:31
profess. Whenever I go into a networking event
43:34
or networking or meeting somebody one -on -one,
43:37
I always dress one level up from where they are,
43:41
okay? So if they're a construction company and
43:45
they're jeans and a shirt, I wear a pair of slacks
43:49
and a shirt, right? If they are one up, they
43:53
dress jeans, but they wear a sports coat, I will
43:57
dress business casual, slacks, shirt, coat. I
44:02
might even put a tie on if I go up one level.
44:06
If you know you're going to go meet somebody
44:08
else, you're going to put that tie on. If you're
44:11
just going to stay, it's always one step up and
44:14
not so much that you're putting in their face,
44:17
but you look clean and you look well adjusted
44:21
and everything, because all of that goes into
44:24
it, goes into the first time that somebody sees
44:27
you. It's so hard to take that picture out of
44:31
their minds. That's a good point. I never heard
44:34
that one -up concept. That's the first time.
44:36
I've always heard dress for the occasion or dress
44:39
for the conversation. Those two things, but I
44:41
never heard the one -up concept. That's interesting.
44:43
Always one -up because you'll never be underdressed.
44:49
It's a habit that I've gotten into, but after
44:52
I do a workshop, if I go into a company, I'm
44:55
always going to go see. one of the C -suite executives.
44:59
I'm always going to go see an executive and I
45:02
want to make sure that I'm dressed the part.
45:05
So that's what I do. Okay. Did I answer that
45:09
question fully? Yes, you did. Yes, you did. Okay.
45:14
Life insurance is all about long -term trust.
45:20
What have you learned about maintaining and nurturing
45:22
professional relationships over time? not just
45:27
in the first meeting. Don't rush. Okay. Very
45:37
important, especially down south. Don't rush.
45:40
And I'm an up north guy. I had to get used to
45:42
that. So am I. He had to tell me to slow down.
45:45
Like, you're talking too fast. Yeah. I'm talking
45:48
normal. It's very interesting because on the
45:53
sidebar, God knew when to put me in Atlanta.
45:56
Right. Because the way I was moving fast and
46:00
was natural, that was a natural pace of things.
46:03
If we're going to get something done. Yeah, let's
46:05
get it done. We don't need. But then you had
46:07
to learn the culture. Yeah, we said we're going
46:09
to get that. Oh, let's have dinner. Let's have
46:11
a coffee. Let's meet my family before we get
46:12
it done. This is a different culture, a different
46:16
pace to building business and building that relationship
46:20
with professional relationships. So I think,
46:23
yeah, don't rush. Have that silent confidence
46:25
about yourself that whatever you guys talked
46:28
about in those initial two conversations or whatever
46:32
you brainstormed about where you see some collaboration,
46:37
have the confidence, even if it's a month later,
46:39
that it's still going to go through. I'm still
46:43
able to offer this service and that person is
46:45
still able to offer this service. Sometimes in
46:48
those gaps of communication when I'm super busy
46:51
and that other person is super busy, We might
46:53
have doubt creeping. We might have worry creeping.
46:56
And that frequency alone can shake up certain
47:00
relationships with people, right? Because now
47:02
you get back in the conversation thinking that
47:04
the person didn't even want to talk to you when
47:06
that person is basically just as busy as you.
47:08
So I think building that rapport every now and
47:11
then, hey, let's go get a coffee and connect.
47:13
That's what I do. I do a coffee and connect with
47:15
people. If I think that we're having a great
47:17
conversation and that... networking meeting and
47:20
there's some professional relationship that we
47:22
can build for and the conversation is really
47:24
going, I still want to network in the room and
47:27
I still want you to network in the room. But
47:29
let's make sure we put something on the calendar
47:30
right now before we break this conversation.
47:33
Let's do a coffee and connect because I'm really
47:35
into what we're talking about and I want to continue
47:38
to grow that relationship and just take it as
47:40
one step at a time. So when I do that coffee
47:42
and connect, whether it's a week out, then we
47:45
can be lighter about talking about things. And
47:47
then potentially go into the next setup. Hey,
47:49
let's go do dinner or this event happened or
47:52
my friend is doing this. Why don't you come out?
47:55
And that's how you build the rapport until something
47:57
takes off. So I just think don't rush. Be yourself.
48:00
Have some great conversations and know the reason
48:04
why you guys are connecting and talking until
48:07
other reasons and other rapport points come about
48:10
where you continue to build that relationship.
48:12
Absolutely. Absolutely. And all that goes back
48:15
into the know and trust. It goes back to you
48:18
being authentic. It goes back. That resonates.
48:21
That brings everything together as one thing
48:24
until, of course, that leads you up to what?
48:27
All your follow up. Right. So you have to have
48:29
that follow up sequence. All right. Let's bring
48:32
this podcast full circle. Okay. If you could
48:36
give one networking tip today that would make
48:40
the biggest difference. For someone listening,
48:42
whether they're in sales, fitness, or insurance,
48:47
what would it be? If I can give one big networking
48:54
tip to someone who is in sales, fitness, or insurance,
49:00
what would it be? To my fellow trainers, you
49:05
are professionals. The mindset behind training,
49:13
right? You're getting your aggression out. You're
49:16
getting your energy out. You're building your
49:19
body. I think that sometimes as a trainer, I've
49:26
seen in other trainers that they just stick to
49:29
that concept of being in the gym, always in their
49:34
workout clothes, always just train those people,
49:37
working them. working the leads that are in the
49:39
gym, so on and so forth. But you are a very important
49:43
and integral part of this world as a fitness
49:46
professional. It's okay to work in the gym, have
49:51
your gear on, you're doing your workout, you're
49:53
changing to your trainer clothes, and then go
49:56
put on some slacks, a blouse, if you're a woman,
49:59
whatever the case may be, and go to a networking
50:01
event and pitch your services to people or talk
50:04
to people about what you do. I don't really see
50:06
too many fitness professionals in the networking
50:08
space. I think I might have been the only one
50:10
that is doing that. So I think I've taken my
50:12
experience from sales, insurance, that business
50:16
acumen and have applied it to my services as
50:20
fitness. And that kind of sets me apart from
50:22
other trainers that do what they do. I think
50:26
that's a big part. So if I can give advice to
50:29
the fitness professionals in the world, don't
50:32
be scared to step out your everyday box. And
50:35
present yourself as a business to get those clients
50:39
that you want or just to be comfortable talking
50:41
about how you help people and let God work for
50:44
you. Let God bring those people into your presence
50:46
because everybody needs some type of level of
50:48
fitness instruction in their life. So I would
50:51
say that. Absolutely. And you're a fitness professional.
50:55
So remember that. But remember, you're a business
50:59
person who. does fitness. You're not a fitness
51:04
person that does business. You're a business
51:07
person that does fitness. And there's a stark
51:09
difference between the two. So if you treat this
51:13
like a business, you'll go far, you'll expand,
51:17
you'll get more people. But if you're just a
51:20
fitness person doing business, then you're just
51:23
going to onesie twosie and that's not what you're
51:25
after. Right. So you're after bigger and better
51:28
things. Marvin, I got to tell you, this was great.
51:31
I could talk to you for another hour. That hour
51:34
went by fast, man. Yeah, it really did. It really
51:37
did. If somebody wants to get hold of you either
51:40
for insurance or for fitness, I would recommend
51:43
Marvin for both. But if they wanted to get hold
51:46
of you, what's the best way? So you can find
51:50
me on Instagram, my Booker Fitness and Performance
51:52
LLC. You can find me on Instagram with at Booker
51:56
Fitness underscore. There's a link there that
52:00
connects you to my website, bookerfitness .com.
52:04
You can also DM me and schedule a fitness consultation
52:07
if you're in the Gwinnett County area. Also,
52:11
my phone number's up there, 470 -998 -6826. You
52:16
can call or text. My email is bookerfitnessandperformance56
52:21
at gmail .com. If you were looking for me on
52:25
the insurance side, It's aceadvisors underscore
52:28
on Instagram. There's also a link there that
52:32
gives you to my website where you can actually
52:35
get a free quote there. You can call that number
52:37
as well. And that will go directly to my work
52:40
line. You can also reach me at aceadvisorsinc
52:43
at gmail .com. Perfect. Marvin, this was a blast.
52:48
I can't wait to see you in person again and have
52:51
yourself a great day. You too, sir. I appreciate
52:54
your time. And it was a great opportunity to
52:56
share my experiences, to continue branding myself
53:01
and being a part of your network as well. So
53:04
I really appreciate that. And I wish you the
53:06
best of wishes on your current and next endeavors.
53:11
Thank you. Well, hold on, folks. Don't go anywhere.
53:18
Let's hear from our sponsors. David Neal, co
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for you. You can contact Henry at 561 -427 -4888.
54:09
A huge thank you to our guests for sharing such
54:13
insights today. And of course, a big shout out
54:16
to you, our amazing listeners, for tuning in
54:19
and spending your time with us. If you're interested
54:22
in my digital courses, being coached or having
54:26
me come and talk to your company, just go to
54:29
Michael and fill out the request form. Remember,
54:32
networking isn't about being perfect. It's about
54:36
being present. So take what you've learned today,
54:39
get out there and make some meaningful connections.
54:42
If you've enjoyed this episode, please don't
54:45
forget to subscribe. Leave us a review and share
54:48
it with someone who could use a little networking
54:51
inspiration. Let's keep the conversation going.
54:54
You can find me on Apple, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube,
54:58
or my website, foreman .com slash podcasts.