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

Transcript

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

• 0:15
  Welcome back to Networking Unleashed, Building
• 0:19
  Profitable Connections. I'm your host, Michael
• 0:22
  Foreman, and today we're diving into something
• 0:24
  every entrepreneur, coach, and consultant needs
• 0:28
  to hear, how to take control of your message,
• 0:32
  your platform, and your profits. My guest today
• 0:36
  is on a mission to help businesses, to help business
• 0:39
  owners escape the content hamster wheel. the
• 0:43
  grind of posting nonstop, but feeling like nobody's
• 0:47
  really listening. Here's the creator of the Own
• 0:51
  Your Media framework, a system that shows you
• 0:55
  how to magnetically attract your ideal clients
• 0:59
  and build media assets you actually own, not
• 1:03
  rent from an algorithm. If you've ever felt invisible
• 1:07
  online or wondered why your message isn't sticking,
• 1:11
  you're about to find out how to change that for
• 1:15
  good. So let's jump in. I'd like to introduce
• 1:19
  today Prosper. I'm not going to try his last
• 1:22
  name because I'm going to butcher it. All right.
• 1:25
  But I would like to welcome Prosper to my podcast
• 1:29
  and just. Listen, we're old buddies. I was on
• 1:33
  his podcast. We've had a very good relationship
• 1:35
  and I can't wait to get this podcast started.
• 1:39
  So Prosper, welcome. Give us a little bit about
• 1:42
  your background and what brought you here today.
• 1:46
  Fantastic. Now, Michael, thank you so much. And
• 1:49
  just to take you off the hook a little bit, even
• 1:52
  my little girls don't know how to say their last
• 1:54
  name. They're supposed to live with it for the
• 1:57
  rest of their lives. So it's one of those things.
• 2:00
  But I really appreciate being on your show. And
• 2:04
  I really appreciate you having been on my podcast
• 2:07
  as well. And as you have said, that we work with
• 2:11
  small to medium businesses to help them pretty
• 2:14
  much own their media. And what we mean by that
• 2:17
  is when you are creating like you're creating
• 2:21
  right now, if you. Don't take full ownership
• 2:24
  of this content. If you put it on any other platform,
• 2:27
  did you know that platform now owns that piece
• 2:31
  of content and they can do what they may with
• 2:35
  it? Now, I came about this, Michael, I don't
• 2:37
  know if in 2020. So while everybody else was
• 2:41
  busy coughing into their elbows and socially
• 2:44
  distancing, I... actually lost control of my
• 2:47
  facebook i won't go into the details of what
• 2:50
  happened but up until now i still feel like that
• 2:54
  was something to do with facebook itself because
• 2:57
  i didn't get that 2fa notification that somebody
• 3:01
  had hacked from the outside so we tried to retrieve
• 3:05
  the account but to no avail so i completely lost
• 3:09
  that account but to give you context as to what
• 3:12
  i had put in there so Maybe say seven or so years
• 3:18
  prior to that, I just arrived in Australia. Okay.
• 3:22
  I knew no one. And all I had done in that particular
• 3:26
  time was try to network and at least start something
• 3:31
  of my own. And during that time, I used Facebook
• 3:35
  as my hub. So I'd created groups. I was doing
• 3:38
  Facebook lives. I had a very good following.
• 3:43
  all right, in that particular time. So to just
• 3:46
  have all of that taken away from you with no
• 3:49
  recourse, no explanation, nothing, it just put
• 3:52
  me on a very low mode. So I thought all I had
• 3:58
  built had been lost. But then as time went on,
• 4:02
  I started creating a podcast where I just thought,
• 4:06
  you know what, maybe this could be a different
• 4:08
  way of getting people to tune in. And while I
• 4:11
  was doing that, I would create it like we're
• 4:13
  doing right now, recording on Zoom and make sure
• 4:16
  that I saved the files and then distributed it
• 4:20
  to different other places. So with that in mind
• 4:23
  now, it really dawned on me that, yes, you can
• 4:27
  create just like anybody else. But if you protect
• 4:32
  your assets, all right, and then choose what
• 4:35
  platform to distribute to them, you might. be
• 4:39
  banned from a social media platform because the
• 4:42
  algorithm has changed or they just don't like
• 4:44
  what you're talking about and that happens to
• 4:46
  a lot of people you are not starting from scratch
• 4:49
  all right so i then went on a journey and i proved
• 4:53
  the concept for myself where i'll build the podcast
• 4:57
  that you've been on and i think we've got over
• 4:59
  2000 episodes where i'm speaking to coaches,
• 5:04
  consultants. And you can imagine with that massive
• 5:06
  body of work, if all of that just gets wiped
• 5:09
  off any platform, that will devastate anyone.
• 5:13
  So now I'm helping people like yourself and other
• 5:16
  people that are out there creating because every
• 5:19
  piece of content that you create becomes an asset
• 5:22
  and you can reuse it again so that you don't
• 5:26
  consistently have to be repeating yourself. And
• 5:29
  if... You now have that confidence. It grows
• 5:33
  your, first of all, competence. And then it also
• 5:36
  grows your credibility in the marketplace because
• 5:39
  you've got this massive body of work that you've
• 5:43
  created. And this is not just in business. I
• 5:45
  don't know if you've also seen or heard how Taylor
• 5:48
  Swift has actually become the biggest pop star
• 5:51
  is because she owns the rights to her content.
• 5:54
  All right. So in the music world, if you're a
• 5:57
  pop star, whatever it is, these layers to who
• 6:00
  owns the lyrics, who owns the sound, you might
• 6:03
  just be the worker who does the shows. All right.
• 6:07
  Because of your character. And that's the same
• 6:10
  around most of the things that we do. So when
• 6:14
  you really step back and then look at what am
• 6:17
  I creating and do I want this to last forever,
• 6:21
  then it will be imperative for you to own your
• 6:24
  media. And that's the journey I'm on, Michael,
• 6:26
  to just help people realize that aspect of content
• 6:30
  creation. That's fantastic. And I was actually
• 6:33
  given that very advice when I first began. So
• 6:38
  what I do is I videotape right now through Zoom.
• 6:43
  I import it into a program called Descript. And
• 6:47
  I edit it and I play with it and do it. But then
• 6:50
  that's where it sits. And I put it on my website,
• 6:53
  I put it on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, all that
• 6:55
  stuff. But I have all the original stuff and
• 6:59
  I decide where it goes. So I know exactly what
• 7:03
  you're talking about. And hopefully... I can
• 7:06
  thwart anybody that wants to take it over, but
• 7:10
  I don't know. Okay, so let me dive into some
• 7:14
  questions I have picked out for you. Most business
• 7:19
  owners think more content equals more visibility.
• 7:24
  You say that actually keeps them invisible. What's
• 7:30
  the biggest misunderstanding entrepreneurs have
• 7:33
  about visibility today? Oh, absolutely. And I
• 7:39
  think that's the biggest misconception because
• 7:42
  a lot of gurus out there tout or sell visibility
• 7:47
  as in be everywhere, be on YouTube, be on Spotify,
• 7:51
  be on Facebook, be on threads or whatever, blue
• 7:54
  sky, be on truth, social X, even always Twitter
• 7:58
  or whatever it is that literally is just spreading
• 8:01
  yourself too thin. All right. So you need to
• 8:04
  figure out as a business owner. Who are you?
• 8:07
  Who needs to know about you? And where are they
• 8:11
  positioned on the market, on the internet? That
• 8:13
  way you can actually start building that one
• 8:17
  particular spot where people can come and go
• 8:20
  and they will still know they will find you somewhere.
• 8:24
  Because the whole thing about the internet is
• 8:26
  you're not the only person that's out there.
• 8:29
  All right. If I would have thought I'm the only
• 8:31
  person that has a podcast now, I'm in your world.
• 8:34
  And I'm like, oh, wait a minute. This is a whole
• 8:36
  different ecosystem in and of itself. And there
• 8:39
  I was thinking I was the only one that was doing
• 8:43
  this sort of thing. All right. So that that is
• 8:46
  how the market is situated. People are. everywhere
• 8:50
  they're busy trying to leave they're busy trying
• 8:53
  to figure out their health welfare relationships
• 8:55
  so they're listening to so many different people
• 8:58
  and if you're scattered everywhere else then
• 9:01
  you lose the strength of people knowing where
• 9:04
  exactly to find you because they'll be like it's
• 9:08
  that guy that talks about anyway i'll figure
• 9:11
  it out but if people know Okay, if I go on YouTube
• 9:14
  and I type in maybe two, three or four, five
• 9:17
  different keywords, somehow, somewhere, the algorithm
• 9:20
  will lead me to them because your customers don't
• 9:23
  want to expend any energy or burn calories trying
• 9:27
  to find your content. You have to make sure you
• 9:30
  are the person that figures it out for them and
• 9:34
  make it easy for your content to be consumed.
• 9:37
  All right, so let's put it in nature. A flower.
• 9:41
  It doesn't go about chasing bees so that it can
• 9:43
  be pollinated. It just stays there and blooms.
• 9:46
  And then the bees come and go up until the process
• 9:50
  is done. So you be that flower that stays put,
• 9:54
  keep being bright so that bees can see you from
• 9:57
  a mile away. And then when they come, get the
• 9:59
  honey, the nectar that you have created, which
• 10:02
  is in this case, your content, your whatever
• 10:05
  it is that you're helping them with and be valuable
• 10:08
  to them. Because people come to the internet
• 10:11
  to get information. And if you are not helping
• 10:14
  them in any shape or form, you can be that flower
• 10:17
  that weathers. So you want to make sure that
• 10:19
  while you're staying put, you're obviously really
• 10:23
  creating a moat around yourself so that people
• 10:27
  will always be able to know where to find you.
• 10:30
  Absolutely. And I think about myself, I'm a public
• 10:34
  speaker and I go across the country and I talk
• 10:36
  about networking and communication. I have one
• 10:40
  or two mentors that said, look, Mike, pick a
• 10:43
  lane. Just pick one of those items that I speak
• 10:47
  about and just be known as networking and communication.
• 10:52
  That's it. And I've since won one or two awards
• 10:56
  for networking communication. I've been written
• 10:59
  up in magazines. I've done it all. But it's because
• 11:03
  I picked a lane. And what you're saying is so
• 11:06
  crucial and so. correct that anybody else listening
• 11:11
  to this, if you're that general, don't be general.
• 11:15
  Just pick a lane and go with it and stay with
• 11:18
  it and learn all about it so everybody can learn
• 11:21
  from you and everybody will be happy. Okay, so
• 11:25
  you teach people to own their media, not rent
• 11:30
  it. Can you break that down and share how...
• 11:35
  this mindset shift changes the way someone networks
• 11:39
  or builds their business relationships that's
• 11:44
  a brilliant question right there owning your
• 11:46
  media is actually an acronym okay if you can
• 11:50
  see what i'm talking about right so and then
• 11:54
  i will start explaining what each and every one
• 11:56
  of these aspects means so the m is your message
• 12:01
  All right. What is your message and what do you
• 12:05
  want the recipient to actually hear or understand?
• 12:09
  OK. And once you've figured out that message,
• 12:12
  you need to find a market that is going to be
• 12:17
  hungry for that message. Right. So not everyone
• 12:20
  is going to be your customer because, you know,
• 12:23
  people are busy and people have different stages
• 12:27
  of. their buying cycle to be able to come to
• 12:31
  you. Sometimes somebody might be looking for
• 12:34
  what you're selling right now, but they're not
• 12:37
  ready, okay? They might not actually be ready
• 12:40
  and they might not know they need the information
• 12:44
  that you're giving. So this is the message and
• 12:47
  the market. What are you saying and who are you
• 12:50
  saying it to? And then the E is the engagement
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  or education. Once you've figured out what you're
• 12:57
  saying and who you're saying this to, you need
• 13:00
  to go out and engage them because they're not
• 13:03
  just going to triple stumble and fall and show
• 13:05
  up at your door, okay? So you now need to figure
• 13:10
  out how are you going to be teaching them what
• 13:15
  to want and how to buy from you, all right? And
• 13:18
  you need to own that process. Some people leave
• 13:21
  that to social media. Some people leave that
• 13:24
  to... being on a podcast and don't necessarily
• 13:27
  say anything. You need to know how to actually
• 13:30
  educate people to want what you have. And then
• 13:33
  once you've figured that part, you need to now
• 13:36
  go into distribution. You need to own the method
• 13:40
  of distribution. All right. So you, Michael.
• 13:43
  Your distribution method at the moment is this
• 13:46
  podcast. How are you reaching as many people
• 13:49
  as possible without having to repeat yourself?
• 13:53
  Because we're going to record this once and hopefully
• 13:56
  somebody in 2058 will still find this podcast
• 14:00
  if they've come across both of us and listen
• 14:03
  to this and still find value in it. So you owning
• 14:07
  that distribution mechanism is actually very
• 14:09
  crucial. And once that's in play, The I stands
• 14:13
  for your inventory, your ideas, and your intellectual
• 14:18
  property. Do you actually have something that
• 14:21
  people will use if they show up to your space?
• 14:25
  Like your IP is maybe the books that you've written,
• 14:28
  the courses that you've written. It's well and
• 14:31
  truly good to have a message. Well and truly
• 14:34
  good to... educate people on them but how do
• 14:37
  they implement that in their life what is the
• 14:39
  ways that they can utilize this so that it makes
• 14:42
  sense to them and a now is pretty much automated
• 14:47
  amplify it and make sure you're an authority
• 14:51
  in the process because people are not just going
• 14:53
  to listen to you just because you showed up all
• 14:55
  right just because you've got a podcast people
• 14:58
  are not going to listen to you they're going
• 14:59
  to want to see some sort of a track record they're
• 15:02
  going to want to see some sort of you sticking
• 15:05
  with it. But for you to do that, there needs
• 15:08
  to be some play in automation. I love the automation
• 15:11
  that you've got getting me to the show. Okay.
• 15:14
  Obviously maybe you are doing all of that behind
• 15:17
  the scenes, but we're in so many different time
• 15:19
  zones. You set it up in such a way that people
• 15:22
  just receive the messaging and it works. And
• 15:25
  then people show up, we create what we're creating.
• 15:28
  And then the automation takes place after that.
• 15:31
  All right. Because so many people would have
• 15:33
  wanted to have a meeting before now so that we
• 15:37
  arrange dates and then we have another meeting
• 15:40
  so that we pre -arrange what we're going to talk
• 15:42
  about. But your whole process is just, here's
• 15:45
  a link, figure it out, and then we're here right
• 15:48
  now. Throughout all of those five sort of processes,
• 15:53
  we really help people harness all those particular
• 15:57
  aspects so that they don't do random acts of
• 16:01
  marketing thinking that is what needs to be done.
• 16:06
  All right. So a lot of people come undone because
• 16:09
  they haven't figured out their message. They
• 16:11
  haven't even educated people on what to want.
• 16:14
  They haven't even formulated a distribution mechanism.
• 16:17
  Are you going to be writing to them video or
• 16:20
  is it going to be YouTube? They don't even have
• 16:23
  some sort of an IP. They just have the strength
• 16:26
  or the muscle that actually does the thing. Yeah,
• 16:29
  I'm a speaker. Okay, fine. Then what? All right.
• 16:33
  And then they haven't figured out how to automate
• 16:36
  that. So as you know, that is then what we help
• 16:41
  people have an understanding of. And eventually
• 16:44
  they have a business that's profitable and enjoyable,
• 16:48
  which basically means they're no longer depending
• 16:50
  on the algorithm to help them put out all of
• 16:55
  this information out there that needs to be put
• 16:58
  out. It sounds, first of all, it sounds like
• 17:02
  a beautiful strategic plan. So that because people,
• 17:07
  I'm sure they're thinking of all these different
• 17:09
  aspects. And they said, I do this, but then this
• 17:12
  person does this for me. And oh, this is over
• 17:14
  here. And what you've done, you brought it all
• 17:17
  in together. You've made sense out of it. That's
• 17:20
  the biggest thing. But you did it strategically.
• 17:24
  And if somebody were to follow what you are saying,
• 17:28
  they have no choice but to be successful. So
• 17:31
  what you're doing is so great. And everybody.
• 17:35
  get that book because it has a ton of information,
• 17:40
  a ton of information. Okay. In your experience,
• 17:45
  how does controlling your message impact the
• 17:49
  kind of people and opportunities you attract?
• 17:55
  Oh, that's a very good question. So usually,
• 17:59
  and I'll say this again, not everyone is your
• 18:02
  customer. All right. When you show up, online.
• 18:06
  There's usually people that want to follow you
• 18:11
  so they can copy you. And because you present
• 18:14
  a shortcut. All right. So if this video really
• 18:17
  blows up, there's people that are going to watch
• 18:20
  it just specifically to see how they can reverse
• 18:24
  engineer it. All right. And those people are
• 18:27
  never going to buy from you, no matter what.
• 18:29
  That's just never going to happen because they're
• 18:32
  not there for that. All right. And you might
• 18:35
  actually be looking at the numbers and looking
• 18:37
  at that inflated numbers thinking, oh, wow, okay,
• 18:40
  there's a lot of people that are watching. But
• 18:42
  are they the right kind of people with the right
• 18:44
  kind of pain that are willing and able to then
• 18:48
  buy from you? So you need to be very strategic
• 18:51
  in the messaging of how you are positioning yourself.
• 18:58
  Because when customers are coming to you, they
• 19:02
  are. going through a journey all right in their
• 19:07
  head is the problem that they are looking to
• 19:09
  solve very crucial that they can't go a day without
• 19:13
  having it fixed or is it a nice to have or is
• 19:18
  it oh i didn't know i had that problem now let
• 19:20
  me go and investigate so your goal and your job
• 19:24
  is to ensure that you're educating your audience
• 19:28
  in such a way that it's relevant to the stage
• 19:30
  at which they are in the buying journey. So as
• 19:34
  the person that is doing this service, you need
• 19:38
  to map out what that journey is and you need
• 19:41
  to be able to direct it in a way that you own
• 19:44
  and you control. Because if you leave it up to
• 19:47
  the algorithm is only going to be giving people
• 19:51
  things that are sensational or things that are.
• 19:55
  they think is important or things that will never
• 19:59
  help you put your message together. The reason
• 20:03
  why this is important is it takes about 13 to
• 20:07
  about 18 touch points for somebody to actually
• 20:10
  hear your message. And in that 18 to touch points,
• 20:15
  it's not 18 posts that are strategically placed
• 20:18
  together. No, it's maybe they watched you, read
• 20:22
  you, listened to you, heard about you from somebody
• 20:25
  else and maybe self -validated themselves to
• 20:28
  say, you know what? I was or I've heard this
• 20:32
  being said. Now I'm seeing it in real life. And
• 20:34
  then they remember where that came from. But
• 20:36
  like we said earlier on, you still need to be
• 20:39
  that flower that people can come back to. All
• 20:42
  right. So the algorithm will always just be putting
• 20:45
  whatever is sensational at that particular time.
• 20:48
  And you can't compete with that for you to have
• 20:51
  your 18 touch points. So that's how that's why
• 20:55
  you need to make sure that you've got that information
• 20:58
  in such a way that people can follow through.
• 21:01
  It's easy and they can pick up from where they
• 21:03
  left off from. You say 13 to 18 touch points.
• 21:08
  And when I go out and speak or do workshops.
• 21:11
  I always say 12 to 17. It depends. Yeah, it is.
• 21:18
  It's all the same. It's all the same. But all
• 21:20
  of this breaks down to the fact because in networking,
• 21:24
  in business networking, I feel that networking
• 21:27
  is strategic for every business and it's a necessity
• 21:31
  for every business. Everyone has to network,
• 21:34
  however they choose to do it, but they have to
• 21:37
  network in order to get their business out there.
• 21:40
  And there comes into the fact of know you, like
• 21:43
  you, trust you, then they'll do business with
• 21:46
  you. And what you're talking about is the end
• 21:48
  result, is that trust factor. Everybody knows
• 21:52
  you. They know good, bad, or indifferent. And
• 21:55
  you've narrowed the field down by saying everybody
• 21:58
  like you. So everybody knows you, likes you.
• 22:01
  Okay, that's good. But now do they trust you?
• 22:05
  Because they're not going to do business with
• 22:07
  you unless they trust you. And let me tell you,
• 22:11
  you expanded on the point so greatly. I'm not
• 22:14
  going to go into that because you did so much
• 22:17
  of a better job than I would have. But breaking
• 22:19
  it down just to a simple point, you've got to
• 22:22
  have that trust factor. And then you can move
• 22:25
  on to everything. But definitely own that media,
• 22:29
  M -E -D -I -A. And I keep saying the word media,
• 22:32
  but it means everything you said. Okay. This
• 22:37
  is your podcast, not mine, so let me go on. Many
• 22:41
  entrepreneurs are great at what they do, but
• 22:45
  struggle to communicate it. That's where I come
• 22:48
  in. What's the first step to crafting a message
• 22:51
  that magnetically pulls in the right audience
• 22:54
  instead of repelling them with noise? See, when
• 23:00
  it comes to message, your message is... basically
• 23:07
  who you are and what is it that you can do in
• 23:14
  the world. That literally becomes the core part
• 23:18
  of the message. And then the person now needs
• 23:22
  to figure out while I have this person in front
• 23:26
  of me, do they understand my problem? All right.
• 23:33
  And do they understand it enough to be able to
• 23:37
  solve it? Because if you can articulate somebody
• 23:40
  else's problem better than they can, they automatically
• 23:43
  assume you have the solution for that. And there
• 23:46
  needs to be somewhat of a track record that this
• 23:49
  is what I do and this is who I do it for. And
• 23:52
  this is exactly how you can get it from me. All
• 23:57
  right. So in order for you to really be able
• 24:01
  to have a. message that aligns with the audience.
• 24:05
  There's a question that I usually, oh, I think
• 24:09
  this came from Frank Kern. He mentioned something
• 24:12
  like, what do you want people to pick up the
• 24:16
  phone and call you for? All right. So if you
• 24:21
  understand what somebody is going to come and
• 24:23
  pick up the phone and say, I'm going to call
• 24:25
  Michael for, that becomes the shortcut to your
• 24:30
  message. So a lot of people try to pile it on
• 24:34
  and try to say everything all at the same time.
• 24:38
  But you need that entry point at the point of
• 24:42
  wanting to understand or wanting to maybe solve
• 24:47
  a problem. Are you the first person that somebody
• 24:50
  thinks of? And why would they do that? That now
• 24:55
  becomes that sort of entry point into your message.
• 24:58
  And then after that. they can then go in and
• 25:01
  discover whether you're the right kind of person
• 25:03
  with the right solutions for them. So your message
• 25:06
  really has to be the essence of who you are,
• 25:10
  what it is that you do, and how you're solving
• 25:13
  problems for people. And if you put that on repeat,
• 25:17
  it makes it easy for people to reach out to you.
• 25:20
  You never put it quite like that, that somebody
• 25:24
  picks up the phone and asks you, I never thought
• 25:29
  of that short, direct, because that is the answer
• 25:33
  for everything. And I'm going to bring you back
• 25:35
  a little bit to a networking scheme, schematic,
• 25:38
  whatever. If you're talking with somebody, listening
• 25:42
  is half the battle. Listening, because you don't
• 25:45
  want to say the next thing that you're there
• 25:48
  to say. You're there, you're listening to them,
• 25:51
  you're pausing, and you're repeating back. So
• 25:54
  I understand that your problem is... blankety
• 25:58
  blank. And you better have a response for that
• 26:02
  or an answer because you are the professional
• 26:05
  in your field. So you have to have that answer
• 26:09
  and you have them talk about themselves. So while
• 26:12
  they're telling you all of this, you say, before
• 26:15
  you even say who you are and what you do, you
• 26:19
  say something, Prosper, I like you. I like what
• 26:23
  you do and how you're doing it. How can I make
• 26:26
  you more successful? How can I be a good referral
• 26:31
  source for you? And if I did my job correctly,
• 26:37
  you'll turn around and say, Mike, I don't even
• 26:40
  know what the hell you do yet. And you're trying
• 26:42
  to make me more successful. That's right. It's
• 26:46
  called having a servant's heart. And if you go
• 26:49
  into networking meetings or events with a servant's
• 26:53
  heart. you'll do wonders. You really will. Okay.
• 26:57
  I'll get off my soapbox. All right. So when someone
• 27:01
  is networking or appearing on podcasts, how can
• 27:05
  they use those moments to strengthen their platform,
• 27:10
  not just talk about what they do? I think obviously
• 27:14
  with part of what you've already said, you know,
• 27:17
  that seventh being. Seven's heart. Seven's heart,
• 27:21
  right. I don't know who will say this again,
• 27:23
  and my quotes are a little bit funny today, but
• 27:26
  it's ask not what you want or ask what the world
• 27:32
  needs and then you provide that for them because
• 27:35
  everyone is out there looking for solutions to
• 27:41
  problems that they have, okay? And they don't
• 27:44
  necessarily care about you or what it is that
• 27:48
  you're bringing to the table. They care about
• 27:50
  what you. are going to be helping them with okay
• 27:54
  and in in marketing they they call it w -i -f
• 27:58
  w -i -i -f -m what's in it for me okay everyone
• 28:03
  is always asking what's in it for me all right
• 28:06
  so the one thing about you going to like you're
• 28:11
  saying at a networking market networking event
• 28:13
  you want to make sure that you have this intricate
• 28:16
  understanding of first of all why are people
• 28:19
  there And like you have said, how can I help
• 28:22
  you succeed? How can I be that help for you?
• 28:26
  Because if you help people get what they want,
• 28:29
  you will in turn get that which you want and
• 28:32
  more. And I feel like a lot of people don't quite
• 28:35
  understand how that works because reciprocity
• 28:38
  then works in the end. If you give... value upfront.
• 28:42
  People will try and find a way to return that
• 28:46
  favor. And usually if people are listening right
• 28:49
  now, the only way they know how to return that
• 28:53
  favor is maybe through their credit card by then
• 28:55
  buying the things that you are selling. So show
• 28:59
  up in spaces like a podcast or whatever it is
• 29:02
  like this, be of value. And obviously it's not
• 29:06
  always about selling. People like buying stuff,
• 29:09
  but they don't like being sold to. So if you
• 29:11
  show up, give value and let them then decide
• 29:14
  what to do with that information. But have a
• 29:18
  way that when people do show up at your doorstep,
• 29:22
  at least there is a way to do business with you.
• 29:25
  There's something they can buy. There's something
• 29:28
  they can consume. There's something they can
• 29:30
  release that tension of. Oh, this guy has given
• 29:34
  me so much value. What can I give back as well
• 29:37
  in return? It's just inherent in human nature.
• 29:40
  So if you play against that, you would literally
• 29:44
  win, especially when it comes to this whole thing,
• 29:48
  all right? It's give and take. The more you give,
• 29:51
  the more people would obviously want you to win.
• 29:55
  You said that the best way I can think of saying
• 29:58
  it, okay? Because I have a simple line. that
• 30:02
  I talk about in all of my presentations. People
• 30:07
  love to buy, but they hate to be sold to. And
• 30:12
  I equate that to a car salesman. The car salesman
• 30:16
  comes right up. Hey, how you doing? This Honda
• 30:18
  is great. And look, I can get you a great deal
• 30:20
  on this and this. It does that. And you're like,
• 30:22
  whoa, stop. And or do you want to go a car salesman
• 30:27
  where it says, hey, how you doing? My name is
• 30:29
  Dan. And if you need me, I'm right over here.
• 30:32
  Let me go figure things out. So it's a great
• 30:35
  thing. But everybody has the mindset. This includes.
• 30:40
  Everybody. They love to buy. People love to buy
• 30:43
  things, but they hate to be sold to. So it's
• 30:48
  a mindset. And if you go into these networking
• 30:51
  events or meeting with somebody one -on -one,
• 30:54
  if you remember that, you'll never lose. You'll
• 30:59
  never lose. Okay. You talk about building media
• 31:04
  assets you own. What are a few examples of assets
• 31:09
  that actually move the needle for coaches or
• 31:12
  consultants and which ones are just vanity projects?
• 31:19
  That's a very good question. And I feel like
• 31:22
  it's all to do with the story you want to tell.
• 31:27
  Okay. So in essence, you need to figure out what
• 31:31
  are you good at? Are you good at writing? Are
• 31:37
  you good at speaking or are you good at video?
• 31:41
  Because once you figure out what you're good
• 31:44
  at, then you want to work to your strengths.
• 31:48
  If you're good at video, then you want to start
• 31:52
  creating video assets, which then become the
• 31:56
  staple of how you show up in the world. If you're
• 31:59
  good at writing, you want to be creating newsletters,
• 32:02
  blogs, articles. which then show your strength
• 32:07
  all right in to the marketplace because the market
• 32:12
  is not going to wait until you've got it figured
• 32:14
  out if somebody watches this video right now
• 32:17
  they this is it for them and if we don't sell
• 32:20
  it to them that's it grand opening grand closing
• 32:23
  so once you know what you're good at which Some
• 32:28
  people are good at talking. And if you put out
• 32:30
  a podcast and becomes a regular thing, you can
• 32:34
  then redistribute that podcast or you can reformulate
• 32:40
  that podcast into other formats. All right. You
• 32:44
  can convert that podcast. There's tools now where
• 32:47
  you can convert it into a blog. You can convert
• 32:50
  it into a newsletter. You can convert it into
• 32:53
  shorts or whatever it is that you can then utilize.
• 32:57
  And from there, those derivatives that you have
• 33:01
  repurposed that content, you can then start to
• 33:04
  pick and choose which ones are actually doing
• 33:06
  well because they're all stemming from your biggest
• 33:10
  strength. Those that are working, you keep. Those
• 33:14
  that are not working, you ditch. But you need
• 33:16
  to figure out what is the actual core thing that
• 33:20
  you're providing. Because let's bring it back
• 33:24
  to nature. An apple tree. An apple tree is really
• 33:29
  good at creating fruit. But it wouldn't know
• 33:33
  how to create vinegar. It wouldn't know how to
• 33:36
  create apple cider or apple chutney. That is
• 33:39
  a derivative from the core product that it creates.
• 33:44
  And if people don't like apple chutney, they're
• 33:47
  not going to say I'm not eating apples ever.
• 33:49
  They will go back to the original product. If
• 33:53
  people don't like the vinegar. from apple or
• 33:56
  the cider from apple that's not gonna say they
• 33:59
  are put off apples for the rest of their lives
• 34:01
  it's just it was just a derivative okay so if
• 34:06
  people don't like shots It doesn't necessarily
• 34:08
  mean that they're not going to be consuming your
• 34:11
  content in whichever way. So your question was,
• 34:13
  which ones are a waste of time and which ones
• 34:16
  are not a waste of time? A waste of time is when
• 34:19
  you do things you're not good at and you think
• 34:22
  you're doing it because the algorithm wants it
• 34:24
  at that particular time. Yes. When I coach baseball
• 34:30
  for 16 years and I always see what my players
• 34:34
  could do well. and what they didn't do well and
• 34:38
  most coaches would take their players that did
• 34:41
  this well they'd go out and put them in those
• 34:43
  positions and I would put them where they were
• 34:46
  the worst because then they got better they got
• 34:51
  better I wouldn't always play them in that position
• 34:53
  but they got better they learned how to handle
• 34:56
  it they learned it's like a different part of
• 34:57
  their brain oh I have to do it like this now
• 34:59
  business is almost the same thing at the end
• 35:02
  of the year you see what worked what didn't work
• 35:06
  The stuff that didn't work, you toss out and
• 35:09
  you just stick with the other stuff. But when
• 35:12
  I'm a speaker and I'm a podcaster and the things
• 35:16
  that I don't do well, those are the things I'll
• 35:18
  concentrate on more because I want to bring everything
• 35:21
  up to the same level. So I don't know whether
• 35:24
  I want to be visible, is for visibility or just
• 35:29
  my own thing. I'm not quite sure, but that's
• 35:32
  what I do. Okay, let me just go on. Algorithms
• 35:36
  can make or break visibility. That sounds familiar.
• 35:39
  How can someone take back control of their reach
• 35:43
  so their message isn't at the mercy of a platform
• 35:47
  mood? That is the story and mission that we grapple
• 35:52
  with at headquarters every single day because
• 35:55
  we wake up. And the algorithm has changed. All
• 35:59
  right. So let me really talk about significant
• 36:01
  algorithm changes that are happening at this
• 36:04
  particular moment. OK, so in the past five years
• 36:07
  or so, people have been. going to google as the
• 36:11
  go -to place to enter the internet right so it's
• 36:16
  the entry point to finding stuff that you're
• 36:20
  looking for but now there has been an influx
• 36:22
  of utterly artificial intelligence which has
• 36:25
  literally obliterated the the stronghold that
• 36:29
  Google had. And now Google has had to recalibrate
• 36:33
  themselves so that they match what the market
• 36:36
  is responding to at the moment. And now if you
• 36:39
  even go on Google, they have an AI mode, they
• 36:42
  have everything. It's just all scrambled in there.
• 36:46
  And what that means for people that had sorely
• 36:49
  invested in search engine optimization in order
• 36:53
  to be found on Google, that means all of that
• 36:55
  has been thrown out of whack. It might come back
• 36:59
  later on, but right now Google is really in reaction
• 37:03
  mode because open AI has just come in and taken
• 37:07
  much of the monopoly or the presence that they
• 37:12
  had. So people that had... been relaxing and
• 37:17
  thinking the algorithm on Google is to their
• 37:19
  favor because they were appearing on position
• 37:22
  number one in whatever field they were in, they
• 37:25
  may be finding an influx in how people are finding
• 37:29
  them online. And that also happens to all the
• 37:33
  other places like Facebook or TikTok and things
• 37:36
  of that nature. There is a bigger play with these
• 37:41
  platforms. All right. Because if all Elon Musk
• 37:46
  wanted to do was tweet, he could have just downloaded
• 37:50
  that platform for free like the rest of us. But
• 37:54
  he went on and paid $48 billion. Now, I don't
• 37:58
  know what $48 billion looks like, but that's
• 38:01
  a big investment. Yeah. You know what I mean?
• 38:04
  So that means he now needs to use that platform.
• 38:08
  to his own advantage, whether you like it or
• 38:11
  not, whether you're coming along or not, he's
• 38:14
  going to want to recuperate that investment or
• 38:16
  the investment for other people. And same goes
• 38:18
  to all the other platforms. All right. When Facebook
• 38:22
  started, it was friends and family. And then
• 38:24
  it went wider because they knew if the more people
• 38:27
  we have, we get the network effect. And along
• 38:30
  the way, they started, other platforms started
• 38:33
  coming in like TikTok and TikTok. came in with
• 38:36
  that five second video and all of a sudden that's
• 38:39
  how all the platforms now react. So at the end
• 38:44
  of the day, if you haven't created your content
• 38:47
  in such a way that people will find you when
• 38:51
  they do, because the algorithm is just going
• 38:53
  to keep algorithm, if that's even a word, just
• 38:56
  changing to morph to what's happening currently
• 39:00
  and what the... stakeholders or the investors
• 39:03
  want or are willing to have out of the platform,
• 39:08
  because these are businesses at the end of the
• 39:11
  day. Are they being profitable? So if being profitable
• 39:15
  is much more important to them, then they're
• 39:19
  obviously going to favor their profits more than
• 39:21
  you showing up to your audience. And we don't
• 39:24
  know what's happening in the boardroom. So while
• 39:28
  the algorithm is trying to figure itself out,
• 39:30
  you stay consistent. Your people will find you.
• 39:33
  The right kind of people with the right kind
• 39:35
  of pain will eventually be the ones that show
• 39:39
  up at your doorstep because they too are getting
• 39:41
  tired. Absolutely. AI is a tool that you should
• 39:48
  use. It's a tool in your tool belt. It's one
• 39:51
  item of many. that you should use. I work with
• 39:55
  a guy who does AI and he said, how many people
• 39:59
  use ChatGPT today? He said, 8 million people.
• 40:04
  He said, how many people used it two years ago?
• 40:07
  He said, less than a million. He said, so it's
• 40:10
  increased dramatically. And in two years, who
• 40:13
  knows where it's going to go? So AI is here and
• 40:17
  it's now. So don't disregard it. Use it, but
• 40:22
  use it. smartly and use it as a as a quill as
• 40:26
  you said your arrow and you will be able to do
• 40:30
  wonders with it but it's amazing at the things
• 40:33
  that because i always say garbage in garbage
• 40:36
  out if you use chat gpt and you put garbage into
• 40:39
  it you're gonna get garbage out if you think
• 40:42
  about what you want to put into it then it'll
• 40:45
  give you some good answers and you can do something
• 40:47
  else with it it's like it'll give you that start
• 40:52
  But you have to finish it maybe with something
• 40:56
  else. So that's all. Okay. Networking often feels
• 41:01
  transactional online. How does a strong owned
• 41:06
  media presence help people build real relationships
• 41:09
  instead of chasing likes or followers? Great
• 41:14
  stuff. And I really like that question because
• 41:17
  the transactional effect comes because. All these
• 41:21
  platforms, in order for them to function, they
• 41:24
  are other tools behind the scenes that we are
• 41:26
  using that we are actually paying in order to
• 41:30
  show up. And I don't think a lot of people that
• 41:32
  are not in business actually understand that.
• 41:35
  For you to run this podcast, you spoke about
• 41:37
  a few tools that you're using, the Zoom and everything
• 41:40
  else. There's fees that goes into this. And if
• 41:43
  you would look at how we run our agency. It would
• 41:47
  maybe cost me $10 ,000 every single month to
• 41:49
  open that door. And not only that's just in the
• 41:53
  software and maybe you've got overheads with
• 41:55
  staff members, you've got overheads with maybe
• 41:58
  renting space that you're working in and things
• 42:00
  of that nature. So that's the reason why. when
• 42:03
  people put content out there they're already
• 42:05
  expecting it to bring back something in order
• 42:08
  for them to cover their monthly dues so when
• 42:12
  you've created so much of that content and you
• 42:15
  are confident in that it is helping people solve
• 42:20
  those problems you are no longer desperate When
• 42:24
  you show up in front of people and as we've established,
• 42:26
  people like buying stuff, but they don't like
• 42:28
  being sold to. So you literally are walking them
• 42:31
  through on their journey as how you've mapped
• 42:35
  it out without putting out a podcast and then
• 42:38
  start going, this podcast has to literally bring
• 42:41
  in a thousand dollars or we're not going to use
• 42:44
  it. All right. And then there's also another
• 42:46
  thing that happens with these platforms allow
• 42:50
  you to reach. your audience and by reaching your
• 42:54
  audience you would need to pay to play all right
• 42:59
  so many people take that option because it sounds
• 43:02
  easy all right it's low -hanging fruit okay if
• 43:06
  i give you mr facebook a hundred dollars you
• 43:09
  mean you will reach out to a thousand people
• 43:11
  for me easy done all right and and so many people
• 43:15
  would take that option because it's easy to do
• 43:18
  but In order for that $100 to get a return on
• 43:24
  your ad spend, a lot of people will then want
• 43:27
  to sell something or put whatever tripwires at
• 43:30
  the end of any offer. And it just really doesn't
• 43:34
  create a good experience for those people that
• 43:36
  just want information. So my advice is you inoculate
• 43:42
  your need to sell by being abundant. And once
• 43:50
  you figure out what your actual message is, try
• 43:53
  as many different options of saying it in so
• 43:59
  many different formats and in so many different
• 44:01
  avenues. That way, you no longer feel like every
• 44:06
  post that you put out there has to bring something
• 44:10
  back because you've got so many. lines in the
• 44:13
  water or so many tentacles out there that might
• 44:17
  bring something back to you because you've got
• 44:20
  a one hit wonder you're almost expecting that
• 44:24
  thing to return and that's where it feels less
• 44:28
  it feels more transactional because you only
• 44:31
  have one shot at it as a business owner if you
• 44:34
  are not creating as many content pieces as possible
• 44:38
  absolutely absolutely i can get it to having
• 44:43
  networking as transactional as opposed to relational,
• 44:47
  we can have a whole separate podcast just on
• 44:49
  that. Okay, so let's bring this podcast full
• 44:52
  circle and let's just talk about results. What's
• 44:57
  a story or example of someone who stopped chasing
• 45:00
  content and started owning their message and
• 45:04
  what changed for them in terms of profits, partnerships,
• 45:09
  or visibility? Oh, that's a very good story.
• 45:13
  So I work predominantly with people that maybe
• 45:16
  buyers agents, they help people purchase investment
• 45:19
  properties. And I think they do have it over
• 45:23
  the way you add that. And I also have people
• 45:25
  that are maybe photographers or real estate people
• 45:27
  and coaches and consultants. So let's talk about
• 45:29
  a buyer's agent in my world or in Australia here.
• 45:35
  Every person that's about to buy a house usually
• 45:39
  goes by themselves, but it's the biggest transaction
• 45:43
  that they need to. encounter in their life. And
• 45:47
  then the people that are selling their house
• 45:49
  are usually represented by a real estate agent
• 45:51
  who is wanting to sell the house. So there was
• 45:55
  that discrepancy. And lately, there's now an
• 45:58
  influx of people that are moving from the seller
• 46:01
  side to the buyer side. And now there's a lot
• 46:05
  of noise on both sides as well. So that's just
• 46:07
  how the market happens. So I happen to work with
• 46:10
  a buyer's agent who really wanted to help first
• 46:14
  home buyers now you can imagine a first home
• 46:16
  buyer there's very little information they're
• 46:19
  holding on to whatever savings that they have
• 46:21
  they don't want to make a mistake when it comes
• 46:24
  to making that purchase because that will be
• 46:27
  a fatal mistake the buyer's agent came to me
• 46:29
  and then we were like so what is the difference
• 46:32
  that you bring to the marketplace you're still
• 46:33
  just going to be selling a house to somebody
• 46:35
  who's vulnerable but the thing that he had a
• 46:40
  lot of was he had an educational heart like you
• 46:44
  have said he was a servant servant service heart
• 46:48
  service heart so with that we then started looking
• 46:52
  at how or what are the steps that somebody takes
• 46:56
  in order to be in front of the right seller without
• 47:03
  feeling like they are inadequate or they're at
• 47:05
  an auction and we broke down the steps and then
• 47:08
  we started writing blogs around that that's for
• 47:11
  the buyer's agent who was my client we started
• 47:13
  writing blogs about that and then those blogs
• 47:16
  we then combined them into a book and now he's
• 47:20
  got a 10 -step process that he gives out to his
• 47:24
  people that are on the way to start buying a
• 47:26
  house. What that has done for him now is you
• 47:30
  know what it's like. If you've got a book, you
• 47:32
  can literally be asked to speak. If you've got
• 47:36
  a book, you can literally be asked to be on podcast.
• 47:38
  He now has a content piece that speaks for him
• 47:42
  before he shows up. Whereas all the other buyers
• 47:46
  agents are talking about interest rates or, hey,
• 47:48
  there's a new house there. Do you want to buy
• 47:50
  it or whatever it is? But he is taken. He takes
• 47:53
  his clients on a journey, no matter how long
• 47:55
  it takes for them. And he really holds their
• 47:58
  hand literally by having created that book. He
• 48:02
  owns his media. The blogs that he was writing
• 48:05
  are now in a book that now lasts forever. He
• 48:09
  doesn't just have to put out a post every single
• 48:11
  day he wants to look for a customer. He gives
• 48:14
  out his book as his business card. in front of
• 48:19
  any networking event. From that, he's created
• 48:21
  a podcast which keeps the book alive. So you
• 48:24
  can only imagine what that one piece of action
• 48:28
  has now sprouted into things that he now does
• 48:32
  automatically. So we've sold for his message.
• 48:35
  We've sold for him educating his audience. We've
• 48:38
  sold for the distribution. Now he has a piece
• 48:41
  of IP that... makes him a celebrity and a an
• 48:45
  authority in the space because who are you to
• 48:48
  believe somebody who danced on TikTok or somebody
• 48:51
  who wrote a book about being a first home buyer.
• 48:54
  So it's things like that just elevate you instantly
• 48:57
  in a sea of me to individuals. And I can't talk
• 49:01
  about all the radio activations that he has done.
• 49:04
  He's even been on TV. So you can only imagine
• 49:07
  because he created an asset that was only done
• 49:11
  once. Now he can distribute it again and again
• 49:14
  without having to repeat himself or compete with
• 49:17
  other people in his marketplace. Absolutely.
• 49:21
  And that brings to the table authenticity, right?
• 49:25
  He's authentic. He's told you all about himself.
• 49:30
  He wanted to find out the problems of his people,
• 49:34
  and he's there to solve their problems, not telling
• 49:37
  everybody, oh, I was on this radio or in that
• 49:40
  newspaper or this or that. He's solving their
• 49:43
  problems in a way that they understand. And I
• 49:47
  think that's the level at which they have to
• 49:49
  do it. Prospero, I have to tell you, this was
• 49:53
  a very quick hour because we were on for about
• 49:56
  an hour. If somebody wanted to get hold of you,
• 49:59
  how would they get hold of you? Thank you so
• 50:03
  much. And I really appreciate having you having
• 50:06
  me on the show. So as we've been talking about
• 50:08
  owning a media, I am giving this book out for
• 50:11
  free to whoever wants it. All you have to do
• 50:15
  is just tell me where to ship it to. All right.
• 50:20
  So if you look up on your media. On Amazon, you'll
• 50:23
  probably be able to buy for $20 or whatever it
• 50:26
  is. But if you just pay me $10 for shipping,
• 50:29
  I'll send this book to you. So if you go on to
• 50:31
  ownyourmedia .com .au, you'll be able to find
• 50:34
  the instructions of giving me your address. And
• 50:37
  I'll definitely send a copy of this to whoever
• 50:41
  is willing. Fantastic. And that's how you take
• 50:46
  control of your message and your profits by owning
• 50:51
  your media. instead of letting the algorithm
• 50:53
  own you. Big thanks to my guests for bringing
• 50:57
  the heat today. In this episode, you got thinking
• 50:59
  about how you show up and connect, share it with
• 51:03
  someone who needs to hear it, and make sure you're
• 51:05
  subscribed so you don't miss what's next on Networking
• 51:09
  Unleashed, building profitable connections. Until
• 51:12
  next time, remember, visibility isn't about volume.
• 51:15
  It's about clarity, connection. and control.
• 51:19
  And with that, I say, have a good night. Good
• 51:24
  night. Well, hold on, folks. Don't go anywhere.
• 51:31
  Let's hear from our sponsors. David Neal, co
• 51:34
  -founder, Revved Up Kids. Revved Up Kids is on
• 51:38
  a mission to protect children and teens from
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  sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking.
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  They provide prevention training programs for
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  children, teens, and adults. To learn more, go
• 51:51
  to revvedupkids .org. Henry Kaplan, Century 21.
• 51:56
  When it comes to making the biggest financial
• 51:58
  decision of your life, leave it in the hands
• 52:01
  of a proven professional, Henry Kaplan. Henry
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  is a global real estate agent with Century 21,
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  celebrating his 41st year in business. No matter
• 52:12
  where you're moving, Henry has the right connections
• 52:14
  for you. You can contact Henry at 561 -427 -4888.
• 52:23
  All right, folks. A huge thank you to our guests
• 52:26
  for sharing such incredible insights today. And
• 52:29
  of course, a big shout out to you, our amazing
• 52:32
  listeners, for tuning in and spending your time
• 52:35
  with us. If you're interested in my digital courses,
• 52:38
  being coached, or having me come and talk to
• 52:41
  your company, just go to Michael and fill out
• 52:45
  the request form. Remember, networking isn't
• 52:48
  about being perfect. It's about being present.
• 52:51
  So take what you've learned today. get out there,
• 52:54
  and make some meaningful connections. If you've
• 52:57
  enjoyed this episode, please don't forget to
• 53:00
  subscribe, leave us a review, and share it with
• 53:03
  someone who could use a little networking inspiration.
• 53:06
  Let's keep the conversation going. You can find
• 53:09
  me on Apple, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, or my
• 53:14
  website, foreman .com slash podcasts.