Latest / Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections / Networking Unleashed: S1E32 An Interview with Ann Carden and Michael A Forman

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Networking Unleashed: S1E32 An Interview with Ann Carden and Michael A Forman · Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections

0:16
Hello, and welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building
0:20
Profitable Connections. Welcome back to the show,
0:24
folks. I'm your host, Michael Foreman, and you're
0:27
listening to the podcast where networking is
0:30
more than just awkward handshakes and bad coffee.
0:33
It's an art and a talent. But here's the twist.
0:37
It's an art and talent you can actually learn.
0:41
Yes, even if you're the person hiding in the
0:43
corner at every event pretending to check emails.
0:48
Networking isn't just a nice skill to have. It's
0:51
a game changer. When you get good at it, you'll
0:54
wonder why you didn't start sooner. More connections,
0:58
more opportunities, more profits. It's like unlocking
1:02
a cheat code for life. So whether you're the
1:05
life of the party or the just let me stay at
1:08
home and text type, we've got something for you.
1:11
So stick around and let's turn those awkward
1:13
small talk moments into big wins. Now, my guest
1:18
today, Ann Carden, really has an extensive background.
1:22
And I'm just going to give you a taste of her
1:26
background, but I'm going to introduce her and
1:28
let her finish. Ann is a top business growth
1:31
expert, marketing and sales strategist, and consultant.
1:36
She's the CEO of A. Cardin, Inc. and the expert
1:40
in attraction marketing, media agency, and the
1:45
brand. So before I butcher that background even
1:49
more, okay, Anne, first of all, welcome to the
1:53
show. And why don't you just introduce yourself?
1:56
Thank you, Michael. Yes. So I am the CEO of Expert
2:00
in You Marketing and Media Agency. And it is
2:03
really around helping people build solid personal
2:07
brands, step into the expert spotlight and get
2:10
more. from what they are out there doing. So
2:13
if they're out there networking, really help
2:16
them build up that powerful brand to be seen
2:19
as the go -to person that people want to connect
2:22
with, people want to be in their presence. And
2:26
yeah, that is what I do. That's great. That's
2:30
great. That falls right in line with the whole
2:33
feeling of this podcast. What's your top strategy
2:37
for turning casual connections into valuable
2:42
business relationships? Yeah, so it really starts
2:46
with understanding what the other person, like
2:48
making it about the other person. So one of the
2:52
things that people, I networked for years and
2:54
years building multiple businesses. And one of
2:57
the things that a mistake that people make is
3:00
when they meet someone, they instantly hand their
3:03
business card or they want to make it all about
3:06
them and they want to start talking about what
3:08
they do instead. My favorite thing is tell me
3:11
about yourself. Tell me what you're all about.
3:14
Tell me what you do and making that connection
3:17
with people. Everybody likes to talk about themselves,
3:20
right? The other thing is it really opens up
3:23
opportunities. If you're a better listener, then
3:26
you do more talking. You will hear opportunities
3:30
where you can help people in multiple ways. You
3:33
hit on about eight different points that I always
3:37
talk about regarding networking, because networking
3:41
is something that you don't receive. Every time
3:44
you go to a networking event or you meet somebody,
3:46
you look to give. How can I give? How can I be
3:50
a good referral source for the people? And as
3:54
long as you have that in mind, you'll succeed.
3:57
But being that active listener. That is such
4:01
an important part of things. How has networking
4:05
contributed to success as a business growth expert?
4:11
First of all, I built all of my businesses through
4:15
networking and building partnerships, relationships.
4:18
It got me on stages. It gave me speaking opportunities.
4:22
So it was the foundation for practically every
4:26
business I started. You have to get out there
4:28
and let people hear about you and see about you.
4:30
And I've been doing this for about 34 years in
4:33
business. I've been an entrepreneur for about
4:35
34 years. So we have other opportunities. Now
4:40
we can network online. We can network offline.
4:42
I love to merge those two worlds. I love to teach
4:46
people how to do that, a hybrid model where they
4:48
are doing both. But before really the internet
4:52
or before it was mainstream for all of us. We
4:56
didn't have any options except to get out there
4:58
and meet and greet and get connected with people
5:01
in that way. Yeah, I always say that when you
5:06
meet the person, you feel the vibe of the person.
5:09
Oh, yeah. The vibe of the room. And it's so telling.
5:13
I've been in networking situations where I've
5:16
walked out of the room because I didn't like
5:19
the vibe of the room. I didn't like the direction
5:21
where they were going. You can't really do that
5:24
on Zoom. You can't just turn your computer off.
5:28
Oops, we're having technical problems. Sorry
5:30
about that. Okay. Can you share a memorable story
5:34
of how networking led to a significant breakthrough
5:38
in your career? Oh, my goodness. I just think
5:43
about. So many stages that I got on came from
5:46
networking opportunities where I would just let
5:49
people know, hey, I'm looking for more speaking
5:51
engagements. I'm looking for this or building
5:53
relationships with people, but also strategic
5:56
partnerships. I've been able to build amazing
5:59
partnerships and teams. even hired employees
6:02
as a result of networking. I could go on and
6:05
on, really. It was the foundation for starting,
6:08
again, for starting businesses and getting those
6:11
businesses going. Now most of my networking is
6:14
online. I don't do much offline anymore. But
6:16
even when I go out and speak, I'm still networking
6:18
with people that are in the audience. I'm one
6:21
of those speakers that I'll show up and I'll
6:23
hang out and I visit with people. And I still
6:26
love that person -to -person connection. Yeah,
6:29
that's the way to go. I speak on stages as well.
6:32
I do workshops and breakout sessions and everything.
6:35
But there's nothing like the before and after
6:37
the talk. You get to see the people, you get
6:40
to see the way they're responding to you, but
6:43
you get to really see what they're feeling. And
6:46
I think that is so much better than Zoom. Okay,
6:50
so on that, what's a common networking mistake?
6:56
professionals make and how could they avoid,
6:59
how could you avoid them? I think one of the
7:03
mistakes I see is people are not strategic in
7:05
their networking. And if you don't have a strategy
7:08
really with any kind of marketing and really
7:11
that's what networking is, right? You're marketing
7:13
your business. You're out there. Yes, you're
7:15
building relationships, but it's all to grow
7:17
your business or to build your business. And
7:19
so if you're not strategic with what you're doing,
7:21
you can burn up a lot of time. And before I really
7:24
learned that. I would network and network and
7:27
it wouldn't go anywhere. And part of the problem
7:30
with that is because I didn't really have a great
7:33
strategy behind I was doing. So I was in the
7:36
wrong rooms with the wrong people who didn't
7:38
either know people that could become. part of
7:42
my business or they weren't my people. And having
7:45
a strategy behind what you're doing can save
7:47
you a lot of time and energy. And at the end
7:50
of the day, we still only have so much time and
7:53
time is our most valuable resource. So I feel
7:55
like that's the biggest mistake people make.
7:57
And when I work with my clients. I'm helping
8:00
them develop that strategy for their networking
8:03
so that they're getting the most really bang
8:07
for their buck, so to speak, and the most out
8:10
of their time, the most return on their investment.
8:13
You need to have that strategy because if you
8:15
go in there willy nilly, you're just not going
8:18
to say you're going to flounder and you're not
8:20
going to know a direction for you to go. And
8:23
it'll hurt you more than help you. And yes, you're
8:26
right. Time is. The only thing you can't get
8:30
back once you've spent it, you spent it. If you
8:33
spent it wrong, then you don't know what you're
8:36
doing. You're confused. But that's very good.
8:40
How can you balance the online networking and
8:46
the non -online networking? Yeah, I think one
8:50
of the things that I used to teach when I was
8:52
doing a lot of networking and I was the education
8:54
person in our group, in the networking group
8:58
that I was in, one of the things that I would
9:00
teach is that you want to bring really the offline
9:03
world into the online world. So for example,
9:06
you go out and you meet people offline and you
9:09
get their business card and what typically happens,
9:12
you put their business card aside, you might
9:14
call them, you might not. But one way to speed
9:17
the know and trust and really build that relationship
9:20
even faster is to bring that into the online
9:23
world. So for example, reach out to them on LinkedIn,
9:25
reach out to them on Facebook, ask people when
9:28
you're talking to them, hey, are you on social
9:30
media? What platforms are you on? And then connect
9:33
with them on those platforms and start conversations
9:36
there. So one of the things that I see that we
9:40
have available now that we didn't always have
9:42
is the online resources. and tools like Zoom
9:45
and some of the social media platforms that we
9:49
have. So you can really carry that conversation
9:51
on without having to go out and meet people face
9:55
-to -face. You and I are doing it right now.
9:58
I have a podcast. I do the same thing. And so
10:01
utilizing those tools, we don't have to be running
10:03
around anymore the way we used to have to do
10:06
that. So it's great to have that one -to -one
10:09
face -to -face or... have that opportunity, but
10:13
speed that up and save your time, really leverage
10:16
your time in the meantime. And it used to be,
10:19
they would say, okay, stack one -to -one. So
10:22
you go out, you network and you stack block time
10:24
and stack those one -to -ones. That's one way
10:26
to do it. But another way to do it is you can
10:28
actually bring those conversations and those
10:30
meetings online now, once you've meet that person
10:33
face -to -face. So I think a lot of people aren't
10:36
doing that enough. And I think, again, we don't
10:38
get time back. We can always make more money.
10:40
We will never make more time. And so I guard
10:43
my time and I'm very, and I don't, like for me,
10:46
I didn't live close to a lot of the networking
10:48
things that I went to. So there was an hour drive
10:52
there, an hour drive back. All of that is time
10:55
you'll never get back. So I'm so thankful for
10:58
the resources we have now that, but merge those
11:01
two worlds. So take that meeting. or that relationship
11:06
that you've started to build and build on it
11:09
online. So that was probably a long -winded answer,
11:13
but. No, but it was very, you explained it perfectly
11:16
where you can meld the two together, but you
11:20
just touched on a fact of the follow -up. And
11:24
to me, the follow -up is almost, if not more
11:27
important than the actual meeting of the person
11:29
themselves. What system do you have in place
11:34
for a follow -up and how do you do it? Yeah,
11:38
so one of the things you have to realize too
11:41
is that you can't follow up with, everyone may
11:44
not be someone to follow up with. So again, really
11:48
having that strategy. So if you meet people in
11:51
networking, because you'll probably meet a variety
11:53
of people, really pick and choose the people
11:56
that you see. OK, I need we want to further this
12:00
relationship. We want to build on this. It doesn't
12:03
mean you discard the others, but you don't maybe
12:06
necessarily set up meetings with them or you
12:10
don't necessarily really build on that relationship.
12:13
It becomes more of an acquaintance at that point,
12:15
because let's say you go to a networking event,
12:18
Michael, and there's 40 or 50 people in the room
12:20
and maybe you meet. Maybe you get 30 or 40 of
12:23
those business cards. You still, everyone's not
12:26
going to be the right person. And so again, just
12:29
really understanding who you're looking for,
12:32
whether that's someone to partner with, someone
12:34
that could become a client, someone that you
12:37
see a connection there where you can build on
12:40
that and help each other out, refer to each other.
12:43
So just really know what you're trying to do
12:45
and leverage your time that way. Yeah, as far
12:49
as systems. Just have a database, have a CRM
12:53
system. If you're talking about an actual tool
12:56
that you can keep, stay top of mind with people,
13:00
you can continue to email them, check with them.
13:03
Again, I love to use social media to connect
13:05
with people and I like to follow up that way.
13:08
Yeah, I use the CRM, but those business cards
13:12
that you collect, I figure a networking event,
13:15
it's three or four hours. And if you get 15 or
13:18
20, relationship type, those business cards from
13:24
those people, then you can start with that. The
13:27
other people, they're ancillary and you can put
13:30
them into your drip campaigns and just keep your
13:33
name in front of them. But you follow up with
13:37
those 15 or 20. And I have a secret sauce. There's
13:41
a way to follow up in which they're bound to
13:45
answer you positively or negatively. Either way,
13:48
but you have an answer. So that's very good.
13:52
How do you measure ROI when it comes to networking
13:56
efforts? Results. It's actually pretty easy.
14:02
Did I get business from it? Is it growing my
14:05
business? Am I getting referrals? Am I able to
14:09
give back to other people? It's great to give,
14:11
but you're still there at some point to get back,
14:14
right? You still have to get an ROI or you're
14:16
not going to do it for very long. And so to me,
14:21
it's just really easy to see how your business
14:24
is growing. And if it's not growing, you might
14:27
have to make a shift in your strategy. You might
14:30
have to make a shift in where you're networking.
14:32
Michael, as I work with clients and I'm helping
14:34
them build their business, one of the things
14:37
I see is often people will stay in the same networking
14:40
group for years. And I don't find that to be
14:42
valuable. Because once you've really built those
14:45
relationships with people, you can stay with
14:48
those people. You can be connected to them. You
14:51
can still follow up with them. But to keep yourself
14:53
in the same circle isn't going to grow or expand
14:57
you. And I think a lot of people make that mistake
14:59
and they do it because it's comfortable. Oh,
15:01
I built friends here and I like it here. But
15:04
yet they don't get business there. They're not
15:06
nothing's growing. And so it becomes to me, it
15:09
becomes more social than it does as a business
15:12
growth strategy. And networking is, it's a business
15:15
growth strategy. You have to treat it that way.
15:19
And again, you have to leverage your time, but
15:22
it's easy to see if you're paying attention to
15:24
your business, it's easy to see what kind of
15:27
an ROI you get. How do you feel about like a
15:32
B &I group? I was in BNI for years and it's a
15:36
great strategy for, I think, certain industries.
15:40
It's really great for, I think for other industries,
15:43
it's a great starting strategy. And it really
15:45
just comes down to, is it the right place for
15:48
you? Are you going to be in front of the right
15:49
people? And then having a strategy going in.
15:53
So if you're in a room full of people that. really
15:57
couldn't refer you business or wouldn't become,
16:00
they couldn't become a client, which a BNI is
16:02
more versatile. So you have a wider variety of
16:06
people in there, but really again, be strategic
16:09
about what you're doing. But yeah, I think BNI
16:12
is a fantastic opportunity. There are so many
16:16
good networks out there and it's really finding
16:19
the right ones for you. But I, the thing I love
16:22
about BNI is things are tracked that you do.
16:26
have to pay attention to what's going on and
16:28
you're easy. It's really easy to track numbers
16:30
and things like that because those things have
16:32
to be reported. But no, it's a great strategy.
16:35
I recommend it to a lot of people, especially
16:37
if they're just getting started in business.
16:39
Yeah, I've been part of BNI. I've also created
16:43
my own networking groups, one in New York, one
16:47
in Jersey, about 30 businesses in each. And it
16:50
has, it grew to. It was a great thing. We met
16:56
every week. I then moved. I had to stop it. But
17:00
there's nothing like the networking, the feeling
17:03
of networking and the attitude of the people
17:07
that you're networking with to give you that
17:10
good feeling. And I love that you created your
17:14
own because that would be one of the strategies
17:16
I now teach people is build your own stage. Yeah,
17:22
then you get to pull in who you want. That's
17:24
true. But I felt that the more because I talked
17:28
in the beginning, we went around the table, of
17:30
course, and everybody gave their little speech.
17:34
But I felt that because I brought something to
17:37
the table each week, something new about networking.
17:40
I was teaching them about networking, but I was
17:44
teaching myself as well. So I was always learning.
17:48
And that's my key to success. is I'm constantly
17:51
learning. Can you share some tips for introverts
17:55
who struggle with networking? Get over it? No.
18:00
I'm sorry. Get over it. No, here's the thing.
18:04
If you're going to build a business, you have
18:06
to put yourself out there and you just really
18:08
have to do it. You have to start. You have to
18:10
do it. It really is hard for introverts to do
18:14
that, but it's a skill set you can learn. Just
18:16
like anything else, just like sales or anything
18:19
else, you can learn to do it. And you just have
18:22
to start. It's like starting a business. You
18:24
just have to start. You're going to learn as
18:26
you go. You're going to learn once you start
18:28
doing it. And it's not something you can sit
18:31
there and you can give people tips and ideas,
18:35
but until they actually step in and do it, they're
18:38
not going to get comfortable with it. You can't
18:40
talk to somebody about how to ride a bicycle,
18:43
right? You can give them tips on how to do it,
18:46
but until they actually get on the bike and pedal
18:48
and try to keep it up and all of that, they're
18:50
not going to really be able to ride the bicycle.
18:52
And so it's the same thing. That's great. That's
18:57
a good analogy, by the way. How has your approach
19:00
to networking evolved throughout your career
19:04
as a consultant? I, again, I think when I first
19:08
started, I don't think I know when I first started,
19:10
I didn't have a strategy behind what I was doing.
19:13
So I was just out there trying to meet people
19:14
and I didn't really have a great pitch, so to
19:18
speak, or a great, an elevator pitch, whatever
19:21
you want to call it. I didn't really, there wasn't
19:26
that clarity around how to do it and really make
19:28
it as effective as I could. And so I just had
19:31
to learn those things. along the way. And when
19:34
I realized, wow, once you actually put a really
19:36
great strategy behind networking, it's super
19:39
powerful because then you're looking at, okay,
19:40
what rooms do I need to be in? Where are my people?
19:44
Where are the people that I can help them? They
19:47
can help me. And you start thinking differently
19:50
about what you're doing and you really quit wasting
19:53
time. You become more efficient with the time
19:56
that you are spending. So over time that all
19:59
evolved and It just became where I'm, it was
20:04
just much more of a growth strategy than more
20:07
of a time killer. I think when you're first starting,
20:10
if you don't have that strategy, it's more of
20:12
a time killer and you're just getting your feet
20:14
wet and you're getting out there and you're meeting
20:16
people and that's great, but you don't often
20:18
see an ROI for that. As you get better and more
20:21
efficient, then you start to see ways that you
20:24
can really leverage it and be more strategic.
20:26
And then it really does start growing your business.
20:29
And that's great. And I can tell that we can
20:32
probably go on for another three hours and talk
20:35
about strategies and consulting and everything
20:38
else. But if somebody wanted to get hold of you,
20:41
either to be coached or to get some insights
20:45
on business or consulting or anything, what's
20:48
the best way for them to get hold of you? Yes,
20:50
you can go to my website at annelcarden .com.
20:54
And I have. free resources on there. You can
20:58
book a call if you want some help in your business
21:00
or in your marketing. I work in both of those
21:03
areas and you can find me anywhere on social.
21:07
And I've got a big YouTube channel as well, where
21:09
I talk about a lot of these things. That's great.
21:11
And I want to thank you again for coming on.
21:14
You're a great guest. Thank you. Thank you. It
21:17
was my pleasure. Well, hold on, folks. Don't
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that's a wrap, folks. A huge thank you to our
22:42
special guests for sharing such incredible insights
22:45
today. And of course, a big shout out to you,
22:48
our amazing listeners, for tuning in and spending
22:52
your time with us. Remember, networking isn't
22:56
about being perfect. It's about being present.
22:58
So take what you've learned today, get out there
23:01
and make some meaningful connections. If you
23:04
enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe,
23:07
leave us a review, and share it with someone
23:10
who could use a little networking inspiration.
23:13
Let's keep the conversation going. You can find
23:17
me on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or my website,
23:21
michaelaforman .remember. Until next time, keep
23:25
practicing, keep connecting, and keep building
23:28
those relationships. This is Michael A. Foreman
23:31
signing off. Take care and happy networking.