Latest / Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections / Networking Unleashed: S1E27 An Interview with Chava Grant and Michael A Forman

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Networking Unleashed: S1E27 An Interview with Chava Grant 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
0:29
more than just awkward handshakes and bad coffee.
0:33
It's an art and a talent. But here's the twist.
0:36
It's an art and talent you can actually learn.
0:40
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
0:55
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.
1:10
So stick around and let's turn those awkward
1:13
small talk moments. into big wins. Now, I have
1:18
a wonderful guest. Her name is Chava Grant, and
1:24
she's got really an extensive background. I'm
1:27
just going to delve a little bit into it before
1:30
I let her finish. So, Chava's career spans multiple
1:35
industries, from running an award -winning event
1:38
an events firm that hosted celebrity events,
1:42
weddings, conferences, and concerts for over
1:46
10 years. Now, there's a whole lot more, but
1:50
I am going to let Kava say it all to you. So
1:54
welcome to the show. Thank you, thank you, thank
1:57
you. Yeah, my career has been eclectic. Eclectic
2:01
is definitely the best way to describe it, but
2:04
it has been amazing. Definitely all stemmed from
2:07
being able to network well, which I completely
2:10
agree with you is a skill, but it is something
2:13
that can be developed and you are constantly
2:16
learning how to develop the skill and be better
2:19
at it. So I'm happy to be here. Wonderful. I'm
2:22
so glad. So I have a bunch of things to ask you,
2:26
but we're going to figure out where the conversation
2:29
is going to take us because heaven only knows
2:32
where. Okay. So how can business owners use cutting
2:39
edge systems to strengthen their networking efforts
2:43
and to building high value relationships? Yeah,
2:47
that's a great question. So what I have learned
2:50
over the last couple of years, which I leverage
2:53
every time I do any sort of networking event,
2:55
and I will tell you, I'm a conference. I go to
2:58
on average 12 conferences a year. I live in Las
3:03
Vegas now, and that is a recent move simply because
3:06
the best networking happens here. Everyone from
3:11
any industry does not matter what industry you
3:13
are in. They come to Vegas some point throughout
3:17
the year because of conferences, i .e. networking
3:21
events, right? And these conferences are interesting
3:23
because they have shifted. Before, it was really
3:26
all about the education. in whatever niche you
3:29
were in. But now conferences have really shifted
3:31
into places that you heavily network and expand
3:36
your network because people understand that that
3:39
is where the power is. The education you can
3:43
get from almost anywhere now. You don't have
3:45
to go to a conference to learn things, but the
3:48
networking is where the power really comes. So
3:51
that's why I ended up moving to Vegas. So that's
3:52
just a little background there. Going back to
3:55
your actual actual question. Oh, my gosh. Give
4:00
me your actual question again. I started going
4:02
on that tangent. Now I need to go back to the
4:03
basics. OK, let me just say, how can business
4:07
owners use cutting edge systems to strengthen
4:11
their networking efforts and build high value
4:14
relationships? OK, so here's a couple of tips
4:17
or things that I do now. Three things I go into
4:20
every any. networking event or networking situation
4:25
with three things. One, something that I know
4:27
is going to wow them. Technology is amazing now.
4:31
And there are so many easy things that you can
4:34
implement and put into place to be able to give
4:37
yourself a little bit of leverage. It's really
4:39
important when you're networking to come off
4:41
naturally, but to be able to show whatever your
4:44
niche is or whatever industry you're in, be able
4:46
to show that you are a leader or a thought leader
4:48
or a head, neck and shoulders above your competitors.
4:52
instantly. Like that is very important. So I
4:55
am in the tech industry now. And so I always,
4:59
every time I go, I leverage something that is
5:02
new or interesting in tech that can be displayed
5:04
easily, quickly, and that people will seek me
5:08
out for. So there's a couple of things. I always
5:10
try to at least do one of those things, right?
5:12
This last year, what has been interesting is
5:14
I have placed a little NFC chip in my nail. Very
5:17
simple, very inexpensive, but it is my business
5:20
card. So when I swipe on someone, I can literally
5:22
walk by if they want my contact information from,
5:25
oh, we should just connect. I'll swipe and all
5:27
of my information goes. It's not, it's the same
5:30
technologies like QR codes or anything like that,
5:32
but it is just a little interesting because people
5:35
haven't seen it yet. So that's one thing that
5:37
I do. Another thing is I normally have a flower
5:39
or something interesting on me so that. when
5:43
I go back to people, because you always want
5:45
to have those follow -up conversations, I can
5:47
say, remember the girl with the flower or the
5:49
whatever, so that they can instantly remember.
5:51
I know a lot of people like to take photos and
5:53
that works as well, but I like to do something
5:56
where they remember me. So the NFC chip is definitely
5:59
interesting because it's something that they
6:03
haven't seen before. And I can send, I can change
6:06
that. So it can be, I've done this also where
6:09
I have had the schedule to the conference because
6:13
everyone is looking at their schedule right so
6:16
I'll have the schedule on in this on this in
6:19
a chip here and then I'll have my business card
6:21
here so when you have those people that are like
6:23
oh what's the next thing or what are what's the
6:25
asking questions because everyone is always confused
6:27
at those things I can go oh there you go here
6:29
you go and then walk off and then they're like
6:31
how did how so things like that adding value
6:36
without any, like making people's lives easier
6:39
without anything in return. Like that is always
6:41
a winner for people. So anyways, I will stop
6:43
there, but those are a couple of little tips.
6:45
That's right. Because there are so many things
6:47
with what you said that I don't know where to
6:49
begin. I have to start with the NFC chips. Yeah.
6:52
So, so is that fairly inexpensive to do? It's
6:57
$2 a chip. wow you can put it in a ring because
7:02
they're very small you can put it in a ring you
7:03
can put it mine is really just underneath my
7:06
fingernail polish they're slim you can put it
7:09
on anything so if you were if you had a business
7:13
card you just wanted to tap it or whatever they
7:14
have those cards out there but placement is actually
7:18
key there because people have so interesting
7:20
it's so different Yes, yes. And that is the point
7:26
for it to be different because that's what stands
7:28
out. Doing what other people have done is you
7:30
got to make it. It's not a huge change, right?
7:32
Because everyone has the ability to have the
7:34
QR code or a little chip on a card or whatever.
7:37
But this is different. And so it stands out in
7:40
people's head, even though it's just a minor
7:41
tweak. Now, you said you go to conferences and
7:45
you love that interaction between people. And
7:48
that's really what I'm all about. I'm all about
7:52
that personal touch, all about that going to
7:54
conferences and business summits and things like
7:57
that. I feel that ever since the pandemic, people
8:01
lost their minds. They forgot how to communicate.
8:04
They forgot how to talk. And by that way that
8:08
they forgot how to network or they never learned
8:12
how to network. If you're 20 something or 30
8:15
something, you're just getting into the market
8:18
and you don't know how. So that's one of the
8:21
things that's the reason for this podcast and
8:25
the reason why I'm a public speaker and I go
8:28
on to stages and everything and I tell everybody
8:30
about this type of networking. Okay, what role
8:36
does innovation play in streamlining communication
8:39
and making networking more effective? Great question.
8:46
Yeah. And like I said, I'm in the tech space.
8:48
There are so many new tools and so many, so many
8:52
fun things that you can integrate into your toolbox
8:55
when it comes to tech. That's probably my favorite
8:58
one because that is one that it combines tech,
9:02
but also real life interaction. So that's probably
9:05
my favorite one. There's also, there are also
9:08
a bunch of different platforms that are popping
9:11
up that really help. cultivate and develop different
9:15
ways of networking which is great i there when
9:19
the pandemic happened that's when we thought
9:23
the big boom when the meta above a zoom You're
9:39
able to network before conferences and things
9:42
like that. So you can find your power, your collaborative
9:44
network that you can go into these conferences
9:46
with. And I feel like that, which is actually
9:49
interesting that we're talking about this because
9:51
I was telling one of my good friends the other
9:53
day that I'm going to start having networking
9:56
events virtually right before big conferences
10:00
for women. Because sometimes when a woman walks
10:03
into a room, it can be a little bit overwhelming,
10:05
right? Because you're, especially when you have
10:07
to go by yourself. So I'm going to start these
10:09
virtual networking events where you're comfortable,
10:12
you're in your own environment, but you're still
10:15
able to network with people before you go to
10:17
the event. So you have those players along with
10:20
you or teammates where you feel like you have
10:22
teammates that are going in with you. So networking
10:25
is a little less scary because even I'm a talker.
10:28
I don't know if you can tell. I don't know if
10:32
you got that vibe. But I do not mind talking
10:34
to anybody about anything. I will talk to a child.
10:37
I will talk to, you know, an 85 year old man
10:39
and have the same, you know, fluid conversation.
10:41
But it's not like that for everybody. And so
10:44
having these kind of pre -conference. spaces
10:49
where people are in their own environment and
10:51
they feel comfortable and they can start to find
10:53
other people that feel very similarly and have
10:56
that same battle and then go into these conferences
10:59
and these networking spaces with someone that
11:01
understands and maybe they have a safe word or
11:04
a look that says, I need help me in this. Those
11:07
type of things are going to help people develop
11:10
more of those skills to be able to go into the
11:13
battlefield of networking. you know, in a better
11:17
position. Does that make sense? It makes a lot
11:20
of sense. The way that I usually explain it is
11:23
introverts versus extroverts. And you and I happen
11:27
to be extroverts. We can go into a room, talk
11:30
to anybody about anything and start the conversation.
11:34
But an introvert really, you know, as soon as
11:36
they walk through the door, male or female, they
11:39
look at all those people and they go, oh my gosh,
11:42
what did I do? So what I do, and you said it,
11:47
I was in the Air Force, so I call it having a
11:51
wingman. And that's just somebody coming with
11:55
you that knows you, knows all about you and what
11:57
you do, and can really be a conversation starter.
12:01
Because you know as well as I do that once the
12:04
conversation starts, it becomes a little bit
12:07
easier for that person to talk. And there's a
12:10
whole series of what I do when you walk up to
12:12
a table, how you address the person and everything
12:15
else. But that's for another day. This is all
12:18
about you. OK, so here's a big one for you. What
12:25
are some of the biggest mistakes professionals
12:28
make when trying to build a network that supports
12:31
long term business growth? talking going to a
12:38
conversation talking about themselves the entire
12:42
time oh my goodness yeah the best thing that
12:48
you can do which and i learned this from a tony
12:51
robbins conference long a long time ago you the
12:56
best way to form a relationship with anybody
12:59
is to ask about that person and be intrigued
13:02
by that person And the easiest way, and this
13:05
is a great for introverts, right? Because they
13:07
barely want to talk anyways, or maybe it's just,
13:10
it's difficult. So having a list of questions
13:13
that are easy, that kind of flow easily, where
13:17
you can just let the person tell you about themselves.
13:20
It's funny how quickly people say, and he even,
13:24
he explains this whole thing, but it's, it is
13:25
really funny how that person will walk away going,
13:28
man, that guy's really smart. And it's like,
13:30
all I did was ask you questions. There's a mantra.
13:36
There's a mantra for networking. If they know
13:39
you, if they like you, if they trust you, they'll
13:42
do business with you. Now, know you and like
13:45
you, that's easy. Because know you, everybody
13:49
knows you. Like you, that narrows the field down
13:52
a little bit. The trust factor is so crucial.
13:57
So that you have 30 seconds, you have five minutes,
14:00
10 minutes, a half an hour. Okay, so when you
14:03
approach your client or person or anybody you're
14:08
speaking with, try to remember the word FORM,
14:12
F -O -R -M, family, occupation, recreation, and
14:18
a message. Nice. And if you remember the form,
14:21
so when that person is speaking, you can say
14:24
about their husband, wife, sister, brother, son,
14:28
daughter, youth sports, little league, anything
14:31
like that. Or you can move into occupation. What
14:34
does he do? He's in mortgages or he's in insurance
14:38
or he's the IT guy for all of these fields. You're
14:43
letting them talk about themselves. Yeah. If
14:47
he really he or she does not really is not really
14:51
opening up, then you go fall down to recreation.
14:54
So what do you do? You go skiing, you go jet
14:57
skiing, water skiing, anything like that. And
15:00
it helps build it up. So the more that he can
15:03
talk or she can talk about themselves, the better
15:07
you are. Absolutely. Absolutely. That's great.
15:10
I love that. I'm going to put that in my little
15:11
toolbox. Thank you. Absolutely. That's what all
15:15
this is for. Because I'm a coach also. And when
15:19
I coach my people, that's the first thing that
15:23
I tell them when they walk into a networking
15:25
event. But it's also good when you're talking
15:29
with somebody one -on -one. Yes, absolutely.
15:33
Do a quick scan of the office. What does he have
15:36
on the desk? Pictures? Wife? Husband, son, youth
15:41
sports, or how about a big music symbol on the
15:44
wall? Oh, what kind of music do you listen to?
15:46
And just talk. Let them talk. Let them speak.
15:50
Because the more that they speak, the more that
15:52
trust factor is increasing and that wall is lowering.
15:57
Absolutely. Okay. So. How can businesses implement
16:03
technology -driven strategies to maintain authentic
16:07
relationships at scale? I think this is an age
16:13
-old technique, but still is relevant. You can
16:16
just use technology to be able to house it. But
16:18
I think keeping a really good tab. or memory
16:23
bank on all of the conversations that you had,
16:26
especially if you're using that technique, that
16:28
form technique, where you're gathering all this
16:30
information about a person, having all of that
16:33
so that you are able to respond or send a little
16:37
note or a gift or an article or anything that
16:41
is valuable to them based on whatever it is that
16:43
they, whatever their interests are or whatever
16:46
you guys have communicated about. That is who,
16:49
and I know who did this. who was the person that
16:52
died 150 years ago that they saw he was a millionaire
16:57
or billionaire and they saw his book of contacts
17:01
and it had all this information about their i
17:04
need to find that i need to find that but it
17:06
basically it was like 150 years ago but the his
17:09
his the way that he built his wealth was through
17:12
relationships but he had this book that they
17:15
found after he passed away that had the most
17:17
intricate details about their conversations.
17:20
And he was able to always go back and everyone
17:22
felt like he was their best friend because he
17:24
could go back and do that. And technology has
17:27
allowed us to be able, we can quickly put things
17:29
in notes. We can, we can record conversations
17:32
so that we can go back to them. But I think a
17:34
step beyond that obviously is being able to have
17:36
meaningful follow -up referencing those things
17:40
so that they do feel like you are a friend or
17:42
that you listened or you. understand or it just
17:45
it is very impactful when someone comes back
17:47
and says oh my god how was your son's t -ball
17:49
thing versus hey just following up with you to
17:52
you know check in to see if you're interested
17:53
in buying solar like it just it definitely makes
17:56
a difference in your conversation that's part
17:59
of my follow -up system okay the follow -up is
18:04
so much more important than actually meeting
18:06
the person absolutely okay but when you're at
18:10
the networking table And you're speaking with
18:13
the person. And you're having the whole conversation.
18:17
And he gives you his card. On the back of his
18:20
business card, you write the date, the name of
18:25
the function, and something you spoke about.
18:28
And pretty soon, you're going to have 15 or 20.
18:31
That's all I recommend is 15 or 20 cards. And
18:35
you can follow up with that person using all
18:39
of this. Now, I have a... secret sauce, so to
18:43
speak, a system for following up. And I'll tell
18:46
you about that afterwards, but your follow -up
18:49
is so very important. And the way that you remember
18:54
that person by keeping that something on your
18:57
body or the flower or whatever the case may be,
19:00
that all comes into play. And I'll go with you.
19:04
I'll go, I'll go into it with you later on, but
19:09
The follow -up is so very important. And what
19:11
you said was so important and so key to the follow
19:16
-up. And it all has to do with the same stuff.
19:20
So I'm going to tell you that afterwards. Okay.
19:24
What habits separate successful legacy builders
19:31
from those who struggle to make an impact? Oh,
19:35
man. I think generally speaking, consistency.
19:41
Big one. Consistency and systems. Those two things
19:45
for me personally have been the things that have
19:49
catapulted me ahead of people that were light
19:53
years ahead of me five years ago. So I think
19:55
those two things, because those are things that
19:57
you can implement in every single aspect of your
20:00
business, your life, your networking. So I swear
20:03
by that consistency and systems. Use a CRM. That's
20:09
the smallest point that you can use. Now there
20:12
are free CRMs. There are some that just cost
20:15
a little bit. My suggestion always is to, that's
20:20
one thing that you want to invest in because
20:22
you can do things by rote. You can just set it
20:25
up and send out emails and what have you. But
20:28
that's so very important because you need a place
20:30
to put all that information that you wrote down
20:33
on the back of the business cards. Yep. Absolutely.
20:36
And then with all of the, of course, AI is the
20:40
buzzword of the year and will be probably up
20:43
until next year. But there are so many AI tools
20:47
that make it so easy. I know when people hear
20:52
CRM, some people, especially if they're like
20:54
me, I have ADD. So sometimes that scares people,
21:00
right? Because they hear. CRM, they think, oh,
21:03
there's so much work that's going to go into
21:04
that. Or I'm going to have to, that's going to
21:06
be more work than what it's worth. But there
21:08
are so many tools now to that, that automate
21:11
some of that, those pain points. So people should,
21:15
if there's anyone out there that, because I used
21:17
to. run when I heard the word systems or CRMs
21:22
or management or management systems or anything
21:25
like that, because it sounded like so much work
21:27
to me on the front end, but it definitely does.
21:29
Now with AI, there are all these automated things
21:31
that make it so much easier to be able to, you
21:34
know, have those systems implemented. So yeah,
21:37
I totally agree with you. CRMs are where it's
21:39
at. If you do not have a CRM, moms should have
21:42
CRMs, right? Yes. Now, let me ask you a question.
21:51
Really quickly, do you want to hear my follow
21:53
-up system? Yes, I would. Okay. And you should
21:56
find, because you network so much and you are
21:59
face -to -face with so many people, this would
22:02
be a very good system for you to use. And I'm
22:06
just giving you this. When you have your 15 or
22:10
20 business cards at the end of the evening,
22:12
I'm thinking about a three or four hour event.
22:15
I was in a mortgage company, I was in a mortgage
22:18
industry, and I used to come home with shoeboxes
22:20
filled with business cards. I'd say, look how
22:24
good I did. And I wouldn't remember who it was.
22:29
So now after a three or four hour event, I have
22:32
15 or 20 cards. That evening, whether I'm going
22:36
back to my office or home, I write a thank you
22:39
email. Chava, this is Michael. Thank you very
22:43
much for your time tonight. I had a wonderful
22:45
time, Michael. Done. That's it. No business or
22:49
anything else. That's the evening. And you honestly,
22:53
you have about a 20 % chance that you're going
22:55
to return my email because it's just a thank
22:58
you email. But here's the kicker. The next morning,
23:02
you write a handwritten. Thank you note. And
23:07
you write a handwritten thank you note. Hey,
23:08
Rava, this is Michael. I saw you on such and
23:12
such date at such and such an event. We spoke
23:14
about your husband, wife, sister, brother, son,
23:17
whatever. Hope all is well, Michael. Now, imagine
23:23
being the person at your desk receiving that
23:27
thank you note. You just put yourself light years
23:30
ahead of everybody else. Right. So now I just
23:34
raised your 20 % chance of response to about
23:37
a 50 % chance. Now, people in corporate America
23:40
would love a 50 % shot at somebody responding.
23:46
But it gets better. Let's say now they have to
23:50
give three or four days for them to receive that
23:52
thank you note. You write them and you still
23:55
haven't emailed me back yet. Hey, Kava, this
24:00
is Michael. I saw you on such and such date,
24:02
such and such event we spoke about. Now I say
24:04
the same thing every time because that will keep
24:08
it in their memory. We spoke about your son,
24:11
daughter, sister, brother, whatever. I sent you
24:14
the thank you note. I hope you got it. Listen,
24:16
Tuesday and Wednesday of next week opened up,
24:20
or it seems pretty clear. Would you like to meet
24:23
one of those days? Michael, let it go. And now
24:28
two days, three days later, because you are a
24:31
horrible person and you still haven't answered
24:34
my email, you come out and you say, hey, Calvin,
24:37
this is Michael. I met you at such and such date,
24:40
such and such an event. We spoke about your husband,
24:42
wife, son, daughter, whatever, literally whatever.
24:45
Listen, I told you that Tuesday and Wednesday
24:48
were open. Tuesday seems to be closing up a little
24:51
bit. How's Wednesday? Michael. Okay. So now.
24:58
You're like, if you haven't responded to my email,
25:02
you probably aren't going to. But one more email.
25:08
Hey, Calvin, this is Michael. I saw you on such
25:11
and such date, such event. We spoke about your
25:13
mother, son, sister, brother, your sons in Little
25:16
League and whatever else. I said Tuesday and
25:18
Wednesday were open. I got busy. Listen, if any
25:22
date works for you, please let me know. That's
25:25
your easy. Yeah. Yep. Toss the ball in there
25:29
for it. Yep. Now, if you still haven't responded,
25:33
you probably aren't going to respond. Yeah. So
25:37
you don't throw that card away. You take all
25:40
that information, every event that you wrote
25:42
down, every email, that thank you note and everything,
25:45
put it into your CRM and put them on a drip campaign
25:49
once a month to say, Hey, this is Michael. I
25:53
saw you on such and such date, such and such
25:55
an event. Just wanting to know if I can help
25:58
you out in any way and leave it and have that
26:02
go every month. That's smart. I love that. Yeah.
26:06
And that is the secret sauce to having them call
26:11
you back. Yeah. I love that. That's great. Little
26:15
piece of my business there. Okay. If someone
26:19
wanted to transform their networking approach
26:21
today using systems and innovation. what's the
26:26
first step they should take? Ooh, transforming
26:30
their network. Man, that's hard because I feel
26:33
like everyone is in such different places and
26:37
you really should play to your strengths. So
26:40
if you are a shy person, then prepping yourself
26:45
with maybe note cards or a note in your phone
26:48
with just... What are these general questions?
26:52
Go with your form technique, right? And just
26:54
have 10 questions just jotted down so that they're
26:56
in the front of your memory, your memory bank,
26:58
so that when you go in there, you feel equipped
27:00
and a little bit more self -assured because you
27:02
just need to be, the name of the game is just
27:04
confidence, right? Walking in there and being
27:07
confident. But like I said, those questions,
27:09
and we were talking about that earlier, asking
27:11
people questions and getting that information
27:13
from them, that's the most valuable thing that
27:15
you could do in those situations. One, because...
27:17
that you know get that no interest right but
27:20
then also you're getting all this valuable information
27:21
so that you can whatever it is whatever niche
27:24
you're in or whatever you're trying to provide
27:26
you're able to like okay these are probably some
27:28
of their pain points they have a son so maybe
27:30
so you're able to solve for some of those things
27:32
even if It's not necessarily your business. If
27:34
their kid is in little league and you're like,
27:37
oh, I could send them a baseball card or a whatever,
27:40
even though it's not solving necessarily a problem,
27:42
it's still networking level 10 ,000. Yeah. So
27:46
if you are, and that's not even if you're, you
27:49
know, that's if you're anybody that those followers
27:51
are important, but going back to the beginning,
27:53
if you are a person that. can't walk in and organically
27:57
do it, then make sure that you have equipped
27:59
yourself with tools to be able to do it and walk
28:02
in the room confidently. So if you're more a
28:04
shire, if you're an introvert, and it is very
28:08
uncomfortable for you, putting those little tools
28:10
in your toolkit is what you need to do. If you're
28:12
someone that's maybe a little more extroverted,
28:14
then okay, let me find a couple of ways to be
28:16
a little more eccentric, or maybe you do the
28:19
NFC code. Or what I really love now is I don't
28:22
know if you've seen these, but business card.
28:24
I don't carry physical business cards anymore,
28:26
but I start, I did this at two conferences and
28:28
it went really well, but I find I like to set
28:32
my stuff down and work the room and not have
28:34
a bunch of stuff with me. So I don't like to
28:35
have business cards anymore, but this business
28:38
card was actually super fascinating because it
28:40
is a 3d business card. So when you scan it, it's
28:43
got a little QR code on it. When you scan it,
28:46
it almost a whole little world in your phone.
28:49
You can see all of these digital. virtual reality
28:51
things pop out. So I can pop up and say, hi,
28:54
here's my email address. And it is fascinating,
28:57
but it's different. So I would look that up.
28:59
It's called a VR or an AR business card. And
29:03
that gets people's attention. Now, I only use
29:05
that or the only couple of times that I've used
29:07
it have been at conferences where people are
29:10
very techie because you really need something
29:13
that stands out for them. This NFC business card
29:16
works at other conferences because people generally
29:18
aren't that. extreme when it comes to tech but
29:21
that will blow anyone's socks off so that is
29:25
great so if you're like me where you are very
29:27
you really want it you don't want to stick to
29:31
you love people but you know you don't want to
29:33
stick to one conversation for too long you really
29:35
want to make an impact and get out of there doing
29:37
things like that are super impactful so if you're
29:40
a little bit Shire or the introvert side, I would
29:43
have you equip yourself with some questions and
29:45
things like that. So you can have maybe longer,
29:47
more meaningful conversations. But if you were
29:49
like me, where you just, you want to work the
29:51
room and be able to get as much as possible,
29:53
15 to 20 though, something that's going to like
29:58
really wow someone. And then you can move on
30:00
and they're still thinking about you or they
30:01
want to know, Oh, how can I get. That thing.
30:03
And then they're coming to you, right? Like,
30:05
how did you do that? Because that really, that
30:07
was really interesting. I would love to be able
30:08
to integrate that into mine. Is that helpful?
30:10
So that's what, that's the tool that I would
30:12
put in that person's toolkit. That's great, by
30:15
the way. But now you've told me everything that
30:19
is so good and so great. And even with your eclectic
30:24
background, give me a mistake or two that you've
30:30
made. And how you overcame it. Ooh, a mistake
30:36
I've made. I think the mistake that I used to
30:40
make a lot was what I think I touched on earlier
30:44
was coming in the room with a super long pitch
30:49
and a response for everything and making it about
30:53
myself. And that first interaction should always
30:58
be all about them. And so I think this in my
31:03
20s, you go into these, you really start to go
31:05
to these things and you think that's what's going
31:07
to wow people. I'm going to put my whole resume
31:09
out and I have my 32nd. And it's good to have
31:12
those, right? It's good to have those elevator
31:13
pitching things in your back pocket. But going
31:16
into a networking event and thinking that you
31:19
have to be the star of the show for it to get
31:21
anything done is the wrong approach. But definitely
31:24
takes doing it wrong a couple of times before
31:26
you go. Oh. Okay. Nobody cares. Like I said,
31:35
this is a skill. You have to learn it. The only
31:39
way to learn it is practice. And listen, I always
31:44
suggest for people just starting out. I tell
31:46
my students all the time that if you want to
31:49
start networking, start. Just start with the
31:53
chamber of commerce. Start with something to
31:55
get your, so you can just practice your message
31:58
and just start getting out there. Because the
32:01
first time you go out, the second time you go
32:03
out, even the third time you go out, you're going
32:05
to suck. It's going to be horrible. All right.
32:08
But the fourth, fifth, sixth time, you're going
32:12
to get better and better and you'll be okay in
32:14
your own skin. Absolutely. And you'll expand.
32:17
About the second time. The first, second, those
32:21
have to happen. So yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely.
32:24
All right. Very quickly. Last one. Give me, what's
32:27
your favorite marketing tactic? Marketing tactic.
32:32
You know what? It changes. It changes every single
32:38
year. Three years ago, I would have told you
32:42
TikTok. Two years ago, I would have said we're
32:46
back in the swing of things and networking like
32:49
mixers and different things. I like to do adjacent
32:52
things that are adjacent to me. So now I'm in
32:54
the mode of not. So here's what I love to do.
32:59
I'm like I said, I go to a lot of conferences,
33:01
but people tend to go to conferences and networking
33:04
things that are whatever their niche is centric.
33:08
But you end up being in a room full of a bunch
33:11
of yous, which is great for some things. But
33:13
if you really want to make more impactful relationships,
33:18
I like to now go to things that are adjacent
33:21
to you. So if you are in real estate, instead
33:24
of going to a real estate conference, maybe you
33:26
are going to. wedding events where people are
33:30
going to buy real estate after their wedding.
33:32
So you're just meeting people that are adjacent
33:34
to whatever your niche is, but are still going
33:37
to need you, right? Or those people are going
33:39
to refer you. So you are meeting all these people
33:42
that are opening the doors to. endless referrals
33:45
because they don't normally meet people that
33:47
are in your niche. So I think that's the biggest
33:49
when it comes to networking, that is so important,
33:52
but people are so narrow -minded and they do
33:55
what they've always done. But you have to, if
33:57
you just take one step to the left or one step
33:59
to the right, you can really blow open the gates
34:03
when it comes to networking and just marketing
34:04
in general. Does that make sense? It makes perfect
34:08
sense. It makes perfect sense. Kava, this was
34:11
absolutely fantastic because I loved listening
34:15
to everything that you had to say because what
34:17
you said is so prevalent in today's networking,
34:23
in today's society. They think that networking
34:26
tools like the AI and everything else is, oh,
34:29
that's it. I can do everything through Zoom.
34:31
I can do it through my cell phone and you lose
34:34
out on so much. You don't feel the vibe. of the
34:37
room you don't feel the vibe of the person so
34:40
that's all that's all great if somebody wanted
34:43
to get hold of you either for you to coach them
34:47
to get services from you just to find out all
34:51
about you how can they do it sure and i don't
34:54
think i even said what i do now i know i ran
34:57
an events firm for years and years but i am now
34:59
a business optimizer and i'm all about processes
35:04
so i do the basic level. So the business architecture,
35:07
which everyone knows what they know, right? They're
35:10
good at their thing. They bake cakes, they're
35:12
good at baking cakes, but not business. Maybe,
35:14
you know, there are some pieces that they. don't
35:17
have in their toolkit. So I look at their business
35:19
architecture and I figure out where all the missing
35:22
holes are. And then I go on the other side and
35:24
say, okay, how can we, are we looking for revenue?
35:26
Are we looking for funding? Are we looking for
35:29
what, how are we bringing money in? So I make
35:31
sure that you are set on the bottom, your infrastructure
35:33
and your architecture of your business is set.
35:35
And then I look at it from the top. How are we
35:37
bringing money in to create thriving businesses?
35:40
So I tend to work mostly with tech companies,
35:42
but You everyone needs that. And a lot of people,
35:45
most people don't know where the holes are. Right.
35:48
We're just trucking along because we're just
35:49
doing the best that we can. Because if you didn't
35:51
just jump out there in entrepreneurship, then
35:53
you'd never do it. If you knew all the all everything
35:56
that went into it, you would never, ever do it.
35:59
I know I could say I laugh about that because
36:01
I'm like, if I knew that I had to do the marketing
36:03
and the PR and all the things, I would have just
36:06
stayed in my nine to five. But that is what I
36:09
do in a nutshell now after running several businesses
36:11
and being chief of staff for several tech companies
36:13
and different things like that. But if you would
36:15
like to get a hold of me, you can always email
36:17
me or find me on all of my platforms are at underscore
36:21
it's I -T -S underscore Shava, C -H -A -V -A
36:25
-H. And Shava, not Shava? Yes, that is the Jewish
36:30
pronunciation, but I am not Jewish. And so my
36:33
parents loved. loved the Bible and they wanted
36:37
a great firm Jewish name and have called me Shava
36:41
my whole life. And only in my adulthood have
36:43
people come in and called me Hava, which is totally
36:46
fine because that is my name. But my parents
36:48
have been Shava my entire life, but it's fine.
36:53
Either is fine. Okay, I'm Jewish. So as soon
36:56
as I saw your name, I immediately thought Chava.
37:00
Right. And that is the actual pronunciation of
37:04
it. So either works. Both give me the orange
37:07
fuzzies that you're saying my name, so it is
37:09
okay. Okay. Great. And then my email address
37:13
is just Shava, C -H -A -V -A -H at itsshava .com.
37:16
So it's pretty easy, but yeah. And I welcome,
37:18
of course, I love people. I love networking and
37:21
talking and adding value and wherever I can.
37:24
So I love communication. So feel free to reach
37:27
out to me in whatever way works best. You absolutely
37:30
sound like you know what you're doing. So I hope
37:32
that somebody reaches out to you and asks for
37:35
your help. Okay. So thank you so much for coming
37:39
on. This is great. Well, hold on, folks. Don't
37:43
go anywhere. Let me just read a few of our sponsors
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-E -V -V -E -D -U -P -K -I -D -S dot org. Well,
39:00
that's a wrap, folks. A huge thank you to our
39:04
special guests for sharing such incredible insights
39:07
today. And of course, a big shout out to you,
39:10
our amazing listeners, for tuning in and spending
39:14
your time with us. Remember, networking isn't
39:17
about being perfect. It's about being present.
39:20
So take what you've learned today, get out there
39:23
and make some meaningful connections. If you
39:26
enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe,
39:29
leave us a review, and share it with someone
39:32
who could use a little networking inspiration.
39:35
Let's keep the conversation going. You can find
39:38
me on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or my website,
39:43
michaelaforman .com. Remember, until next time,
39:46
keep practicing, keep connecting, and keep building
39:50
those relationships. This is Michael A. Foreman
39:53
signing off. Take care and happy networking.