Latest / Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections / Networking Unleashed: S1E66 An Interview with Harlan Hammack and Michael A Forman, Public Speaker

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Networking Unleashed: S1E66 An Interview with Harlan Hammack and Michael A Forman, Public Speaker · Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections

0:16
Welcome back to Networking Unleashed, Building
0:19
Profitable Connections, where we go to beyond
0:23
handshakes and dive into the conversations that
0:26
create real impact. Today's guest is someone
0:30
who brings the perfect blend of strategy and
0:33
soul to the small business world. He's a speaker,
0:37
coach, and advocate for entrepreneurs, known
0:41
for helping leaders find the courage to lead,
0:44
unlock their cash flow, and face the biggest
0:47
challenges business owners encounter head -on.
0:51
But here's the question. How does networking
0:54
play into all that? How do the right relationships
0:58
help unlock revenue, resilience, and real growth?
1:02
We're about to find out. So get ready for a conversation
1:06
full of wisdom. real talk, and tangible takeaways,
1:10
because today we're not just talking business,
1:12
we're unleashing connections that profit with
1:16
purpose. Harlan, welcome to the podcast. Welcome
1:20
to the show. I am so thankful to have you on
1:23
my show. You want to give us just a little bit
1:26
of your background? Sure. And thanks, Michael.
1:29
I had you on my podcast, love talking to you,
1:31
and I'm glad to be back on your podcast now.
1:33
I've been looking forward to this. So my background
1:36
is pretty varied. I grew up in Southern California.
1:38
I worked at Lockheed Aircraft for a while, then
1:40
went to college. And when I came out, I found
1:43
a job as a consultant. And so for the... Next
1:46
30 some odd years, I was a management consultant,
1:49
organizational change and business transformation.
1:51
So working with companies that were undergoing
1:53
some major time to change, like a merger acquisition,
1:56
a process re -engineering, a new software implementation,
1:59
something like that. Anything that touched the
2:01
people, processes or technology in the business
2:04
is a change. And if you're not careful how you
2:07
manage that change, you could lose some employees,
2:09
some key employees along the way. So our job
2:11
was to get with the executive team to help them
2:13
understand the impacts. the change would have
2:16
and could potentially have on their business,
2:18
help them communicate that change and lead their
2:20
people through the change. So they were as productive
2:22
after as they were before. That was our goal.
2:24
But that meant getting on an airplane every Monday
2:26
and every Friday, flying to a client side, flying
2:28
home on the weekends. And it got to be a little
2:30
bit much. So after about... however long, 25,
2:33
30 years. I told my wife, I think I want to stop
2:36
traveling for a little while. So I started networking
2:38
locally and business coaching for some of the
2:41
local businesses. So I've worked a lot with a
2:43
lot of different varied businesses. And right
2:44
now I'm working with commercial and residential
2:46
contractors to help them improve their cashflow
2:50
and maximize their profits so that their business
2:52
can thrive and they get to take home as much
2:54
of the hard -earned money that they make. So
2:56
that's what I've been doing the last eight, nine
2:58
years. Wow, that sounds great. That sounds jam
3:01
-packed. Your background is so varied with so
3:05
many different businesses. You probably have
3:07
a lot to offer them. So hopefully that will just
3:11
continue. But now let's get into just the networking
3:14
and leadership. You talk a lot about courage.
3:18
What role does courage play in reaching out and
3:22
building authentic business relationships? I
3:26
think courage is huge. I wasn't used to networking
3:29
and I got involved, like I said, when I came
3:31
in off the road, went to a few different networking
3:33
groups. And what I loved was realizing that a
3:35
lot of these people are just like I am. A lot
3:39
of them were starting their businesses, starting
3:41
off so they were a little nervous, speaking up
3:43
in front of people and getting up in front of
3:45
people and talking. To get that courage to step
3:47
onto a stage and talk, even if it's about yourself,
3:50
even if it's a topic you really know well. can
3:52
be daunting for some people. So getting that
3:55
courage to get up and share. And the thing I
3:58
learned about networking, Bob Berg has a great
4:00
book, The Go -Giver. Don't go into a networking
4:03
environment wanting to take, wanting to get referrals.
4:08
Go in with a giving heart, right? give referrals,
4:11
recommend people, refer people, and that reciprocity
4:15
will kick in. And that's what I started finding
4:16
out is the more that I helped other people achieve
4:18
their goals, the more they were willing to help
4:20
me achieve mine. And I think networking is key
4:23
to any business. If you're in business and you're
4:25
not networking, you're missing a big opportunity.
4:28
Absolutely. And that's one of my biggest points
4:31
when I coach and when I go on the road to talk
4:35
about networking is you give with what's called
4:37
a servant's heart. You always give before you
4:40
receive and it will definitely come around to
4:43
you. Have you ever made a connection that completely
4:47
changed the trajectory of your business or leadership
4:51
path? I've made a lot of amazing connections.
4:57
I'll tell you, I actually met with this guy this
5:00
morning. We just happened to bump into each other
5:02
at a networking event and he is a business coach
5:05
like I am. So you'd think we're in a competing
5:07
area. that there'd be some animosity between
5:10
us. This is one of the most giving men I've ever
5:13
met, Jeff Bartholomew. He helps anybody that
5:17
asks him for help. So I'll bounce ideas off of
5:20
him. He'll give me some direction from either
5:22
problems or things that happened to him in his
5:24
past to say, hey, watch out for this, watch out
5:26
for that. And he's really helped me as I go and
5:29
approach these different new businesses. Sometimes
5:31
you come into a new business. I'm not familiar
5:34
with every business in the world. I know the
5:35
business of business, right? So I can help people
5:38
with their strategies, their systems, cashflow,
5:40
things like that. But the finer details of the
5:43
business, sometimes those elude me. So I can
5:46
go with Jeff, we'll sit down and have a cup of
5:47
coffee, bounce ideas off of each other and stuff.
5:49
And I come out recharged, ready to go. So yeah,
5:52
the networking, he has been a great mentor for
5:54
me. That's great that you can find somebody in
5:58
your same lane. And you're not in competition,
6:02
but you actually help one another. And I think
6:05
that's the true meaning of doing business and
6:07
networking and having the servant's heart. So
6:10
that's right on all the levels. In your experience,
6:14
how can networking directly impact a small business's
6:18
cash flow for better or worse? One thing I try
6:23
to get my clients to understand is networking.
6:26
You never know who you're talking to and how
6:28
they're connected. So getting out in opportunities
6:31
to talk to people, let them know what it is that
6:33
you do and how you do it, I think is great for
6:36
business. The one thing that happens a lot with
6:38
cashflow, it's not so much the money coming in,
6:42
it's the things that are going on in the business.
6:44
how they use the money that's going out, the
6:47
profitability. By getting out and networking
6:49
with people, you can run into what we call gate
6:52
openers. The people who may not ever buy the
6:55
product or service you're selling, but they work
6:57
with the same. clients or customers that you
6:59
do. And they may be able to bring you in when
7:02
the client buys this, maybe your product or service
7:04
is the next little piece they're missing. And
7:07
so these gate openers can actually introduce
7:09
you to people. And anytime you can get an introduction
7:12
to someone that carries so much weight, that
7:14
halo effect, if they've already bought from this
7:16
person, they're in good standing, right? People
7:19
can trust. that halo effect shines on you. And
7:22
when they introduce you, you've got their credibility
7:25
standing in for you. So I think networking is
7:27
huge. And I've seen it change people's lives
7:30
where they will make a connection that connects
7:32
them with the second or third party who then
7:34
becomes a big customer for them. So you just
7:36
never know where it's going to go. So you're
7:39
not networking necessarily with the person you're
7:42
speaking to. You're networking with their network
7:45
of people. And whether it's two or three times
7:48
removed, because if they've purchased from you
7:52
or from somebody that is associated with you,
7:54
they like you already. That trust factor is already
7:59
there. So they can recommend you. That's very
8:02
true. And I always believe in talking to the
8:07
person as if they're the center of their network.
8:12
So that's very good. Do you believe referrals
8:14
are the most underutilized revenue stream in
8:19
a small business? Absolutely. Absolutely. A lot
8:23
of the mindset is we've sold something to these
8:26
people. They've done their part. I've done my
8:28
part and we're done with them. I try to get my
8:30
clients, keep involved, email them every once
8:33
in a while. Check in with them. If you're in
8:34
the neighborhood, stop by and say hello. If it's
8:37
business to business or something like that,
8:38
try to stay in front of them as much as possible
8:40
because you never know when they're going to
8:42
be talking to someone or someone in their family
8:44
needs something. And you want to stay top of
8:47
mind with them. If you sell and then you walk
8:49
away, then you know better than some of the big
8:51
box retail stores. They don't come and see how
8:53
things are going. If you buy a product. I can't
8:59
hear. Okay. I can't. Oh, now I can hear you.
9:05
All right. Are we back? Sorry. Sorry. I told
9:08
you technical difficulties. If somebody buys
9:11
a product or service from you, check in with
9:13
them after a month or two. See how that product
9:15
is working. Did it do everything that you thought
9:17
it would? Did we perform the way we thought we
9:20
could? Those type of interactions, I think, grow.
9:23
If people have a really good experience, they're
9:24
going to tell all their friends and colleagues
9:27
about what you do. So always keep those relationships
9:29
forefront. I truly believe that the days of building
9:34
your customer list is really passe. Now you're
9:39
building the relationships. And after you've
9:42
given them a service, whatever the case may be,
9:45
you put them into your CRM and do some sort of
9:48
a drip campaign. So you're always staying top
9:50
of mind. So I always say, oh, you know what?
9:52
Harlan knows that. Let me give him a call. And
9:55
he just gives you a call. She gives you a call.
9:58
I'm a firm believer in the relationship building
10:01
as opposed to just adding to your client list,
10:04
your customer list. You often say small business
10:07
owners face one major problem. How can the right
10:13
network help solve it? I often quote Mike Michalowicz,
10:21
a business author, profit first, fix us next.
10:24
Mike Michalowicz said, the biggest problem business
10:26
owners have is that they don't know what their
10:29
biggest problem is. And I found that true with
10:33
some of the clients that I work with. They know
10:35
something's wrong. The business isn't quite working
10:37
the way they thought it should, but they have
10:39
no idea what they do. So they end up working
10:40
longer, working harder, trying to get more sales,
10:44
right? And that's rarely the problem that's happening.
10:47
By going out and networking, talking to other
10:49
people, talking to them about their businesses,
10:51
see the struggles that they're going through,
10:52
you may realize, hey, I'm marking up the wrong
10:55
three. That's not really what's going on. Find
10:57
out what they're using. If you're looking to
10:59
change your point of sale system, what are other
11:01
people using? Network with them and ask the questions.
11:04
People love to talk about themselves. They love
11:06
to talk about their business. Go up and ask somebody,
11:08
how do you guys do this? And again, yes, you
11:11
may be in a similar industry. You may be competitors.
11:16
what, seven, eight billion people in the world?
11:18
There are plenty of people. There are plenty
11:20
of customers around there. Don't get hung up
11:22
on that. Talk to people, ask them about their
11:25
business, share some ideas, trade with them.
11:27
And yeah, I think you can really find out how
11:30
to improve that because everybody needs a little
11:32
help along the way. And picking up a tidbit from
11:34
this. Okay, yeah, I firmly believe that if you
11:44
ask somebody for their point of view, not necessarily
11:48
their health, but their point of view, have them
11:51
tell about themselves in their work environment
11:54
or something. People, as you said, people love
11:57
to talk about themselves, but they love to give
12:00
you advice. You feel that you've made it when
12:04
somebody asks you for your advice. So it puts
12:08
them up and it puts you on a higher pedestal
12:11
when you ask because it shows that you are truly
12:14
interested. Okay, so here's a good one, right?
12:19
What's the biggest mistake entrepreneurs make
12:22
when trying to build their network? So I think
12:30
one thing is going in, again, with that mindset
12:32
that I'm here to get rather than I'm here to
12:35
give. they burst into a little cluster of people
12:38
talking and start talking about themselves and
12:40
what they do and handing out business cards and
12:42
everything. And I think you put people off and
12:45
they're not going to think about you. They're
12:47
not going to refer to you if they get a client.
12:50
If you come in, listen, ease yourself into a
12:52
conversation and then ask some pointed questions
12:55
about the people that are already in there talking.
12:57
Even if you turn around and walk away from the
12:59
group, you're going to be one of the most interesting
13:01
people they've met that day. because you took
13:03
the time to listen and ask them about their business.
13:05
So make your networking about getting with other
13:09
people and asking them about their business.
13:11
Make it about helping them or referring people
13:13
to them and your business will grow. Absolutely.
13:17
You hit the nail right on the head. Everything
13:20
that I go out and I speak about and everything
13:23
else and what you have to do, you said it really
13:26
so eloquently, but you really just... got to
13:31
the base of what I would say would be a huge
13:34
mistake of anybody trying to network is going
13:37
and talking. That they should listen and it should
13:40
be active listening. Not just listening to hear,
13:43
but listening to listen and respond to them with
13:48
what they're saying. So yes, listening and all
13:50
that with you. Giving out the business cards
13:51
is a major no -no off the bat. I'll tell you
13:54
a funny story. I was at a networking event. And
13:58
it was about five of us at a table. And a guy
14:00
comes walking up. Hey, how are you doing? What's
14:02
going on? Hey, I know all of you. Hey, wait a
14:05
second. Here, take my card. Zip, zip. Listen,
14:07
I want to get in touch with all of you. You all
14:09
have my contact information. Can I have your
14:11
cards? Because I want to. And he was off. And
14:14
we all looked around like, what just happened?
14:18
We all just took his card and threw it out. That's
14:21
the number one way of not doing it. That's the
14:25
way of not doing it. Be engaged and be engaged.
14:28
I had a one -to -one meeting with a guy that
14:30
I thought I would either be able to help him
14:32
or help some of his clients and friends. He spent
14:35
the entire meeting talking about himself, me,
14:37
and then his phone rang and he picked up his
14:39
phone and talked on his phone for the next 20
14:41
minutes. And then our time was up. And I will
14:45
never do business with somebody like that. I
14:47
want to know that if they're sitting with me,
14:49
I try to be as engaged as possible. I put my
14:51
phone away. I put my face down. I try to. look
14:55
them in the eye, ask them questions, be engaged
14:57
with what they're saying. He was all about me.
15:00
And that just doesn't work. Yeah, no, absolutely.
15:04
Absolutely. That's not going in with the servant's
15:06
heart. That's not going in to give rather than
15:10
receive. So yeah, I understand that wholeheartedly.
15:15
Okay, so how do you personally decide which relationships
15:19
to invest in and which to let go? As far as to
15:28
invest in, I'm always looking for the people
15:30
who work with the same type of clients I work
15:32
with, either a peripheral type service or product
15:35
that I can then go in and help on top of that.
15:39
I'm looking for those people to make connections
15:41
with. Other people I want to get to know because
15:44
who knows, something will come up and maybe I'll
15:46
be able to refer somebody to them. But if I put
15:50
a call into them or put an email into them and
15:52
they don't respond to me. If I send a referral
15:54
to them and they don't respond to that referral,
15:57
I'm done because it's my reputation that's on
16:01
the line. When I send a referral to you, I've
16:04
already cleared with this person that they are
16:06
looking for your product and service. If I say,
16:08
hey, I've got somebody I network with, the guy's
16:10
great, blah, blah, blah. I turn them over to
16:12
you. If you drop the ball, I look bad. And now
16:15
it's hard for me to go back in front of that
16:16
person and give any referral. So that's one of
16:20
the big things that I look. If somebody doesn't
16:23
respect the referrals I'm giving them, if they
16:25
don't respect my time and my effort, sorry, I
16:29
just won't do business with them. Respect goes
16:32
such a long way. And you have to know how to
16:35
respect the other person. And as you said, you
16:38
take your phone, you put it in your pocket or
16:40
face down. It's away from you. You don't even
16:42
consider looking at it. You're looking at the
16:45
person square in the eye. You're engaging with
16:48
the person. So you're 100 % present. And if they
16:53
can't give you the same respect, then you really
16:56
don't have a relationship at all. You've told
16:59
me how successful you've become. But why don't
17:04
you give me a mistake that you've made personally
17:07
and how you overcame it? So I was in the first
17:14
networking group that I went to. I was that guy
17:16
that wanted to talk about myself and how great
17:19
I am and everything that I know. everything I've
17:22
experienced and it was one of the mentors from
17:26
the group that kind of came over and put his
17:27
arm around me and said let's take a walk and
17:29
he introduced me to the servant's heart and I
17:32
had no idea I was there to promote me and that
17:35
just didn't work and I it was tough kind of getting
17:39
back in with that group and building that rapport
17:41
that I shouldn't have done in the first place
17:43
getting to know them and asking about them that
17:45
took a while to build that back up now that's
17:49
When I go in, that's my first thought is be quiet,
17:51
listen, ask questions, but just be there and
17:54
just soak it all in. And then if somebody turns
17:57
and says, hey, tell me about you. OK, they've
18:00
told me enough about themselves. Fine, I can
18:02
talk then. But I try to wait and say, you're
18:05
far more interesting than I am. I'd love to know
18:07
more about like and get them to start talking
18:09
again. But yeah, I was the guy that dropped the
18:12
ball that first time. I just came in. I had flyers.
18:14
I had business cards. I had all kinds of stuff
18:16
that I wanted to pass out to every single person
18:18
in the room. It's not the way to do it. And it's
18:21
not easy to do, is it? It's not easy just to
18:24
turn that around because you grew up. You always
18:27
thought you're here to sell something, your services
18:31
or whatever the case may be. And you want to
18:35
tell everybody what you have. That's why you're
18:37
there. But it's a whole different mindset, a
18:41
whole mind shift. And it's not easy to do. It's
18:43
not something you can do overnight. It's something
18:46
you have to practice. Because listen, networking
18:48
is a skill and it's a talent. So you have to
18:52
practice, practice. The networking group that
18:56
I'm involved in right now, they're very good
18:59
about, one of their hard and fast rules is do
19:02
not sell to anyone in this group. You're not
19:05
here to sell to these people. Nobody gets up
19:07
that early in the morning to be sold to. Tell
19:11
them how they can help you. Here's who I helped,
19:15
how I helped them, and a great referral for me
19:17
would be X. And here's a good opening question,
19:20
because that's one of the hardest things. I don't
19:22
know exactly how to refer this person to a marriage
19:26
counselor. How do you breach that, right? How
19:28
do you say, hey, I've got a marriage counselor.
19:30
It sets people off, right? They're teaching us
19:34
how to give what they call a kindling question,
19:37
just to get the fire going a little bit. Something
19:40
thought -provoking, you can ask them, hey, have
19:42
you ever considered this? Or how is this going?
19:44
Or hey, I just read this article. Have you ever
19:45
had that same issue? Just something little like
19:47
that. And if they say, yeah, you know what? I
19:49
am dealing with that right now. I may have somebody
19:51
you can talk to. So trying to get that down,
19:55
again, you're not selling to the people you're
19:57
networking with. You're basically building your
19:59
sales team. These are the people that are going
20:01
to go out and think of you. So whatever you can
20:05
do to help them keep you in their mind, that's
20:07
what you want to do. And that's really the perfect
20:10
way. You can't, I used to belong to a BNI and
20:13
that was referral, whether it was a real referral
20:17
or not. And most of the time, it was not okay.
20:21
I did one year BNI because that's what I paid
20:24
for. And I really cut it out when I was in New
20:28
York. I had my own networking groups, one in
20:32
New York, one in New Jersey. I had about 30 businesses
20:35
in each. I took the best from B &I, the best
20:38
from the tip, and I created my own networking
20:41
group. And I did just about what we're talking
20:43
about now. But it's been years and years of practice
20:47
because nobody will get it right first time out.
20:51
When building a network from scratch, what's
20:54
the first thing a small business owner should
20:57
do? I think the pre -work, understanding, number
21:04
one, your products and services that you're going
21:06
to talk about. Understand who your customer is
21:08
so you have a good, clear picture of who that
21:10
customer and how you can help them. What are
21:12
the things they're struggling with? How does
21:14
your product or service ease that pain or solve
21:17
that issue that they have so that you know then
21:20
how to go out and present your business to everybody?
21:23
I think the other thing is then those peripheral
21:25
people who offer similar services. or complimentary
21:29
services, adjacent services, if you will, that
21:32
they may be talking to some of the same customers
21:34
that you are. For a long time, I was working
21:37
with an investment person and a counselor. And
21:41
I would bring in things about when you're getting
21:44
ready to sell your business, some of the struggles
21:45
you go through with the family business, how
21:47
that impacts the family and things. We work with
21:50
a lot of the same people. So we saw that there
21:52
might've been a little bit of overlap. So we
21:54
did a few presentations together. That was good.
21:56
If you could. Find out who those other people
21:58
are that those gate openers and try to, who would
22:01
these people be? And then reach out to them.
22:03
If they're not in your group, invite somebody
22:05
to be in your group. Tell everybody else, I would
22:07
love an introduction to this person or this person.
22:10
Try to get them in your group. Always try to
22:12
build your group. Think about who you know that
22:15
could support somebody else in your group and
22:17
start inviting them. That's very good advice.
22:20
And actually that was the way that I built up
22:23
my groups. to be so large. When I was doing the
22:27
networking groups, I was in the mortgage industry.
22:30
So I obviously invited real estate, financial,
22:35
insurance, because we talked to the same people
22:38
in different parts. So we all helped one another,
22:42
but the two groups grew to be quite large. And
22:45
I had to leave them to come down to Georgia,
22:47
but that's what I did. Has there ever been a
22:51
time where networking saved your business or
22:54
your sanity? Sanity, definitely. Every business
23:01
goes through ups and downs, right? You're on
23:02
the roller coaster. And a lot of times you think,
23:05
is it something that I'm doing? Is it something
23:07
that I'm not doing or I'm doing wrong? By being
23:11
in the network and sharing that, here's the concern
23:13
that I have and stuff, you realize a lot of people
23:16
are going through the same thing you are. And
23:18
maybe you can help support each other through
23:19
that. And I did that when I first got into coaching.
23:23
There were a lot of times where I'd hit drop
23:25
spells. What am I doing wrong? And everybody
23:28
said, no, everybody's slow right now. COVID is
23:30
a great example for a lot of businesses that
23:32
impacted people. And it's like, just we'll get
23:35
through this. Maybe here's some options you could
23:37
do. Here's some things you might be able to do.
23:39
Instead of going personally into these different
23:41
offices, can you offer online courses? Can you
23:43
offer any online meetings and things like that?
23:46
So trying to help each other through those tough
23:48
times. I've made some friends in the networking
23:50
groups I've been in that we're still friends
23:52
and we probably will be for life. And we do try
23:55
to help each other whenever we can. So I think
23:56
that's a big part of it. How can you balance
24:01
the in -person networking groups or in -person
24:06
networking events? with digital? And I think
24:13
there are a lot of both now. People are used
24:15
to using Zoom and Teams to conduct work. So I
24:19
don't think they're as standoffish as they were
24:22
for a while. Everybody, if you're not meeting
24:24
in person, it's not valuable. I don't agree.
24:27
I have a group of other business coaches that
24:29
I meet with every other month and we're scattered
24:33
all over, but we get together and share online.
24:36
And it's nice to build that rapport. I think
24:38
you can do it. You have to be a little bit more
24:40
specific on how you build those long distance
24:43
relationships. Be intentional about it. Be engaged.
24:48
You don't want to be on camera and be looking
24:50
off to the side, doing something or playing with
24:51
your dog or whatever. You want to make sure that
24:53
you're engaged, just like you are in a meeting,
24:55
sitting with people. Have your camera on. I've
24:58
been in a few meetings where people have their
25:00
camera off. That's almost like being in a conference
25:03
room. But you turn your chair around to face
25:06
the window and not look at the people you're
25:08
meeting with. Have your camera on and be engaged
25:10
and ask questions and things like that. So it's
25:13
all the same rules that would apply in a live
25:15
event. But having those Zoom type meetings, I
25:18
think are great because you can get yourself
25:21
involved in other areas where you might not be
25:23
able to drive to all the time. Get involved in
25:26
those meetings and you can still meet with these
25:28
people, still get in front of them and find out
25:29
what they're doing and how you can help them.
25:31
And the intern can help you. So yeah, I think
25:34
it's a great tool. I love the online meetings.
25:36
Yeah, it's great. I do virtual workshops, which
25:40
was new to me because I'm used to going to the
25:43
business and doing a workshop and everything.
25:46
But I always give them a standard rules, a list
25:50
of standard rules. Have your camera on, be attentive,
25:54
be interactive. Don't look down at your phone.
25:56
Don't, you know, make believe that you're in
25:59
a conference room. And I would say 90 % of the
26:03
time it works because that other 10 % of the
26:06
time, nothing works. Okay, let's bring this full
26:11
circle. What's one networking habit or ritual
26:16
you swear by that our listeners could start doing
26:19
today? In the networking group that I'm in right
26:27
now, we write down the one best thing. that we
26:31
may go around the table and introduce yourself.
26:33
Here's my business. Who's who I work with and
26:35
what I do and how I help them. We write down
26:38
the one best thing we learn from each person.
26:41
And then towards the end of the meeting, we can
26:42
stand up and say, Hey, I really liked how you
26:44
said this. I really love the quote you gave on
26:46
this. And it gives some support and feedback
26:49
out on the back, which everybody needs, right?
26:52
Just some encouragement to keep doing what you're
26:54
doing. We can also jot down maybe tips. Hey,
26:57
you missed an opportunity to say this or talk
27:00
about this. We share those opportunities then
27:02
with the person afterwards. So again, we're there
27:04
to help support each other and build each other
27:06
up, not just to get referrals from you, but to
27:09
build that, the morale of the whole team. And
27:12
so, yeah, that's what I like to do. I take a
27:13
lot of notes during the meeting and I share those
27:15
with everybody during the meeting and after.
27:18
That's great. And I'm sure that's taken practice.
27:22
You didn't just get out of college and all of
27:25
a sudden start doing all these fantastic things.
27:28
You had to learn. And that's what I'm trying
27:31
to get at with my listeners, that first of all,
27:34
you go out and you start. You just do it. Because
27:37
the first time, you're going to suck. There's
27:39
no two ways about it. You're not going to get
27:41
it. But by the second, third, fourth, fifth time.
27:44
You're going to get better and you're going to
27:46
enjoy it. And the last thing is, I'm sure that
27:49
whenever you go to a networking event, you have
27:51
a good time, right? You enjoy yourself because
27:54
nobody likes going out and working without them
27:59
getting any type of. feedback or anything else
28:01
like that. So that's it. So Harlan, I want to
28:05
tell you, this was fantastic. You were a great
28:09
guest. And if somebody wanted to get hold of
28:12
you for coaching or for otherwise, how can they
28:14
do it? They can start on my website. The website
28:18
is ib4e -coaching .com. A lot of information
28:23
out there. I've got some PDFs and things like
28:25
that you can download from their free content.
28:27
And yeah, if they'd like to talk to me, you can.
28:30
Connect with me there. Connect with me on LinkedIn.
28:33
Harlan Hammock on LinkedIn. And love to chat.
28:36
Love to talk with you. Fantastic. Harlan, I can't
28:40
wait to speak with you again. I'll speak with
28:42
you soon. Awesome. Thanks, Michael. Well, hold
28:46
on, folks. Don't go anywhere. Let me just read
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-U -P -K -I -D -S .org. Well, that's a wrap,
30:05
folks. A huge thank you to our special guests
30:08
for sharing such incredible insights today. And
30:11
of course, a big shout out to you, our amazing
30:15
listeners, for tuning in and spending your time
30:18
with us. Remember, networking isn't about being
30:22
perfect. It's about being present. So take what
30:25
you've learned today, get out there, and make
30:28
some meaningful connections. If you enjoyed this
30:31
episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave us
30:33
a review, and share it with someone who could
30:36
use a little networking inspiration. Let's keep
30:39
the conversation going. You can find me on Apple,
30:43
Spotify, YouTube, or my website, Michael. Remember.
30:48
Until next time, keep practicing, keep connecting,
30:52
and keep building those relationships. This is
30:55
Michael A. Foreman signing off. Take care and
30:58
happy networking.