SNM111: Eight Benefits of Good Networking

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eight benefits of good networking on today's episode. Today's episode is brought to you by digit save money without thinking about it. Get paid $5 just for signing up at serve. No master dot com Backslash digit today Are you tired of dealing with your boss? Do you feel underpaid and underappreciated? If you want to make it online, fire your boss and start living your retirement dreams now then you've come to the right place. Welcome to serve no master podcast where you learn how to open new revenue streams and make money while you sleep. Presented live from a tropical island in the South Pacific by best selling author Jonathan Green. Now here's your host. I'm a big believer in the power of networking. I believe that a rising tide raises all ships that when you surround yourself with people that are on the way up, they pull you up. And I'm also believer that when people are on the way down, they will pull you down with them. You know there's that classic saying, Misery loves company, and it's absolutely true. When I first got into Internet marketing, fresh off of being fired from what I thought was my dream job. I said to myself, I never want to be in a position where I could ever be fired ever again and to me, my first thought, my first actualization of that idea the first mental picture was that I would work on line and I would never have to speak to the person face to face again. That's how I originally envisioned working online ad this belief that I could work in total isolation, that I would need help. Anyone else I would need to communicate with anyone else. And I could do my own thing and have total control of my destiny. And over time I discovered that that's very limiting. It's possible to live like that, but it's really, really tough, and it will always let your income. And I discovered that. Actually, there's some amazing benefits to integrating networking into any business venture. Whether you're a small business owner, whether you work out my even if you're an employee at a company, proper networking can really accelerate your growth. Some people think of networking in office. Politics is the same thing, and it's important understand the distinction. Networking is all about positivity politics has a dark undertone. The idea of politics is that a zero sum I can only have power if I take it from someone else. Where is networking is about? Let's work together to accomplish something so it's cooperative rather than so. That's a key difference. And their eight ways that networking properly can really help you grow your business. Whether your business is your personal career, your small business or anything else in between, and the first is referrals. Most of the people I work with are secondary introductions. Very rarely do I meet someone a direct network in contact, and then we work together. Almost every single person I work with, I'll meet someone you in the market conference or via Skype or somewhere through, and we start chatting and oh, I know someone you should work with. So that person becomes a connector and they give us that referral. Yes, sometimes you might get a direct customer, but referrals are very, very powerful. Some studies have shown that were more likely to get a job from a friend of a friend, and that's where we're most likely to have a successful job connection. So it's actually not your direct friends that you respect to hire you. It's the people. They know that one degree of separation is critical. As someone who's hired friends work for friends. Part friends, I can tell you that I don't do business. People are friends with anymore. It's an absolute nightmare. Instead, I'll introduce a friend to a friend of friend. Those two can connect, and if it works, great if it doesn't grate, that allows you to both preserve their friendship and the business relationship. So referrals are very big part of networking, and there's something you can expect. So if you go to an advantage that we can beat a bunch of, don't close the deal right away. Don't freak out. It's easy to get nervous, but what you're doing is planting seeds that will eventually grow the second benefit of really good networking opportunities. Sometimes you will find someone there who wants to work on a project with your has an idea for something that you can do together or has an idea for something would really work for you. Sometimes I'll meet someone. They find out that I'm a writer and a lot of what I do It's writing a best seller on Amazon and it just fortuitous because that's what they're working out. Right then I just put out a book. I'm just about to release a book I could use some help in that connection allows them to do something really amazing. It allows them to get access to my knowledge, and we merely find an opportunity. Sometimes they say, Well, you ghost, write my book. You do this for me will help me with this and there's an immediate opportunity there. It's not as common as the referral, but it does sometimes happen. It's usually about maybe one out of 10 Really good connections will turn into an opportunity, and that's wonderful. Having good opportunities. Having these come into your life is very wonderful because it's shorter path to money. It's a shorter path to an opportunity. Sometimes you'll go to an abandoned. You meet someone you don't realize that they're a boss or their level above you and the go. Actually, we're looking to hire someone with your skill set. Would you be interested in switching companies? So even as an employee, sometimes someone merely hire you People would much rather hire someone that they have a bit of report where they met in person, in a more casual environment, cause then they can really assess you. Everyone knows that when you're in a job interview, urine job interview and the person interviewing you was in job interview remote, and it's totally artificial environment, and you have no idea what someone's gonna act like once you've hired them. Nobody acts at work the way they do during the interview, because it's an artificial construct, forming these opportunities, taking a bunch of these opportunities, getting offered a job right away shouldn't surprise because it happens. It's happened many times. I've been offered different types of jobs. I've been offered different types of projects, often times. I turned them down. I can't take every project that offered, but this happens a lot simply by meeting people. They get to meet you. You're much more real than just a resume or just something you read online. They also form connections. Having a network around you is very, very valuable. I often times try to form connections in every area around me. Now there are a lot of people that have value but don't understand how to form connections. So sometimes I meet someone and they know how to do something that's very useful, whether they're a lawyer or they're a barber or there chef and I want to bring them into my circle of connections and sometimes the person, because they can't see the immediate value because I don't own a restaurant. They immediately wanna cut the ties, even though I actually work with several chefs with helping them published are cookbooks. I actually have some knowledge about that industry and a little bit about help people, not space. But if people don't see the value of connection, they turn away from networking and they go, Oh, I only want to turn myself people that are doing the same thing as me. If your chef in your only friends of chefs, that's great. But you don't make any extra protection, you can't jump to the next level. You can't jump for industry, industry or kind of make other things happen. You limit yourself, and this is for any industry. And so the importance of connections is that the things we don't see is where the value lies. I do introductions, probably two or three a week or I say all you two should meet each other. You're looking for something and you have with this person's looking for. I get asked for most writers and copywriters two or three times a week, all the time, all the time, all the time, and having access to a network having a bunch of people around magazine. I know someone who knows how to do that. I could do the introduction and boom, it increases my value. And it helps the person I'm introducing. So surrounding yourself with connections, even if you're not sure the value right now, there's not a referral, and there's not a opportunity right away, somewhere down the line, something cool and come away. Another value that you should not forget about is Number four, which is advice. When I first got into online Market at first are dabbling on the Internet. I met someone through Craigslist who had been in advertising, print and radio advertising for 20 or 30 years. The guy had been it was a small business for a very, very long time. He's actually looking to move into Internet, and he meant toward me and help me understand about building that type of business for about six months. We met once a week or every couple of weeks, have breakfast or lunch together and really talk about the structure of an advertising business. Now he was in print. Media advertising in my foot was really Internet based, so we didn't really clash. It was great. It was simply a connection that I found through networking, constantly grinding. And instead of saying, Oh, you have nothing to offer me I have no interest in print media. His understanding of dealing with clients was so valuable to me. It really helped me get better and better. Developing that skill and understanding sails a little better so you can find these amazing people who have great advice. It doesn't matter if someone's in a cold native industry. Understanding how to deal with clients is pretty universal. Understanding how to deal with money. Understand you had a deal with taxes there, a lot of things that people know just from experience. I've talked in the past about how I feel about education. A lot of it is that we are so focused on things that don't matter more and more education. Now they're adding in all of these courses about your than a revisionist history or that are all about oppression. But they still won't teach you how credit card works. They still won't teach you how to, so they still won't teach you out of my house. They still won't teach you. I had a shop for the right kind of loan, like things that are really, really valuable for a young person. I don't know whether it's better. What's more important for a young person learned that Thomas Jefferson had slaves? Or how to make sure they don't get a credit card get by the time they're 25 like which one? We really affect their lives in a more meaningful way, and that's always my measure of education. Can this help the person have a better life? The purpose of education is to help people have good lives. Yes, there's a civic duty to become good citizens. That's fine, too. Don't become a criminal and all that, but I really feel like the core prince of education should always be to help people learn how to do things and have a better life. And so all of these lessons that we don't learn in school all these lessons that we don't learn about taxes and employment laws and health insurance and everything else. All these different pieces, all these components of being adult that after a while we get used to me by car. What's the right type of loan I should get? You know, how do I determine? How much should I pay for rent? What percent of my income should I spend on housing? What should my entertainment budget All these pieces that we don't learn as a child that we don't learn in school? Because education lets us down these air great things you could learn by getting access to advice. And it doesn't matter if you're 18 or 75. There's always someone who's done something different than you, and especially when you're moving into something you've never done before. If this is your first time starting your own business and this is your first time doing something online did work with someone or knowing someone who's done a little longer, they could offer you advice simply from the mistakes they've made my favorite way to learn from mistakes. It's learned from mistake that someone else made. I'd much rather that than having to learn for a mistake that I made. I made a lot of mistakes along the way, and hopefully you can learn from a lot of my mistakes. But it's just a valuable to get advice from other people around this white networking. So wonderful. The fifth advantage of networking Fifth benefit is that it raises your profile. You start to get noticed. I'm working on sales page right now for a new course. I'm always working on tweak my sales pages and it's so valuable. People love to see pictures of me with other people I've worked with in the past. I'm not really big on that. Actually, I don't take pictures of me with other marketers very often, but I'm discovering that has a lot of value. Like it seems like ever in the world has a picture than what Tony Robbins or a picture of them with Richard Branson. Everyone I know has a picture of one of those two guys, and they do it because it raises their profile. You get to have some reflected glory when people know who you are. When you're on more people's radar, good things come your way. If you're working as an employee, if your career is your business, more people in industry that know who you are and have a positive view of you, the easier it'll be for you to jump companies for you to get promotions for projects to come. Your way you go, Alan. I know that guy. He's all right. Let's let's let him try it. Sarah. Oh, you know what? I know Sarah. She works that other company I've heard from a friend of a friend that she's a pretty great lady. Let's hire Let's bring her on board Just having people know who you are. A little bit of local celebrity will give you access to more opportunities. People who don't even know you if they've just seen you multiple times or just heard other people talk about you or they've seen you talk to people they know they automatically have a positive opinion of you. That view of you next, other people they respect means that you capture some of that respect and it's very valuable. So with a higher profile, certain things start to happen. More opportunities will come your way. People will assume you're more successful than you are. People often assume things about me that aren't true because I'm so good at networking of the people I network what they will often assuming, been very lofty heights that I'm constantly jetting around the world between, you know, the Middle East and Los Angeles and London just parting every weekend because I'm so good networking. I'm surrounded by people that do do that. So when people see you with rarefied people, when they see you, they think, Oh wow, it's only breathing the rarefied air, so you get a lot of reflected or you get a lot of that respect and that allows you to take on bigger projects, raise your rates. Asked for promotion because you're perceived. Value is all that matters. Your actual value is irrelevant. It only matters what people think you're worth. And if you can convince people that you're worth more than they pay more, Number six is being in a position of influence. What this means is you start to network with people that have the ability to bring things your way. Not everyone has the ability to give you project offering new job, introduce you to someone who can help you. What would they do have? The ability to do is talk you up to those people every time you apply for a job. What? They asked for three references and even though the laws in America getting weirder and weirder and sometimes they can only call and the only confirm or deny. If you worked there and they won't say anything else, what everyone wants is to call your previous boss and say, Hey, it was this she a good worker or was she a nightmare? That's what they really want to know. And the more influencers you have around you, the more people who have been kind of past that word along, let's say you want to work at ABC Company. Okay, whether you want work as a contractor, you wantto be a consultant for the company would take a job there if you have a friend who works there. If you have someone you've never worked with who works there, they can pass on the word what they know about you and that a little bit of influence can really tip the scales in your favor. The more allies you have around you, the more likely you are to get that positive outcome. Very few decisions are made in isolation. HR manager will often talk to the department manager or their secretary. Or the people around them doesn't. What do you think of this resident? We think this person. And so the more influence you build up more ability, you have to get to those next levels. This is why, for a long time, my networking strategy was really built around sidekicks when I first wanted to understand networking. This is far back is when I was 17 or 18. When I first wanna start connecting people. Everyone always wants to be friends with the number one the boss. But if you become friends with the number two, you're accessing the person who has a great deal of influence. So it's much, much easier, probably 10 times easier to become friends through number two. Now this works in different ways and sometimes a feminine networking conference. I'll talkto only spouses, so I talked only the husbands and wives who don't work in the industry, and they're kind of bored. But by talking to them, then when I meet the person I wanted to talk to go. Oh, my wife was just talking about you, she said. You're awesome. My husband just told me that you love the movies. He makes it awesome. And both of those things have happened to me immediately gives you an edge because you come in through this little bit of influence and it's a lot easier. Talking to your favorite celebrity is really nerve racking to make you nervous. But talking to their number two is not such a big deal that is all inspiring. Or however you want to cry. But it doesn't make you feel less awkward because your meeting someone that you don't have a bunch of preconceptions about it's a little easier. So there's different ways that meeting people with positions of influence can really help you. So just because you don't see how someone could help you right now doesn't mean down the line that can't do things. And again, all of these things the core of networking is that you can return the favor. That person who has a little influence on your behalf, you might be able to influence someone on their behalf down the line, we say, Oh, no, I actually know This is a great person. You should meet him. Number seven is your confidence will grow when you know a lot of people in your industry. When you know people who are above you with no people around you, when you feel like you're surrounded by good, knowledgeable team, you'll feel a greater sense of confidence. A lot of the nervousness we feel is what we don't know anyone. When you walk into a room and don't know anybody, you feel like it's the first day of high school years, Phyllis Awkwardness. But it seems, you know, one person that I go. It's not so bad when you know one person is that temptation. Is there to follow that person around, kind of hang on their shirt tails. So by expanding yourself a little bit by meeting a few more people, you get past that zero in one friend's face and you know the place. We feel pretty comfortable when your room of 10,000 people, if you know six people in different places, suddenly you're very confident that I can talk to this person. I want to You have a nice fallback plan and you're surrounded by people that I believe in you a little bit or know you a little bit. A lot of my confidence comes from experience. The more people I talk to, the more I strengthen my network, the more come by feeling who I am. And all these things are really valuable. As you begin to explore this adventure of working for yourself. I know that the idea of working for yourself working online sometimes she was very daunting. It feels a little bit overwhelming. How am I gonna make ends meet? How'm I gonna make it all work? But when you surround yourself with people that have done it before, that can give you wisdom, guidance, networking, All these other things your conference in yourself will grow. You go Well, I know bunch from the done it before. They're gonna help me get to that level. And that's really wonderful. And the eighth and my favorite benefit of great networking is friendship. You can find people through networking, connecting in business events, all these different ways of networking that I've talked about this episode and other episodes and what's really wonderful is you make the school friendships. You meet people that you continue communicate with for years and years, and I have people in my life that I will probably never do business with. But I, like, talk to them because they inspire me or something about what they're doing keeps me interested and keeps me motivated. And I like to motivate them back and forth. And so sometimes just the exchange of value saying, Oh, I love what you're doing. It tell me your story. Then they tell you their story and you tell him your story, that sharing of report that shame communication can really help you feel good and keep you inspired because we all have those days where you feel down. You know, I'm just coming off several days so sick, just really having a bad flu, and it's the first. I've been sick and ages and was even well enough to get up and sit in the chair and turn the computer. So for the first time, I haven't checked my email like 2.5 or three days, and even now I'm feeling pretty weak. I don't know if I'll turn the computer on today, but I'm able to just record this without using the computer we have those down Day is being able to talk to your friends. You know, I feel sick. I don't know if I could work my working class. I'm too sick for three days, this whole thing and I'm crashing around. Here's those fears can be alleviated by having good friends around it. We need a strong social circle. As much as I thought when I got it online marketing that I could be an island, I discovered that it's not true. No man is an island. You can't live in total isolation. Humans are social creatures. We need people around us to inspire us, motivate us and make us feel good about ourselves and bounce ideas off. Most of the time, when I talkto my marketing friends, I'll say This is an idea I have. And just by talking my through my idea with them, I'll crystallize what I want to do. Sometimes I have Scott conversations in the person's not online, and I'll start talking through my problem, knowing that I'll read it when they come back on line. By the time they come online already figured it out just by saying it to them. So having people you can talk to about your idea about your projects about what you want to work on next. When I'm working on a sales letter trying to figure out what the right story and flow is, it can feel for me a little bit overwhelming. Sometimes I feel stuck. So the ability to talk to Margo. Here's the story I'm thinking of. Does this sound go? Does that sound crazy? And a lot of that connection? A lot of that feedback is very, very valuable because it's easy to get tunnel vision. This business, one of the worst things that can happen to you is to spend years chasing a bad idea. And, as you know, as a talk with all the time, I watch all those investment TV shows where people start a business or they have an idea and they'll spend their entire life savings on stock and they will have $65,000 worth of the stuff in a warehouse, and they will have any of you saw it and they go three. What? That's why the reasons I don't do physical stuff. That's why I'm into print on demand and manufacturing on demand. His idea of having, like, tens of thousands of dollars worth of stuff that's worthless or they make a bunch and then, they realized, have to make a change the product, so they have to get a whole new mold made. All of that stuff happens because you don't have people around. You could bounce your ideas off. You don't always need to talk to people who are experts in the field. I know I've talked to the past, but it's better to get advice from people that know what they're talking about, and that's definitely true. But when you're talking about a product or you tell me a story, anyone can listen to a sale story and go. That sounds weird most of the time when I'm telling a variation of whether it's the hero's journey or the Seven Steps story or one of my other storytelling patterns, all I want to hear from the person ISS does the story sound weird. That's usually a sign that something's wrong. I don't need a more complicated answer that that tells me I need to go back to the drawing board and fix it. That's enough information, so I don't need really complicated and Vance dancers. We don't always need someone of total expertise. Sometimes you just need someone who will give us the straight truth and having friends and building. For instance, working is very, very valuable. And that's why I'm such a big believer in networking. I believe these air eight of the greatest benefits and they're really what I believe in. On a core level, I believe that now working as one of the greatest business accelerators, it's one of the reasons, all right, so successful. That's one of the reasons I'll continue be successful in the future and one reasons I'm such a believer and going to live events, even if you're written of yourself. We were for company. Going to conferences and events remind other people in the same industry will allow you to form connections that can accelerate your growth by putting an ex after your income did your income, you put X two or extra and you double or triple what you're making. That's why I was such a believer in networking because you form amazing business relationships and also really wonderful friendships and these air eight of most important and powerful benefits of good networking thank you for listening to this week's episode of Serve No Master. Make sure you subscribe, so you never miss another episode. We'll be back tomorrow with more tips and tactics on how to escape that rat race hit over to serve no master dot com forward slash podcasts Now for your chance to win a free coffee of Jonathan's bestseller Serve No master. All you have to do is leave a five star review of this podcast. See you tomorrow. Thank you for listening to the serve. No master podcast. Email your questions to podcast at serve. No master dot com and your question with my answer might appear in the next episode.