Welcome to Visionaries Pursuit, a podcast where we explore what it takes to turn your bold and inspiring ideas into reality. I'm Carolina Zuleta. I'm a life and a business coach and your host for this podcast. I'm thrilled to have you here. Hello, hello, and welcome to episode 10 of the Visionaries Pursuit podcast.
Hello, and welcome to Episode 14 of the Visionaries Pursuit Podcast. Before we begin, I just wanted to let you know that the podcast will be published on Wednesdays and not Tuesdays. So if you don't see it on Tuesday, don't worry, it's coming on Wednesday. Now, for our topic today, what I want us to talk about is networking.
In my job as a coach, I help people grow their businesses, find new investors, expand their projects, change jobs, get a promotion, and grow in their careers within corporate. In any of these scenarios, networking is one of the most important strategies, but I keep finding that we have it all wrong about networking.
So today, what I want to do is share the advice or the wisdom I've gotten from helping so many people grow their businesses or their careers around networking that I hope you can start applying immediately and that it will be super useful wherever you're at. So let's start by first talking about why is it important to network?
So I'm going to break it into two segments, people who are in corporate and people who own their businesses or projects. If you own your own business or project. Your network is one of the assets in your company. Why today so many people want to become influencers or why we see influencers launch brands and be successful from the beginning is because of the number of people that know them.
So when you have a business, the more people that know you, the more people you know, the bigger you can grow and expand your business. And if you're in corporate, it's the same thing. The growth of your career, especially as you get into higher levels, your network is going to be the key for you to continue to grow in your career.
And a research done by Zipia, 85 percent of executive level positions are found through networking. Even though I know that's true and I see the evidence with my clients all the time, it's often that I get people who are looking for a new job by applying through LinkedIn or online. And for sure, you can do that.
But in my experience working with executives, that is not the strategy you need to get the ideal job or to get a job faster. The speed in which my clients find that next job It's directly correlated to the network they have and how much time they invest within their network. When I've helped people change jobs, the ones who have been the most successful, who have found the job they love and have found it sooner, are those who are less afraid of meeting new people, of making connections, of putting themselves out there.
The ones that are like, Oh, I'm just going to have one meeting a week, or I'm not sure, I don't want to reach out to people, I'm embarrassed, or I don't want to be a burden to them. They're the ones that take the longest. But today's episode, I'm going to tell you how you can change your mindset so you don't dread networking and you start actually loving it.
One of the reasons we dread networking is because many of us wait to network until we need something from someone. And we start feeling like, ugh, I don't want to reach out to that peer, I haven't talked to them in three years, and now I'm going to email them or call them to ask something from them, and that doesn't feel good.
That part that doesn't feel good is what I like to call the get energy. It's when we're networking to get something from them. And that feeling is not good for us because none of us want to be in that place of like begging or please help me. It just doesn't feel good. And on the other side, people can read through that very easily.
All of us know when we've received an email or a LinkedIn message from someone that we know the only reason they're contacting us is because they want something from us, and we tend to reject that. We don't like to feel. That we're going to be used. So don't worry if you right now are looking for a job or are looking for clients and you need to network, you can still do it without the get mentality, without the get energy, because you can train your mind to move from get energy to connect energy.
And what I mean from connect energy is a genuine desire to meet people, to connect with them, to get to know them. And with that has to come the trust that the more people you meet, the better connections you make, you will find your way to your new job or to new clients. Even if you need something from some people, you can drop your get energy and work from your connect energy.
We do this by putting the relationship first before our needs. We start connecting with people because we need a new job or because we're looking for new clients, but we're not doing it from this person specifically has to give me the job or because this person works in this corporation, then I need them to introduce me to this hiring manager.
No, we put that on the back end and we say, I'm going to meet these people because I want to get to know them. I want to tell them where I'm at. I want to have a genuine connection. We all know that weird energy, right? I tell my clients, don't be weird, be human, connect with people, have conversations, but if you're in a moment that you're needing something, you really have to trust that the bigger your network, the more connections you have, you will find your way.
Even though you don't know who specifically is going to be the person that's going to give you what you need.
The second point that is very related to this one is to be genuinely interested in the other person. So when we're in get mentality, we're going to like, okay, how do I tell them to introduce me?
And we're making the plan on how we can get something from them. But what I recommend is that you go and you be genuinely interested in the person you're meeting. Where are they at? What's going on in their careers? What are they interested in right now? What is going on with their families? Right? Go with a genuine interest of learning about them.
One of the things we know is that people feel more connected to us when we listen to them than when we tell them things. You've probably experienced this, that you've been at an event or somewhere, and you meet someone who truly is listening to you, who is interested in you, and you feel so connected to the other person, even though you might not know a lot about them, because you felt that care, because you felt that interest, you feel connected to that person.
So practice becoming an amazing listener. And this is not as a strategy, like, Oh, I'm going to listen so I can get this. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm thinking about cultivating inside of you. That desire to get to know other people, to know about their lives, about their desires, about their challenges, to have wonderful conversations.
In my business as a coach, the way I find new clients is a lot through word of mouth. So people introduce me to other people, and then we have what I call a consult. It's a one hour call in which I get to know the other person and I get to share a little bit about what I do in coaching and working with me.
And at the beginning, when I first started this business, I was so nervous to get clients. Every person they introduced me, I was like, if they become a client, that means this amount in revenue, can I get them as a client? And it felt awful to me. I hated doing consults because I was like, if they reject me and don't want to hire me as their coach.
And then there was all this energy that wasn't productive. What I've trained myself to do is the moment I sit with a new person, I get excited when I look at my calendar and I see that I have a consult, I'm like, With a new person, I get so excited to see who I'm going to meet because every single human that I've talked with has inspired me in some way, or has been just wonderful to get a glimpse into someone else's life.
And that interest is something you can cultivate within yourself. And it's very attractive because the more you care for others, people are going to feel connected to you. When I was in business school, there was a saying that they repeated to us all the time. And I think it's very true. In the University of Chicago, the entrepreneurship route is a lot about getting VCs to invest in your business so you can grow it faster.
The phrase they always repeated to us was, when you ask for money, you get advice. When you ask for advice, you get money. And I think it's because of the same thing. When you're going there to ask for something, people are like, well, let me give you advice and kind of walk away. But when you're generally going, I want to learn something from you.
I want your support or help or your ideas, not that you give me a job. Then people want to help you in that way. A lot of the times that's when they say, I know this person who's hiring, or I could introduce you to this hiring manager, or I can introduce you to this potential partner for your business.
My next tip is about preparing really well and then dropping your preparation. What I mean by this is, if you're meeting a new person, try to prepare for that meeting. Understand what their job is about, what their career track has been, what are they working on right now, as much as you can. You can also think what are some questions you're interested in asking them or what questions they might ask you and how you would like to answer them.
Spend time preparing and then drop all the preparation. Going to the meeting with that knowing in yourself but without an agenda. Walk into the meeting trusting yourself, being present and dropping the script. If the occasion arises, if the moment feels right, you will have all this in your mind to bring it out.
To ask a question about a project or working, or to ask for something specifically. When I talk about connection, I'm not saying you can't ask for something. I'm just saying don't go with the energy of getting something. You might be in the middle of having a conversation and you're like, Oh, you know this person.
How wonderful. I saw that this person on LinkedIn is hiring for this job, or they're investing in this type of business. Is there any way you can make an introduction? Again, I'm not saying you can't make an ask. What I'm saying is just don't show up with the ask in mind and just finding the moment to make the ask.
Have it in your mind and if it feels right, if it feels genuine, it feels authentic, then go ahead and make that ask. Don't be rushed to get something from them.
My next advice is that you don't network for the next job or for the client you need right now. Have a mentality of a longer term relationship. Think about three years. So as you're talking with people and you're thinking, Oh, I could ask this from them. Think, is it better to ask them now? Or could I wait as the relationship grows stronger and then make the ask later?
So again, Not as something you need right now, but as a strategy for the next three, five years. When you take off the pressure that this next meeting has to deliver something, you're going to be much better in that meeting. You're going to create a more authentic connection. Even if you don't need something right now, you should be networking as a strategy for your overall career, for your overall business, for your long term future.
You might not need something specifically now, but you will need something soon. Networking should be something you do every week. You should actually, as a strategy, block some time in your calendar to network. Either that means meeting new people, following up with people you've met recently, staying in touch with people who are already in your network.
Don't wait to network until you need something. Make it a strategy you work on every single week. And also don't underestimate making a soft touch point with a connection that maybe is not very strong, like a little follow up or even have the mindset of looking out for who can I introduce to them? What is something that might be interested in?
Not as a strategy to get something, but because you generally want to help and connect and stay in touch with the people in your network. Some of the Best networkers I know are the people who know how to connect others. I'm trying to get really good at this. So focusing on like, Oh, I know this person in this industry who's looking for this type of people.
I'm going to introduce them to this other person that I know here. When you're the bridge between people, you start becoming the center of all these relationships. And this is a skill you can also cultivate and become really good at. The next point I want to is about. Getting yourself in rooms where you feel uncomfortable and then working on your mindset enough to believe you still belong there.
You can search for a podcast episode I did around self concept that will talk more about this. Network with people who are way beyond your career or get into circles where you feel you shouldn't be there yet. But walk into those spaces, not feeling small or very junior, but actually believing that you belong there.
I'll give you two examples. One of my clients, who's an amazing networker, got a meeting with a CEO of a company that has over 97, 000 employees, is a brand that all of us know. She's not the CEO of a huge corporation. She has a really good job, but she's in the earlier years of her career. And she got this meeting with this man.
She showed up with genuine interest to know who he is, treating him as a human and not putting him up in a pedestal. And that was the way she can create a connection with this other person. I have another client, the film industry, who got a membership to Soho House. And Soho House, for those of you who don't know, is an international private members club with a focus on media arts and fashion industry.
Typically we see celebrities going into Soho House. My client is not a celebrity yet. And still got a membership to this place to meet other people. But believing that he belongs there, not feeling smaller, not feeling more junior. And we do that not by getting a bigger title or making more money or having more years of experience.
We work on belonging by working on the mindset that we believe we belong. and making genuine connections with people who are probably further ahead in the career than he is, but he's treating them as peers, not putting them up in pedestals. So, I encourage all of you to think of circles that you feel a little bit intimidated by, that you feel you still are not at their level, and still go to those circles.
While working on your mindset that you belong, because when you start networking with people who are further along in their careers or have the things you're aspiring to get, you will be pulled in that direction, you will learn how they think, how they operate, and that's going to serve you. But if you walk into those circles feeling small, feeling like I don't belong there, you're not going to make authentic connections.
So work on your mindset beforehand. My next tip is around making yourself visible. If you meet someone, don't just give them a business card or don't just say, okay, great meeting them. No, get their email, connect on social media, send a follow up message that feels authentic. Don't overthink it. Don't think like, oh, to send this message, I have to find this article because I think they might be interested.
If you know they're interested, do it. But if not a simple message saying, it was so great to meet you yesterday, we had an awesome conversation or I had this takeaway from our conversation, that is enough. But make yourself visible, don't let that first meeting just be that, have some way of following up in the next 24 hours and making it easier for them to contact you by sending an email so they have your contact information.
Another of my clients who's amazing at networking, I've been with him to multiple events. I love how he's like, yeah, sure. What is your Instagram? Let me follow you immediately. And then sending a message, Hey, we just met here. It was great meeting you. Making a follow up connection. So if the other person wants to reach out to you, it's easy for them to find your contact information because your goal with the follow up email or the follow up Instagram or LinkedIn connection is to move the relationship forward and not keep it in the same place.
Okay, and here is the last thing I want to share with all of you. When you're networking, you will have a lot of weird interactions. You will have a lot of people you meet that Nothing ever comes out of that. That is normal. If you are new at networking, I don't want you to measure your success at networking because of what you got out of those meetings or how well they went.
I want you to measure your success based on how comfortable you were with the How genuine you were, how interested you were, how the follow up you did, right, how well were you able to connect from human to human? Because networking is something like any skill we get better and better at. Think about networking as a longer term strategy and a very important one for you, but enjoy it.
We are all humans in this planet. If you heard my episode 13, in which I talked about how We see people from the outside being super successful who get it all together, that inside all of us are humans and we have desires and fears and hurts and all the emotions. And you think about that when you network and treat people as human beings, not as their titles or the money they have or the influence they have, and you genuinely cultivate that desire to connect with people, you're going to be super successful at this.
Thanks. If you're new at this, or you need a job right now, or you need a client right now, don't measure the success of networking from the result you got in the moment. Focus on you. How much better are you getting at connecting with people and building long term relationships? I hope this really helps you.
And again, if you are growing your business, if you're looking for a new job and you would like the support on one on one, don't hesitate to reach out. We'll do a consult. You'll have, you'll see how wonderful an experience it is to have a genuine conversation, to focus on you and your goals and your dreams.
And maybe I can be the person that can help you get to the next level. All right, everyone. See you next week. Bye bye.
If you're currently pursuing a big, bold idea and would love some support, let's talk. In my coaching program, I'll teach you how to manage yourself, your own thoughts and emotions. as well as your team and your money so you can turn your beautiful idea into a reality. Go now to carozuleta.com slash consult that is c a r o z u l e t a dot com slash consult and complete the form to book a complimentary call with me.
See you there!
