Ep 101: The Real Reason Networking Works and Social Media Doesn’t!

Welcome with your host and business guru, Nakisha King.

This podcast is the ultimate destination for women creative entrepreneurs who want to break free from burnout.

If you are overwhelmed by client demands and feel like you're doing this all alone, you, my friend, are in the right place.

Now let's dive in for steps to take back your time and so simplify your workflow.

All right, Nikisha, take it away.

Hello and welcome.

My name is Nikisha, your host of the iconic CEO podcast.

I am here because we're doing a series of networking for this month.

And the reason I chose this particular series is because networking is one of the milestones for any company in startup mode, in season mode, because doing it alone is not an option.

And today, what we're going to speak about are the top three reasons why networking matters.

And this is for all of the business owners right now listening, who goes, I don't want to network.

I don't get anything from networking.

I can't be in a room with people.

I'm nervous around people.

I'm an introvert.

If you're saying all of these things, then guess what?

You are experiencing these things.

What they say you can do, you can do.

So if you're like, I can't do this and I can't do that, you won't be able to.

So my question to you is, what?

Not what can't you do, but how can you do something to make it work for you?

So networking is one of those things that people either hate or love.

You might have some in between because the in between person understands the value of networking.

But I want to tell you, when you're starting in business, networking is your marketing plan.

And there's three top reasons why networking matters to you.

So you're starting out two plus years in your business.

Two to five.

Networking is where it happens.

It begins now.

First and foremost, trust is a part of a service based industry.

When we have services and we're selling our services, people require trust in a short time to work with us.

And trust is formed through real exchange.

How?

Eye contact, A real conversation, not a sales conversation, but a real one.

A follow up that shows you actually remember them.

When people feel like you remember them, it increases your connection and trust in a second.

This is why I love remembering names.

Because.

Because.

Just because I know how you look doesn't mean anything.

Not to me.

But if you know my name and you say it, the next time we speak, it's going to feel like, wow, you actually took the time to get to know me.

And remember my name.

That is what trust is.

It's a reason someone chooses you over a stranger.

It's a reason someone chooses you over your competitor, even when your competitor is at a lower price point.

Trust is why people move forward with you.

So when you compare that to bidding directories, right, where you put in your bid, and whoever gets the lowest, if they don't know you and they don't trust you, they're going to go with a low price, where that's just part of the process.

And get it, we understand it.

But how can you build trust in a couple of seconds?

In those messages going back in and forth, you're competing on price there, because price is the only thing they have to go on.

If you are in a directory or you are doing another marketing opportunity, that doesn't allow someone to know that you've done something and remember them by, the trust is being broken.

And I think that's what a lot of people miss out on.

Yes, they would.

They say the like, no and trust factor.

Those are your three things.

So every time you're doing something like know and trust, how can you make that show up in a room?

Right when I'm networking, The one thing I love doing in networking opportunities, I love going in strategically.

If you heard my last podcast, you go in, there's five people you want to connect with.

Maybe you have the list of people going, and if you don't, when you walk into that room, feel the energy of five people that you might want to actually get to know.

And then go back to the actual episode before this, where now you can ask a question to connect and build the trust, because it's not a question everyone ask and it's not about you, it's about them.

Now, the second reason networking matters, when you're starting out, it teaches you what your market will actually pay, right?

A real conversation gives you real information.

What someone hesitates on, what makes them lean in, what they're genuinely willing to invest.

These are opportunities to learn about the words you're using.

I like when I'm in a networking environment and for instance, I have a client and my client is an aerialist.

And we've tried to figure out what people relate to.

Cirque du Soleil Aerialist, dancer, performer.

Because she does it all right?

She's very talented.

And as she was telling me the other day, she was at a networking event and she was speaking to someone and she said, I'm an aerialist.

And the person next to her, someone else, she wasn't Speaking to turned around automatically and said, tell me more.

That is what networking does.

That is how you are doing market research.

She understand now this one keyword created a possibility.

A quote, a client, a lead, right?

This is what networking does.

The more you test out the words, you strategically testing things when you go to networking events, that's why you should have one a week at least.

It's testing ground.

It helps you learn what your market actually wants to hear from you.

And other opportunities like directories, those are not opportunities that can help you be in the room and test that.

You can test it through your responses, but you have to be willing to possibly lose that possible bid because if you're testing it and the person didn't really relate to what you said, they're going to go with someone else if you're not the lowest person in the bid, right?

So a room full of real people reacting in real time teaches you what value looks like to them.

And that's how you learn to converse market what to say in real confidence, with real confidence about what you're doing instead of trying to guess.

A lot of people when they go to networking events, they just walk in the room thinking they're going to give a card.

But use it strategically.

What's your keywords, what words you would say that people will lean into you.

This is one of the things I love about my workshop on October 20, the fully booked workshop.

In the workshop we are 12 people and what we're going to be doing, 90 to open for you.

What are we going to be doing is literally masterminding.

When you say this, how does everyone respond?

What words feel like, oh, I'm interested in that.

I want to create a space where you, you will be discovering what you need to say in the rooms.

And what are you going to test an action plan for strategic networking.

Now, third, but not final, but on this episode, the third top reason networking is important and matters to you is because it creates relationships that keeps paying you back.

Did you hear me?

It creates relationships that keep paying you back.

Networking is the purpose.

That's networking.

That's the purpose of it.

If you do it well, that's the return on investment roi.

When you walk into the room once a week, that's what you're getting.

Your return on investment is relationships that keep paying you back.

So one strong connection made through networking can produce referrals for, for years, not weeks, not months, but years because that person trusts you enough to send people your way.

Now, we know social media possibly can bring you a Volume, but a lot of the volume is just browsing.

A lot of those people are just looking around for the cheapest price.

That's not what you want to be.

But when you're networking with someone who trusts you that the first time they sent someone to you and you did a really good job, you just allow them to know that you're capable.

And now that's when they bring you the second person and that's when the second person brings you someone new.

It's like a chain of referrals and that's what you're looking for.

Networking is a great tool if, if you know how to use it.

There's really a relationship behind social media messaging.

You can create it, but it takes time.

Networking builds that relationship first and the referrals come from that foundation.

How do I know I'm in a networking community?

I chose this community not because of referrals at first.

I chose it because I needed some masculine energy in my life.

I have been in a lot of women communities and sometimes we are not action doers, we're more feelers.

So I wanted to see if I go into a masculine dominant area, will there be more action?

So I went into this space.

I love the people.

I love their charisma, their sarcasm, their funny wits.

And I joined.

It is a networking space.

Every week I show up in person and people know what I do.

And every week I ask for something specific and someone helps me.

And once they make a connection for me, that becomes a long term relationship I'm creating.

That's what I enjoy about this networking opportunity.

This is what you too can enjoy.

Rather than saying, I can't network because I don't like it because it's people and they drain my energy and all of the excuses.

But if you focus your networking energy, you won't be drained.

If you have a strategy, you won't lose.

You can actually win.

There's so many people in networking opportunities who pay for a year and at the same time they're not strategically using it.

So this is what I want for you.

Who's starting out, who's two to five years in their business, who feels like they can't do paid ads, they don't want to pay to play.

This is it, my love.

If no one knows you exists, how can you help or serve them?

So many women business owners say, I just want to help them.

I just want to serve.

I just wanted this.

But you are not able to do that if no one knows you're here.

And if you think Social media is going to give you that.

It doesn't.

It's great for helping people understand what you do, but it's not helping them convert into paying clients for your services.

Listen, I want to see you in the room.

If you are in New Jersey, we're meeting on Tuesday, October 20, in Berkeley Heights.

This is going to be an amazing VIP workshop day for you and your business.

There is an action plan we're creating for you to strategically network.

I am not keynoting.

I don't have a whole bunch of speakers.

It is just me and 12 women in that room who are actually creating a network of people because we're going to do that.

It's going to be really good.

I am so excited for that.

We are creating an action plan so every time we show up in the room, someone is leaning in to our words.

I desire that for the women business owner who, who's starting up a company who wants to grow, who's adamant about growing her company and making actual profit her fifth year and not her tenth year because she struggled for the first nine years.

Don't be that business owner.

Don't have a hobby.

Have a business that literally supports you financially.

I am so freaking excited about October 20th as you can hear.

And I will leave the link in the show note for you to get more details because of course, like, your brain is going, but will I get what I need?

Will I walk away with this?

Will I do that?

All the questions to keep you safe is minimizing your business.

And if that is you, that is you.

But realize that part of you is stopping you from being the business owner who can grow an actual profitable company.

Questions are perfectly great.

There's nothing wrong with them other than they hold you back at times.

If your mind went, this is what I need, move forward.

Stop questioning yourself because in all honesty, you're so much more capable than that.

Don't limit yourself and don't let the patriarchy limit you.

I love being the exception to the rule and I hope you do, too.

Have an amazing day and I'll see you next week.