Building Bridges: The Art of Strategic Networking | Ep 4
Welcome to the Veritas Vantage Podcast!
In today’s episode, your hosts Brian Hastings and Justin Maines explore the significant impact of networking on personal and professional development, particularly targeting individuals in their mid-20s to early 30s looking for career advancements or client base expansion. They dive into the discomfort many feel towards networking, comparing it to speed dating, and share their transformative experience at Ben Newman's Vegas boot camp, which inspired them to start their own podcast. They highlight the use of networking to not only foster professional relationships but also support personal growth, emphasizing actions like handwritten appreciation notes, leveraging LinkedIn, and the importance of referrals in sales.
Get ready for discussions on Logistics and Leadership!
The Logistics & Leadership Podcast, powered by Veritas Logistics, redefines logistics and personal growth. Hosted by industry veterans and supply chain leaders Brian Hastings and Justin Maines, it shares their journey from humble beginnings to a $50 million company. Discover invaluable lessons in logistics, mental toughness, and embracing the entrepreneurial spirit. The show delves into personal and professional development, routine, and the power of betting on oneself. From inspiring stories to practical insights, this podcast is a must for aspiring entrepreneurs, logistics professionals, and anyone seeking to push limits and achieve success.
Timestamps:
(00:19) - Who Can Benefit from Networking? Identifying Your Audience
(01:28) - The Power of Networking: From Podcast Dreams to Reality
(01:46) - Leveraging Events for Networking Success: A Vegas Bootcamp Case Study
(06:52) - The Art of the Referral: Boosting Your Sales and Career
(11:00) - Networking Beyond Business: Building Personal Connections
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Transcript
If walking into a room full of strangers feels like your worst fear, you're not alone.
Speaker A:In fact, most people avoid the small talk, conversations and networking altogether.
Speaker A:This type of attitude can negatively impact your success in your personal and professional development if you do not open yourself up to these types of conversations.
Speaker B:Yeah, and this specific episode is for that 31 year old person who might be looking for new job or a new career, new role.
Speaker B:It also Is for that 25 to 30 year old sales rep that is looking to build their client base and they're not that interested or maybe they don't have that much time to cold call all day long.
Speaker B:Using the power of your network or using the power of networking is a way that you can accomplish both of those goals.
Speaker A:And Brian, why do you think there's such an uncomfortable connotation around the term networking?
Speaker A:Does it really mean like strategic connection?
Speaker A:Like what does it mean?
Speaker B:Yeah, so I think sometimes people view it as like speed dating, right.
Speaker B:They might go to like a network conference or maybe like a lunch and learn type of deal and it's like a speed dating thing and nobody wants to do that.
Speaker B:You know, I think there are some opportunities to network with other individuals or other professionals in a lot different fashion.
Speaker B:You know, people think about that a lot of times, especially with kind of the rapid fire deal.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker B:But I think it's a lot more than that.
Speaker A:It's funny because we're here, we launched this podcast, we're pumped.
Speaker A:But again, I mentioned this on an earlier episode, this point last year, there's no way I would have thought we'd be starting a podcast.
Speaker A:So Brian, can you share with the audience how networking led us to this point in this podcast?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So we went out to an event last October, Ben Newman's event, the Vegas Boot Camp.
Speaker B:And his life changing.
Speaker B:Actually, you and I went out there, maybe not every single one, but majority of the people that we talked to, very successful, very driven entrepreneurs, every single one of those people had a podcast.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:They got their voice out to the market and they were sharing their knowledge with everyone in their industry.
Speaker B:So I think with that, that, you know, not necessarily it put us in touch with specific podcast folks, but it gave us the encouragement to do our own podcast ourselves.
Speaker A:I think the best part of that entire experience, and you're right, life changing change, your life changed.
Speaker A:Mine was early on, before we even went out there, we felt like we weren't like these people are next level, these people are elite professionals.
Speaker A:We felt like we didn't belong in that room.
Speaker A:They were so impressive.
Speaker A:In fact, there's 10 people in this room.
Speaker A:We're sitting next to a couple young guys, incredible people.
Speaker A:And I look over and this guy has consistency wins on his arm.
Speaker A:I'm like, dude, I love consistency.
Speaker A:We talk about it all the time.
Speaker A:What's the reasoning behind that?
Speaker A:He's like, oh, it's our podcast.
Speaker A:It's called Consistency Wins.
Speaker A:I'm like, everybody has a podcast at this event.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And you're the one.
Speaker B:You're.
Speaker A:Props to you.
Speaker A:You're the one that took that leap and pushed it across the finish line.
Speaker A:But, Brian, I think it's safe to say I was probably the biggest, best networking opportunity we've ever been a part of.
Speaker A:What were some of your big takeaways from something like that?
Speaker B:Yeah, I mean, I think a couple of things, man, it was.
Speaker B:It was being in the room with all those other high achievers, right?
Speaker B:Like, that is the room that I want to be in 24 7, right?
Speaker B:Where everybody else is trying to be next level or try to achieve a certain level of success.
Speaker B:And, you know, I love that piece of it.
Speaker B:I also, you know, even when you go back to the folks who were sitting next to with the consistency wins tattooed on his arm or hand or something like that, you know, I figured these are two younger, younger guys.
Speaker B:And my thought process was, you know, what, if they can do it, we can do it.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:And so they told us that they were doing.
Speaker B:They'd had their podcast for like, four or five years, right?
Speaker B:Which is like, oh, like, oh, my gosh, what are we.
Speaker B:What are we doing?
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:So we actually work with them now.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's right.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:So power of network and connections.
Speaker A:So, Brian, you know, if I'm listening to this, I'm thinking, you guys have a business, you went out to Vegas.
Speaker A:I'm not in a position to do that.
Speaker A:How did it get to that point?
Speaker A:Because you don't just snap your fingers in your network with a bunch of people in Vegas.
Speaker B:Yeah, no, great question, man.
Speaker B:I think.
Speaker B:So we do this thing at Veritas called Appreciation Friday.
Speaker B:And it might be a little old school, it might be a little corny, but we write handwritten thank you cards to people that we appreciate, right?
Speaker B:It could be a mom, a dad, a brother, a sister, a client.
Speaker B:One Friday, I wrote my letter to Ben Newman, right?
Speaker B:I follow him on social.
Speaker B:He's an online mentor.
Speaker B:I wrote my letter to him and said, hey, this is what we do.
Speaker B:We do this thing called Appreciation Friday.
Speaker B:I just Want to say thank you for all the good you're putting into this world.
Speaker B:And he sent a loom video back, which is just like a little personalized video on LinkedIn, saying, thank you so much for sending the letter.
Speaker B:Let's connect this week.
Speaker B:And literally within 48 hours, this man sent me a text message and said, hey, let me know what your timeline looks like for this week.
Speaker B:And we're talking about Ben Neumann, one of the top five performance coaches in the world.
Speaker B:So pretty incredible, you know, from his side as well, like, trying to develop that relationship and share his knowledge.
Speaker B:So, yeah, it was a.
Speaker B:It's a cool event.
Speaker B:I'm, you know, obviously, we're huge fans of Ben, and he does a great job, you know, developing the community that he has.
Speaker B:And again, that his boot camp in Vegas was, you know, one of the best experiences, I think, because of the people and the community that he's fostered.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And it goes back to the.
Speaker A:Everybody has a guy, or you probably know a guy that has a guy.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker A:Connect you with anybody and everyone.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:That's kind of how this event was.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:And if you're mean, meeting the right people and connecting with the right people, and you have that, you know, similar, like, mind mentality, you know, there's a lot of.
Speaker A:A lot of value that can come from those types of relationships.
Speaker A:And it doesn't have to be out of this world.
Speaker A:You don't have to write a list, celebrities, letter unless you want to.
Speaker A:But you start in your inner circle.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:You know, get to know and connect with different people or find out who they know, or if you're passionate about a certain area or profession or a hobby, ask around.
Speaker A:Like, there's online forums.
Speaker A:You know, Facebook is a big platform, LinkedIn, but, you know, just Google it and just do some digging and go out on a limb and maybe write a letter or send an email to someone who you wouldn't typically reach out to.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:No, I love it.
Speaker B:I mean, I love taking that chance.
Speaker B:I mean, even local communities, Right.
Speaker B:Like, if you're a young professional and you're trying to get in with a local community, or maybe you're selling insurance and it's more of, like, a local community mindset.
Speaker B:Get in touch with your BNI or the business networking group that's in your town.
Speaker B:How do I sell more insurance?
Speaker B:How do I become more connected?
Speaker B:How do I be?
Speaker B:You know, just like you said, that guy.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Like, I know a guy.
Speaker B:Oh, you need help with business insurance.
Speaker B:Oh, talk to John Smith.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So I think that's.
Speaker B:There's a ton of value in that.
Speaker B:And for me, anytime that I've had a referral from a client perspective, it's a lot smoother than any other cold call relationship that I've had to drum up out of nowhere.
Speaker A:No way.
Speaker B:How is that?
Speaker A:Tell me more about that.
Speaker B:Yeah, so, I mean, I think that's one of the lost arts of sales, right?
Speaker B:Is the power of the referral.
Speaker B:Who do I know in my network?
Speaker B:Who do I know within my network's network, and how do I pursue them and use that person as a connection in our industry?
Speaker B:If I'm moving shipments with ABC Company, how do I reference them in hoping to close or hoping to move shipments with xyz?
Speaker B:I think that's something that is underrated and it doesn't get enough attention.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And if, you know, this goes for any industry, but LinkedIn in general, let's use that platform.
Speaker A:You may not be on there.
Speaker A:You may use different platforms.
Speaker A:I know there's a ton out there.
Speaker A:Slack, sure.
Speaker A:Not that familiar.
Speaker A:Savvy.
Speaker A:MySpace, if you're still in MySpace.
Speaker A:That's a joke.
Speaker A:No one's using MySpace anymore.
Speaker A:But LinkedIn, connect on LinkedIn.
Speaker A:Look at their previous history, their previous job history.
Speaker A:Look at their network.
Speaker A:If you're already working with that point of contact and that company and you're doing a great job and you're bringing value to that relationship, you have every right to reach out to them.
Speaker A:Say, hey, I'm always looking for referrals.
Speaker A:Yeah, you know, we do a great job.
Speaker A:I feel like if you.
Speaker A:If we don't, just please give me that feedback.
Speaker A:But I think we do a great job.
Speaker A:We really value our partnership.
Speaker A:Are there any other shippers or people in your network that you could possibly connect me with?
Speaker A:It's kind of cliche, but it's true.
Speaker A:The greatest compliment you can pay a sales rep is a referral, because that's very easy business.
Speaker A:Warm introduction.
Speaker A:You're more than likely going to close them.
Speaker B:So I feel like you should put that, like, in a signature or something.
Speaker B:You should, like, copy and paste that in the.
Speaker A:It's not, but it may have been.
Speaker A:May have been a previous role, probably.
Speaker B:Wasn'T mine at some point.
Speaker B:No, I agree with you.
Speaker B:I think it's like, it's an easy close.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And like, I'm a sales rep.
Speaker B:My goal and my role is to acquire more business.
Speaker B:And how do I do that?
Speaker B:Do I cold call all day long on this side and hopefully draw up some business or Do I tap into my personal network and like for any career professional or any business professional out there, use LinkedIn.
Speaker B:Like, I promise you that this is an area that goes underutilized.
Speaker B:When I see somebody that might be 30 years old and they have like 47 LinkedIn connections, man, I'm like, man, you're not using the platform the right way.
Speaker B:If you want to try to set yourself up for success, then use the platform.
Speaker B:There's so many people on there and you can get so many insights on the applicant side.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So we Talked about the 25 year old sales rep that's looking to gain new customers.
Speaker B:I think also with the 31 year old or 35 year old person that's looking for a new job, new career, there's companies all the time that are advertising on there.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So if you see an advertisement or if you look for a job on there, it's pretty easy to go in and look at companies that might be hiring and set up a potential phone interview.
Speaker B:I don't know people, they don't do enough legwork.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So go out there, do the legwork that you can to try to set yourself up.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:I also think it's worth noting too, you know, if you look at your individual network who you surround yourself with, a lot of times you have a lot of similarities because you're not going to really want to hang out with someone who's not pushing you to be your best.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker A:With our company, and this is with most companies, you want to hire like minded individuals, whether it's sales operations.
Speaker A:In our industry there's a lot of similar characteristics.
Speaker A:So those are the characteristics that we want and the best way to do that is if we have a successful employee who does a great job, they bust their tail.
Speaker A:Who do they know that is similar to them in their network that they can bring on board?
Speaker A:One thing we did very well in our previous role is we just hired all of our buddies.
Speaker A:We just referred them in.
Speaker B:Too afraid to fail.
Speaker B:Man, you ain't going to fail around your buddies.
Speaker B:Correct.
Speaker A:And you're competing and you're pushing each other and you're holding each other accountable.
Speaker A:So if you're working with your tight network and then your network expands, you're hiring like minded individuals, you're going to continue to raise a standard.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think, I mean there's, there's a ton of value in that, man.
Speaker B:I think that I just said it a few, like if you hire your buddy and I come in there and I'm not having success well, I'm going to put in the hours or I'm going to try to do everything I can to have success so that I don't fail in front of my friend.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Like, people are so afraid of failure, you know, me included, that it's one of those things that they're not going to fail or they're going to look for other avenues to try to generate success.
Speaker A:I want to transition real quick because I think we've covered a lot when it comes to the professional networking and relationships.
Speaker A:But also on the personal side, people genuinely want to help other people, especially if there's already a relationship established.
Speaker A:There's a saying, I forget who said it, but collect the dots to connect the dots.
Speaker A:Okay, so it goes back to that.
Speaker A:Go to guy.
Speaker A:Got a guy for everything.
Speaker A:Well, if you can help someone and connect two parties, whether it's, let's just say a photographer or at home chef or a personal trainer, whatever it may be, if you can connect the dots and you've had a good experience.
Speaker A:Experience, you know, they do a good job.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:You're wanting to connect them because you're helping them.
Speaker A:I think an unbelievable story, you know, we had early on is no one wanted to invest with us.
Speaker A:In fact, they wanted our entire company.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker A:And the conversation kept coming up.
Speaker A:You know, we're meeting with people and it's just, you know, I want 75% of your company.
Speaker A:You're not worth anything.
Speaker A:And we heard those conversations over and over.
Speaker B:What about the banks, man, what the banks say?
Speaker A:That's a very sensitive topic.
Speaker A:I think I have PTSD from bank conversations.
Speaker A:TFs filled out thousands of those.
Speaker A:I was hesitant to reach out to someone in my, my network that I had a strong relationship with.
Speaker A:Grew up with them, known for 25 years.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Ended up reaching out.
Speaker A:My buddy, it was his dad, he ended up connecting us, sat down, had a conversation.
Speaker A:He was on board.
Speaker A:His ask was a lot smaller than everyone else's.
Speaker A:He was able to make some introductions, connect us to certain people, vendors, partners, cpa.
Speaker A:But he was phenomenal and he genuinely wanted to help us.
Speaker A:So my point here is don't assume that someone, like you're bugging someone or they don't want to help you or whatever it may be.
Speaker A:Just ask.
Speaker A:Depending on how you phrase it, like, as long as you're not overreaching and just asking the world of them, it's not a big deal.
Speaker A:But just ask or feel around and feel like, you know, see if it's something that they'd be interested in.
Speaker B:You said it earlier, man.
Speaker B:People genuinely want to help other people.
Speaker B:And I feel like that's, like, that's who we are at a core, right?
Speaker B:And I think that's how I feel like that's a lot of our society is people want to help other people.
Speaker B:So I think you're absolutely right, man.
Speaker B:I think that, you know, if you can use your network strategically, whether it's on a, you know, professional front or even, like.
Speaker B:Like you just mentioned, on a personal front, it's beneficial for all parties, so.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:Well, networking has definitely helped us.
Speaker A:I'm sure, you know, it's helped a variety of people in a variety of ways.
Speaker A:But if you enjoyed this episode or find some value in it, tag someone that you think is the master networker in our comments or shoot us a DM of maybe a success story you've experienced from networking.
Speaker B:You can't teach hunger.
Speaker B:On this episode, we're going to talk about getting the right people with the right mentality on the ship, rowing in the same direction.
