How to Get Introduced to High-Level Influencers (MEET ANYONE!)

It is Alison Maslin and we are here with another awesome edition of Ally and you, the business success and lifestyle show. And today we are talking about all things relationships. And when I think of the most successful business strategies that I've used over the years of over 30 years in business, I would say the number one strategy is relationship building. And it's the most fun strategy too. So we are going to teach you all of the things that you want to know about how to get in front of those right people. So let me introduce my guest that I have here today. I'm very excited. Kevin Thompson creates podcast positive change on a global scale by facilitating between. Between increasingly influential people. These are the people you want to get in front of. He's been the trusted connector for many high level business owners for over a decade and he's helped people make connections that are worth millions of dollars. So because he's really close friends with these influential entrepreneurs, he's able to cut through the red tape, get people right in the door. And when they make these connections, these people are excited to meet them. So if you are out there and you're thinking, I need to make these trusted connections, I need to get in front of the right people, you want to watch all of this show. So before I jump in here and bring Kevin on, he's sitting there patiently waiting. We are having some technical issues on belive today and I don't know what the issue is, but we're having some freezing screens. So if for some reason Kevin or I are frozen, I think you can still hear us. So we apologize for that. But the show must go on. So we're going to do it in whatever shape we are in. So Kevin, we are excited to have you here. Well, I'm.

Screen freezes up. It's not with too much of a goofy look on my face.

You got a nice look. It's a little frozen. But you have a nice smile so that's okay. And we can hear you. Kerry says Kevin is frozen, but Kevin, you look really handsome.

Well, hey.

Yeah. So can you all hear us? Okay, let us know in the comments if you can hear Kevin and I. And again, sorry about frozen face. At least Kevin, you got a great, a great frozen face. So you don't have like your mouth open and all that kind of funny look. So anyway, I. Let's talk about relationships. And so tell us, how did you get into the business of being a connector? I mean like you don't, you're not just. I mean some people are natural connectors. Right. You know, those people that have that type of personality. So share with us how this journey started for you.

Sure, sure. I mean, it just. I had. My first collaborative project I did was with a gentleman you and I both know well, Joe Polish.

Yeah.

And he invited me to speak on a stage where he used to host his event for people in the cleaning and restoration business. And good credit, quite a large business from that. We put on these live events with about 500 cleaning and restoration professionals. And I had. At the time, I had been using the Internet and a website to expand my local business into a nationwide and even worldwide business. And he's like, kevin, why don't you come down here and show these folks what you're doing with your website to expand your business? And so I went down there and spoke, and it was such a great experience, and it launched me in this new direction, because at the time, I owned a cleaning and restoration business. But after that presentation, I was mobbed at the back of the room by people wanting me to help them. And Allison just not even knowing what I didn't know. I'm like, I just did help you. I just shared with you for an hour, showing you what I was doing. And they're like, no, we want more. And Joe saw what was going on, and he was like, kevin, between now and next year, you need to document what you do and how you do it. And you put into a training, and you come back next year, I'll let you speak again, and you give these people what they want. And that was in 2002, 2003. I went back, I spoke again. I just said, hey, if this makes sense, if this resonates, here's how I can continue to help you, and here's what that looks like, and here's what the investment is. And we ended up making $35,000 in sales of that training. And I. And I was like such a greenhorn and so wet behind the ears, Alison. I didn't even know what the heck I was doing. I was just excited to be there.

This is the cool thing, Kevin, because I love this. You were just being you. You were just excited about what you were naturally doing. You have a gift, and you were able to then monetize it. Which, for those of you that are listening right now, sometimes we make things so complicated trying to figure out what to monetize when it's probably right in front of you, Right?

Yeah. Yeah, for sure, for sure. And, yeah, we. The course and the training we created was a product called the Automatic Income System is what I gave it as a name. And after that experience, I mean, that was October of 03, and I was having such an amazing experience working with those clients. Then I was like, my gosh, I want to do a whole lot more of this. So the following year, in April 21, 2004, I sold the cleaning and restoration business and moved into doing that full time. And drawing on that experience that I had with Joe. You know, it was such a natural evolution because he was just like, kev, why don't you come down here and just show these people what you're doing? He put me in front of an audience, and I just shared with them, and we ended up having these great results. And I'm like, man, I want to do a whole lot more of that fun. That was enjoyable. It was certainly profitable. And so I'm like, well, who else should I be talking about or talking with and who else? I just started reaching out to people, but I never reached out to people coming from this place of like, hey, I've got this thing, and you should promote me. You should put me in front of your audience. I would always reach out to people and just try to find out who they were and what they were all about. What, you know, what. What. What they were working on in their business, what they were excited about, what their challenges were. And then if it made sense, I would just, like, let them know about what I was up to. And like, you know, and like. And. But because I was just. I'm just naturally. I love talking with entrepreneurs. I love talking with them about their opportunities, their challenges. And I always just naturally default to based on what this person just shared with me, who do I know that it would make sense to introduce them to, that they might be able to get some help. And so I just started making these connections based on the conversations I was having. And so it kind of just all happened organically. Not that I was like, you know, I'm not like, I didn't even think about. I want to become this big connector of people. I was just doing it because I just liked doing it. And then. And when we made the. I don't know, you tell me how far you want to go, but I can tell you I did, down the line, make a big introduction that I was like, okay, you're really onto something, and I want to do more of that and get more intentional about it.

Well, you know, here's the thing. I think most people know that it is all about relationships, and business is about connecting with others and getting in front of the right people. And sometimes it's not the right person that becomes a customer, but maybe that person could introduce you to a group of people that would want to do business with you, or maybe you're looking for a resource. Like, I lead big events and I'm always connecting with people to bring on my stage. So I think that I would like to know for some of you that are watching the show right now, who are the kind of people that you want to meet? Like what? Think about this. Because sometimes one person, right, Kevin, one person could be worth millions of dollars. Like, whether it's for referrals or maybe they're going to get you in front of someone for a big opportunity, it's really about those people. So I'd love to know from those of you that are. Are watching today, who are some people that you want to meet or the kind of people that you want to get in front of? And maybe, Kevin, this would be fun is we could brainstorm a little bit with them to help them to think about how they would get in front of those people. Because I think sometimes people are intimidated to call somebody or, oh, I don't want to be a bother, but they're just people, you know, And I remember years ago, I actually, when my book came out, I was trying to call as many people as I could, and I called Costco and I got the president of Costco, all of Costco, on the phone. He's just answered. And I was like, I was stunned. But he was so nice and so interested to hear about my book. So, you know, just never think that somebody isn't approachable but you. So explain how you have helped people connect, how you've made introductions. I mean, what is kind of formula that you have used? And again, in the comments, I'd love to hear from you all who are some people that you want to get in front of, and maybe we could brainstorm with you. Also, I know that Kevin's picture here is frozen. He's really not frozen. He is a very vibrant human being, but we're having technical issues, so just let it go. And you can hear him. You can hear us fine. So that. That's okay. Anyway, so, Kevin, if you could share, what is this process that. That you use that has worked for you to help how you.

Sure. So the actual, you know, the making of the introduction is like so simple. And I'll give you an example. So. And I think you might know both these two guys. But it was a few years back, I was talking with Brian Kurtz. And at the time, Brian was working with Marty Edelston at Boardroom Reports, and there is huge direct mail company. And what they were trying to do, though, was they wanted to start making more use of the Internet and in specific, the Google AdWords platform. But they didn't have a clue. They didn't know. They just didn't know what they didn't know. And they were trying to muddle through this thing and they were having challenges. And Brian's telling me about this. He's like, kevin, this is just not our area of expertise at all. We just don't even know what the heck we're doing here. And I was like, well, gosh. I was like, do you know Perry Marshall? And he's like, well, I know of Perry, but I don't know him well. I said, well, you know, when it comes to the Google AdWords platform, Perry's the guy. I say, him and his team, they can help you with this stuff. And he said, man, he's like, that would be fantastic. I mean, we really need the help. And I was like, okay, good enough. I said, I'll connect you guys. That was an in person conversation that Brian and I were having at a mastermind. But when I got back home, I just sent an email to Perry and to Brian, and I just. In the email, it was so simple. I mean, the subject line said introduction from Kevin Thompson. And in that email, I just told Perry a little bit about Brian, I told Brian a little bit about Perry. And then I just opened the door for them to have. And I said, hey, you guys, have a great conversation and be sure and let me know what comes from it. And so they got back in touch with me a few months later. And yeah, Perry and his team got to help Brian out and help boardroom reports out. But beyond that, Perry and Brian just became great friends. And they found out that between the two of them, they ended up putting on this big live event, and it was a huge success. They provide a whole lot of value to a whole lot of entrepreneurs. They created a lot of revenue in the process. And that's when it let me know that, my gosh, Kevin, you are really onto something. That was the first time I made a connection where I was like, wow, some really great things came from this. And that's when I made the decision. I want to get a whole lot more intentional about doing this right well.

And I think so. I like what you shared here too, because a lot of times I am thinking about who are people that I know that should meet, you know, just being a giver, you know, and not just because I want to. And I know you do this as your business, and this is. You're the expert at this. And oftentimes I'll just connect people. But one thing I know is I want to make sure it's mutually beneficial, you know, because if I know that someone wants to meet someone and this is going to be a bother for that person, or they feel like this person's just going to, you know, that it's not a win win situation, I don't do it. So what do you think about that?

Absolutely. Yeah, for sure. You know, I mean, that's. Yeah, there needs to be a win win there. And I don't just connect people just for the sake of connecting people. It's. It's far more intentional than that. And even with the example I gave about Brian and suggested that I introduced him to Perry, I actually called Perry up, too, told him about Brian before making that connection, and said, hey, here's their situation. Would this be valuable? Would it be worthwhile connecting you guys? Then once I get the go ahead, then making the actual introduction or the connection itself, whether it's sending out an email, sending a text message, sending a Facebook message, the easiest thing. I mean, it takes hardly any time to do that, but it's having the conversations in advance so that you can make those valuable connections.

Right now, these are people that you already are connected to. What about reaching? And I want to answer some of the questions that we have here, like with Gary Vaynerchuk, and I actually have met Gary, and I'll tell you how I had him on my show. I'll give you some insight about that, Carrie. But what about people, Kevin, that you don't know? How are you getting in front of those people?

So the way I prefer to do it, unlike how you did it, reach out, Cole, to the president of Costco. I would never have the cojones to do that, but I prefer to get introduced. And so whenever I'm trying to get in front of anybody in particular, or if I'm looking for somebody with a specific skill set or ability or what have you, if I don't already know that person, I just start reaching out to the people who I do know and say, hey, I'm looking for somebody that can do this or that has this ability or whatever. And do you know anybody who fits that, that you can connect me with? And I prefer to go in warm rather than just reaching out to people, you know, What?

It's a much better strategy and they're prepared and you can get right to them. And I do that often as well, you know, example for the show or for my events, to get introduced to people. And so, yeah, I think that's great. And the thing is, we all are connected in one way or another. Do you use LinkedIn for making some of those connections?

So what's amazing is I have a LinkedIn profile, but I am absolutely horrendous at using LinkedIn's platform. I use Facebook heavily, but I am. That's one of the things. It's like people kind of keep suggesting, oh, Kim, you should start using LinkedIn more. And I'm like, yeah, I'll get around to it. But, you know, it's just what I've been doing has been working. And so I just keep going, what's working? But no, I've never used LinkedIn effectively at all.

Yeah, I mean, I was reaching out to connect with Tony Hsieh and who's the CEO of Zappos. And that's really how I kind of worked my way through LinkedIn of this person. This person to connect me. I wanted to answer Carrie's. She was asking. She would. Or he. I'm sorry, Kerry would like to meet Gary Vaynerchuk. So when how I met Gary was when he was promoting his last book, he was looking for platforms to promote his book. Well, so I thought, okay, let me get him on the show. And so that's really how I first met Gary. And then I went to. And I know you do this too, Kevin, because this is how we met is you're big on going to events and, you know, we're in a mastermind together. And I'm such a big believer of that, of getting in front of people. So I'll actually invest quite a bit of money just to get in front of the right people. And so I. Because I know the value of that. And so I went to this cruise last November and I was introduced to that from a friend of mine, Mike Koenigs, who I also met at an event. It's just funny how this works. And, oh, we lost our guest here. Goodness gracious. Well, let me see. Hopefully he's going to come back on and I'm just going to keep talking. So. But I want to share this with you, Carrie, because, Gary, I went to this on this cruise. I'm hoping that Kevin comes back on here. This is really, really awkward, but we're going to wing it because that's what we Do Carrie. I mean, Gary was on this cruise along with Herbie Hancock and Norman Lear and Will. I am. And it was, you know, I thought, I want to be on that cruise. What do I need to do to get on there? And it was like $5. But the thing that was so cool about the cruise is that, you know, when these people come on the cruise, they can't leave the cruise. Not like they can drive off. So they had to be on the boat for three days. So I thought, well, wow, what a great, great way to meet people. And so Gary was there and just hanging out and I got to sit with him and a few other business owners and just chat for like two hours. And it was such a great experience. And it really is because I invested and put myself in front of those people, which has grown my business exponentially. So you might think of, why would you spend $5,000 to go to an event? Well, if you know that $5,000 can turn into $50,000 or $100,000, I mean, it would just be a really smart investment. So, Carrie, I hope that is helpful for you. It's like finding out where these people are so you can get in front of them. And Jesse, you are asking small business owners from one to 100 medium B to C companies. Hundred to 20,000. Right. So looks like Kevin's coming back on. There you are. I don't know, I just keep talking here, but I mean, this is such a great topic. I'm really sorry that we're having this trouble, but it's entertaining to say the least. We'll just keep doing this show, we'll do a take so we get it right. But yeah, so I was talking about the importance of going to events and getting in front of right people and building those face to face relationships. What are your thoughts on that?

Absolutely, absolutely. You know, getting in, I mean, you know, email, you know, Facebook, all that stuff's great, but nothing beats in person, face to face contact. And yeah, that, that is very important as well. And I mean, that's how you and I met, you know, I mean, hanging out at Joe's and going out for dinner one evening and getting to know each other on the car ride over there and like, you just can't beat that stuff.

So, yeah, no, it's just, it's a lot of fun. You can have those deeper conversations. And so, yeah, I mean, so I would say to all of you, think about one of the things I do is, you know, write down the 10 people you want to meet or the 10 dream companies that you want to work with or think of the challenges you're having within your company and the type of people that could help you get the answers that you need. And then you need to strategically find ways to get in front of those people. Find associations that they belong to, sporting events that they go to, people that they know. And, you know, you kind of have to stalk them a little bit. Don't be creepy. Don't be creepy. But, you know, you just keep getting in front of these people, and you have to nurture the relationship if it's something that you're building. Right, Kevin? Like, you know, it doesn't always happen overnight.

What you shared, Allison, about Gary Vaynerchuk, you know, you. You just offered to be of help to him. He was looking for platforms to get his book, you know, word out about his book. And you had a platform and you said, hey, I'd love to help you out. And, you know, and for me, if there's a way that I can personally help somebody out, fantastic. I'm in. And I'm always looking at, how can I help? How can I be of service? And that's by making a connection to somebody else for somebody. And so that when we come from that place of being of service and wanting to be of help, then we get cooperation from other people versus coming to the table with our hand out. Can you help me? And being of service is a whole lot better way to go. And you will get cooperation with people. Just know that that's who you are. And you start doing this and you just become known for that.

Yeah. And I agree. And it's such. There's a book that I love and that we give to all of our clients, and it's called the Go Giver. And you read that book. It's just. It's this exact philosophy. It's when I meet people, whoever it is, my first thing is, how can I support you? And I remember you saying that to me, Kevin, when we met. And it just completely shifts the energy. And sometimes people think, well, there's something that I want. Well, of course we know you want it, but if you come from a place of a giver and being generous actually going to come back to you, they're going to be wanting to give to you more.

That's right. That's right. And you become known for that, and people start talking about you, people start talking about you, and you find yourself, you know, I mean, I get calls regularly from people that I don't know telling me I talked with so and so. And they told me, you need to talk to that Kevin guy. That guy knows everybody. And it's cool when you get those calls, you know, and it just makes you feel good because, you know, you're doing something right. You know, you're making an impact in this world.

Absolutely. And if you get a referral from someone, the way that you introduce people, then you know that you're only going to introduce people that you feel have good integrity from. You know what I mean? Like, you know these people, you know their background. Like when you introduced Perry and you know, the person you connected him with and with John is, you know, you already have. You can vouch for them, which is great.

Yes. Yeah, yeah. And I don't. And I try not to ever introduce people. Just like, hey, you guys should talk. You know, so now they get on the line or get on the phone or whatever. Like, okay, yeah, you know. So why did Kevin introduce us in the first place? You know, I mean, I don't want that going on either. Even if it's two great people, you know, it's like, okay, there should be a specific reason. We know. You know, Perry and Brian knew why they were there to talk. Brian and the folks over at boardroom were having a challenge, and Perry and his team, they were in a position to help them with that challenge. And then the other thing that transpired just kind of, you know, that was the, like, the really cool, like, bonus, you know, thing that just kind of transpired. Not the original reason for the connection, but it was really cool to see that unfold, too, you know?

So, yeah, you know, we. I run a mastermind called Pinnacle Global Network for business owners all over the world. We have about 150 entrepreneurs that we mentor. Some of them have been with us, you know, going on six years in this community. And one of the most amazing things is that a lot of them partner together on projects and do strategic partnerships support each other. I mean, it's just amazing. So one thing I would recommend to all of you, and I see Sylvia, who is on here. Hi, Sylvia. She's actually in our Pinnacle community and an amazing. She has an online fitness program that is out of this world, so you need to check her out. But the benefit of the community, if you don't have a community, a business community that you're in, get in one and stay connected and show up. Because we always say, we're too busy. We don't have time. But, hey, one good connection, you could be working on a project for six months. And you get one good connection, and that could just blow the whole thing out of the water. Save you months of pulling your hair out.

Absolutely. Absolutely. And one good connection as well. You know, it can solve your biggest challenge. It can allow you to take advantage of the biggest opportunity that's currently in front of you. It can also allow you to further your reach, to expand your marketing message, to get in front of more of the right people. And of course, create a whole lot of revenue, too. And of course, Allison, I'm speaking to the choir, talking with you, because, yeah, certainly the revenue is great, and our businesses need revenue to just support ourselves and grow the business and all that. But when it comes right down to it, the most valuable thing that we have in our life is the relationships with the people in our life. And it's not just entrepreneurs. I mean, quite honestly, this goes down to my relationship with my wife, with my children, with my friends, with my extended family. I mean, my gosh, we got a favorite restaurant in town that we go to, and we're at this restaurant at least once a week, and we love going to this. Not only do they have great food, they got great people there. And we always get treated so good when we're there. We're like family there. And I always tip well. Because you tip well, you're going to have a better experience, especially when you've got a place like that where you're like family. You know, it's a whole different experience. It's a whole different experience.

We have a place, too, called Maurizio's in Encinitas here in San Diego. And we love going there, too, because we know the owner and so forth, and we're always talking shop. And so I'm sure those of you listening have that, too. As human beings, we need community, we need connection. But again, be strategic about it. Think who that you want to meet and how you can get in front of them. So Sylvia, Coach Syl was asking, she would like to get someone like JJ Virgin or Dr. Mark Hyman to write the forward for her book. She's doing has written a fitness book for health and fitness book for nurses. So can you answer to that, Kevin?

Sure. So, I mean, you know, so to get anybody to do anything for you, I mean, my preferred way is not to try to reach out to them and say, hey, I would like you to write the forward to my book. However, you're going to get in touch with JJ or Dr. Mark Hyman, it's going to be from this place. First of all of Just showing active appreciation for them and for what they do. I'm going to let you know right now that no matter who somebody is, no matter how big their business is, no matter how successful they are, they don't get enough appreciation. I always caution people against this when I share this is. Don't view this as a marketing strategy. You'll mess it all up if you do that. You just. When you. When you show appreciation to people, have it. Be generous or. Did you lose me?

I did for just for like a half a second. So we got. So don't use this as a marketing method. Use this as just showing appreciation, like being a giver. So.

And. And then, you know, and then when you. When I try to line up a conversation with somebody, it's not. If I'm this person who you're talking about who would like to have the forward for their book written, I would first concentrate. If I can get a conversation with this person, I'm going to first concentrate on how I can help them. Because I guarantee you, AJ and Dr. Hyman, they got stuff that they're working on. They always got stuff that they're working. And how can I be of service to them now? Maybe. Maybe I personally.

We're on the edge of our seat to hear what Kevin is going to say. Oh, my gosh. All right, so I think I'm going to finish the sentence, Sylvia, and we can talk further about this, but I agree with Kevin on that, is that you want to get a connection with JJ or Mark. Get on their blog, get on their. I know that JJ does a lot of Facebook lives and start being present. Do you know, send a card, but don't come and ask first. You want to show appreciation and. And get connected. What can I do for you? How can I support you? Maybe you even do something where you promote her, whatever she's doing to your audience. And so you come to build the relationship that way. And then once you've established the relationship, then, you know, oftentimes it will just be natural and they'll say, how can I support you? Maybe there's something. There's a charity that she's involved in. Actually, I know she is involved with just like my child. So maybe it's something where you donate to her charity, things like that. So it's going to come from, you know, you want them to do it because they want to do it. And especially if it's a forward of a board book, you want them to speak from their heart. So even if it takes a little bit Longer. Sylvia, you still get your book out and then you can do a re, you know, a new edition of your book and republish it with the new forward of the book. That's what I would recommend doing. So anyway, I think we're going to. Kevin is gone. He's not really gone, but we want to. We'll put in the comments how to reach out to Kevin if you have any questions at all and want to connect with him personally. So. But if you all have questions about relationships and want answers on how to get in front of people, please go ahead and put that in the comments. I will answer you. And normally we are at 4 o' clock Pacific time every Wednesday on this Facebook page. This time we did a little bit earlier because of scheduling reasons, but Normally it's at 4 o'. Clock. We also turn this into a podcast on itunes and all you need to do is go to allisonmaslin.com iTunes and you can get all of our episodes on Facebook Live or go to allisonmaslin.com audio and if you want to listen to this while you're in the car, Kevin, you've risen from the dead. This is a miracle. This is a miracle. It's so good. So I think we're going to roll on here. We've gotten some great stuff, but could you just share how people would connect with you if they have further questions, sure.

They can go to partnershipplaybook.com and we've got an assessment tool that Dan Sullivan helped me create called Relationship Capital Scorecard and get access to that at no charge. And if you are an entrepreneur who's doing great things in this world, using your business to use your unique abilities to help people in your life that your business serves. If you're looking for specific connections or for that kind of thing to grow your business, I am more than happy to talk with you.

That's awesome. That website again, because your audio is a little off.

Partnershipplaybook.com all right.

Partnershipplaybook.Com all right, perfect. And then how do people reach out to you directly? Kevin@partnershipplaybook.com Kevin@partnershipplenbook.com all right, well, thanks for those of you that have hung in there with us. Thank you, Kevin. Sorry that we found. But hey, it was a great show anyway. This is really good content.

It was a memorable interview, Alison.

I know we hung in there. And that's what business is all about, right? Like that's right answer. And you don't get knocked down by frustrating things. That's life. You let it roll off your back. So, anyway, Kevin, thank you so much for being here. And we will see.

My pleasure.

Next time, everyone on Allie and you, the Business Success and Lifestyle show. In the meantime, get out there, elevate yourself, build relationships. You are worth it. Bye, everybody.

Bye, everybody.