Challenges of the C-Suite with Sheila Farragher-Gemma, Episode 1s

Hello everyone, this is CB Bowman Live with the new show. It's called Social Media Influencers, and I am so glad that you're here to join me. We have a special guest who is in the field of sponsorship, and I like to look at this as definitely an influencing field. Because she's the kind of person you want to contact if you are having an event in order to have sponsors who put money on the table to support you. So this show will take place every week right after my previous show, which is Workplace Equity and Equality. And if you missed that one today, Let me just tell you, you missed a good one, but you can catch it. You can catch it on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and later this week it'll be on iHeartRadio and Apple Podcasts. Because, you know, guys, you know I'm an Apple person, right? Of course I would be an Apple person. Um, so besides that, You want to follow me on Clubhouse? You know I'm hip. And you want to follow me on my Tuesday show on LinkedIn Live where we talk about the challenges of the C-suite. So without further ado— and oh, by the way, you know ACEC, the Association of Corporate Executive Coaches, is having their annual conference. And this year, so easy, it's on Zoom over 4 days. 4 days, and they're short days so you can still work. Oh my God, you won't be able to use it for an excuse to be on vacation. So I want you to come. And I have to tell you a little secret, that you can get the insider's price if you use the code SCC, and that's only if you follow me on LinkedIn and Clubhouse. So Make sure that you jump now and get a ticket. All right, and you know what, we do have a limit on tickets, by the way, even though we're on Zoom. So you heard it first here, okay? I'm trying to hook you up. All right, now let's go to Sheila. Oh my gosh, she's gonna have a lot to tell us. Sheila, welcome.

Hi.

As our inaugural show We're going to talk about you in terms of how you influence sponsors, and you're going to tell us everything you did, where you came from. Let's start with what country did you come from, because I hear an accent.

Yes, I'm Irish, so I came from Ireland. I came over here in 1989, and my big fear was I'd meet an American and get stuck over here, which is basically what happened. Not complaining though.

We have a way of Capturing visitors so that they don't—

That's right.

We are an intriguing country.

For sure, for sure.

What have you been doing since you arrived here?

Well, I came over, I got an offer of a green card from Senator Donnelly, who I've never met, but thank you. You changed my life. And I was just finishing up in college in Ireland, so I came over and I applied for jobs everywhere and got one in Boston. So I came over for that and worked I worked for about 6 or 7 years, met said husband and got married and ended up having 2 children. But when my first child was born, I desperately wanted to not be working, not necessarily not be working, but working for somebody else. I wanted to have the freedom to be able to be there for her when she needed me to be. But I also needed to pay the rent. So, you know, we needed to figure that out. So that kind of started me on an entrepreneurial track, which And so what were you doing? So the very first business was an odd one. So it all came about, I was sitting, you've got to picture it, I was like sitting in a chair watching TV at about 11 o'clock in the morning, the baby was sleeping, my parents had come over to stay with me to help, you know, with everything, 'cause I was a first-time mom. And I'm in this like toweling dressing gown that used to be white once and wasn't anymore, and a little bit of postpartum depression, you know, my hair probably had formula in it. It was just, you know, it was just a mess. It was not a good look. And this commercial came on TV talking about a seminar that was gonna happen in the area about starting your own business. And I was like, oh my gosh, that's it. It's a lifesaver. You know, this is a sign. So I got all excited and I bought 2 tickets for myself and my dad and we went there. And it was the first time I'd really seen, you know, those kind of conferences that are very hypey. You know, the guy stood on stage and said, so I have $5 in my hand. Who would pay me $1 for my $5? And, you know, nobody went up. somebody kind of, you know, walked up and he gave them $5, and then it kept going up until it was like about $100. Um, and they presented 4 different kind of businesses that you could buy into, and, you know, we weren't really impressed. We were very skeptical. But on the way home, um, I've always been very close with my dad, and on the way home we had a conversation about— he was like, well, what do you think you want to do? And I was like, I don't know what I want to do since I know what I don't want to do. Um, and he had a friend in Cali— he lives in California with my mom— and he had a friend in California who was doing remanufactured toner cartridges, which was before that was ever a thing. And he's like, well, why don't I talk to him and maybe he'll train you and show you how to do it, and then it's something you can do out of your basement. And I was like, sure, that sounds just like me.

What did you do with the toner cartridges?

You remanufacture them. So basically you recycle them. You refill them with toner, you clean them out, you refill them with toner, put them back together again. and you recycle them. So I went to California. We paid this guy some money for me to work with him for a week, learn everything. And I came back and I just, I said, well, accountants probably use a lot of toner. So I started just reaching out to accountants and trying to sell them. And I got an order and then got another order and ended up doing this for about 8 years and ended up eventually selling the company. But it was really cool because it's like I had no clue what I was doing. And it was just really cool to kind of just go and do that and And yeah, so that was kind of the first job out of the chute.

Well, and how did that relate to the conference? It was just, it stirred up—

It didn't at all. It just sparked that conversation. But it was my first time being at something, a conference like that, that was hype, or being at a conference at all, I think, really, but that was hypey. And it was just like, it was eye-opening. And I often think back to it of like, that was the beginning. And especially now when I'm in conferences and in such a different kind of a role, So yeah.

Okay. And so then what happened next?

Um, so then after that, I, um, had, you know, had a series of other businesses. I met a gentleman called— so when I was with the toner business, I was in BNI, Business Network International. Have you heard of that?

Yes, I have.

Yeah. So I was there.

What it is?

Business Network International is an organization that helps small businesses, um, get new business by referral. So they, um, we used to meet every week. There was about 30 different occupations in there. There'd be one per, one per occupation, so you weren't in competition. And, um, through that I met somebody who, um, did computer networking, which was kind of like a nice marriage to my business. And we met for coffee in a Starbucks and started talking and soon got into talking about what our real passion was, was, um, you know, real estate, becoming kind of, um, the, the whole kind of passive income type of thing. And, uh, we ended up starting several businesses together and investing in buildings together and stuff like that. But, you know, that kind of was the path. Um, and then towards the end, um, he's been a great friend ever since. But, um, at, at one point he went off and launched another business on his own. And, um, I was kind of like, okay, now what do I do? And, um, another friend of mine, uh, had just gotten a job with a digital marketing agency that do a huge conference every year called T&C Traffic and Conversion. And she asked me if I could help out with sponsorship because I had helped her with some of her stuff before. We'd been in business together before as well. So, um, I did. And as people saw what I was doing, they were like, oh, can you do that for me too? So that's kind of, you know, just organic. It wasn't a plan. I didn't have a business plan or a thought that this is what I was going to be doing, but it just kind of, kind of happened.

So you sort of had a plan. You knew that you wanted to be in business by yourself. Now tell the audience how they can get involved with the networking group. Is it chapter-based?

It's chapter-based. Yep. Yeah. So if they go to bni.com, um, that would— that's like the main website, and then that would bring them in. Um, it's, it's really like a phenomenal organization. It's like When I joined that organization, my business was maybe about a year and a half, 2 years old, and it just like turned it around because I got so many referrals and so much support. But then there was also the support of just like having friends in business and being able to talk about business and get advice and give advice. And it was just— it's a really, really great network and totally worth it. So I would just suggest to anyone, if you're in business for yourself—

And so what is it? Because I remember joining one when I was much younger, um, and what I found at that time, it was, it was a, it was a program that's based more for people who had a product versus people that had a service like coaching.

Um, not necessarily. I mean, you can do well with either. Um, definitely if you have a product, I think you do better because it's more of a tangible thing. I think that's the case in most things really. You know, coaching is— I get why coaching is great. Obviously you do as well, you do it. But it's less tangible, whereas if you need to replace a toner cartridge, it's pretty obvious and the solution is pretty obvious and you do it and you're done. You know, so it's kind of a different type of product. But BNI has worked for both. It's just, it's all about networking and creating a network. And, you know, which is, you can just leverage that so much by just knowing people. 'Cause I think as entrepreneurs, we live in this kind of bubble. Like, I'm currently sitting in my home office on my own. You know, you're the first person I've kind of talked to all day, which makes me sound really lonely, but I'm not. But yeah, I just didn't have a lot of calls today. So, you know, you can be very much on your own, which, you know, is really why you need a coach, in my opinion, is to sometimes it's not about the accountability, it's about the, I just need someone to have a sounding board that I can I can say, I'm having this idea, what do you think?

And, you know, yeah, yeah, I agree with you. And you know what's funny is I remember in that group, I remember 2 distinct things. One person was selling, um, security, right, which now has a personal security, and that field has blown up. And I thought he was crazy at the time. And the other person was selling some kind of vitamin formula. And I thought, please, lady, you're never going to get anyplace. Well, fast forward, the field of personal security exploded, right? And the vitamin or whatever it was she was selling, she ended up doing infomercials on it.

Wow.

That woman seems familiar, and all of a sudden it hit me, she was in my group. And I'm thinking, you dummy, you didn't say that.

It is, it's amazing. And what it does for new businesses as well, or not even necessarily new businesses, but, you know, we— you do what we call a 60-second presentation, which depending on the size of the group may be even smaller. So you need to learn to present yourself very quickly, um, and kind of get across what it is that you do and what you're looking for, what you need from the group. And then there's also other presentations. You do a 10-minute presentation which again, if you know, not everyone is a presenter and not everyone is comfortable speaking, so there's a lot of development parts in it as well that I just found really good. I mean, it was a very nice kind of well-rounded experience to just kind of go through all of that and, you know, get comfortable talking to people, talking in front of people, all of that kind of stuff.

I think the thing that was most scary for me at the time is I'm an extreme introvert. Believe it or not, audience. Okay.

I am too, believe it or not.

People are gonna write me and say, oh yeah, right, CB. Um, but I remember at the time that you were supposed to help your colleagues find leads, and I thought, I don't know anybody, I don't talk to anybody, so this is just not gonna work for me, you know. And now I know tons of people, just tons, and I'm like, hmm. So I think that was the thing that was scary. Now, I don't know, today does it cost anything to be a member?

It does, and I'm not sure what it costs at this point. I haven't been a member for a while, but, um, it does. And even back then, I think it did as well. Um, but for me, it was well worth the cost of membership. You know, the ROI financially was great, um, but the ROI personally was even better.

So, okay.

Yeah, I still do business with people today from that group. It's It's amazing. You know, I'll call them up after years and say, hey, I need you again.

Yes. So, so I'm focusing in on this, and I know we're going to talk about influencers because I think that this is a way to have influencers right around you. And so let's define what we mean by influences. It's, it's my definition is that it's a person who knows a lot of people. And those people that they know trust their advice, and they can help spread the word about your business because they're, they're like a trusted advisor multiplied by hundreds, right? Is that how you would define an influencer?

I would. And it's funny because the first thing that comes to my mind is like the, the super famous person who has like a gazillion followers everywhere, and they make one tweet or one post on something and, you know, your, your has changed overnight. Um, but it's not like— we're all influencers, you know. If we influence people every day, we influence people sometimes without even talking to them. You never know. Um, so yeah, it's, it's definitely, um, not, not what I— you know, my initial reaction is always like Taylor Swift or something. Yeah, she's an influencer.

But, you know, yeah, exactly. One whisper and you're like, wow, Oprah! One whisper.

Exactly.

Suddenly a millionaire. There are all kinds of influencers, and I would say to the audience, because as we get more into this program and we bring in more people that can be an influencer for your business, look to things like LinkedIn. Um, if you're connected to somebody that has 10,000 people that they're connected with, that's an influencer. You know, I'm almost at 11,000. I consider myself a little baby influencer because there are people on LinkedIn that have 100,000, right? Um, and you know what, being an influencer is a hard job. Finding one is a hard job. Clubhouse now has a lot of influencers, and those are people that joined before November of last year where it was much easier to build up an audience. And you'll see some of the people— well, Exclusion, Snoop Dogg— oh, okay, Snoop Dogg, Gayle King, Terry Crews. They're all under hidden names, but they have Like 400,000 people that follow them. Now we're not talking that magnitude, but there are people that have like 4,000, 10,000, even 1,000 on Clubhouse, and they're willing to talk about it. They're willing to, uh, have sponsor you, but you've got to get in the You've got to get in the in-crowd. They have to know who you are, and that's the part that's not easy. So in your work as an influencer, in terms of finding money for events, how does that— how do you get to be an influencer like you, which is in your field it's called a sponsor?

Um, so it's It's really just relationships at the end of the day. It's relationships and trust. So for me, bringing sponsors into the events, it's, you know, it's basically people I've known now for years. I really make a point of going out and finding out what it is that they do, what's a good demographic for them, what isn't, who they need to be in front of and who they don't want to be in front of, and what types of sponsorships they want to do. Because it's, you know, it doesn't make much sense if it doesn't kind of check all those boxes. So for me, what I— when I was starting doing this, my thought was, you know, I just want to learn about their business and what it is that they need and don't need so that I can bring them that and not anything else. So it's not just kind of noise for them. Like when I do have an event for a sponsor, usually they'll take my call because they know that I'm not bringing them like every event. I'm just bringing them the ones that I know are going to be good for them. So it's really about building that relationship. It starts with building rapport. And then it's, you know, getting knowledge and, and knowing what their goals are, what they're trying to achieve, and who they're trying to get in front of, and then bringing that.

So, so what I'm hearing is that you have a trust relationship with your sponsors.

Correct.

And you have— you take a position of abundance with your clients so that in And what I mean by that is the trust is that your sponsors know that you won't call them for every event that won't work for their product or service. And your clients know that you're going to get to know what the event is about, who they are as a business, so that the match is a good match.

Exactly, exactly. Because when sponsors come in, they're really buying access to your, your group or your, you know, your group of people, your attendees, your listeners, whatever the platform is that, that you're on. Um, and that has to be a good match for them, otherwise it's just, it's a waste of everyone's time. Um, and it's, it's, it's kind of like it's a 3-way thing. So you've got your sponsors, you've got the person who owns the platform, and then you've got the people who, um, who use the platform. So like if we talk about a live event, for example, you have attendees coming to the event who are coming to learn something or network or whatever it is, you know, probably to learn something. You have the sponsors who are there because the attendees are their demographic and they want more of that. And then you have the event owner who wants to put on this amazing event that— there's a big truck going by, I hope that doesn't come through in the microphone. Wants to put on this amazing event but also wants to have resources for the people at the event so that they can, you know, do better. So if you think of it like if you were teaching an event where you're teaching what it is that you do or you're teaching— yeah, so what it is that you do, you want to teach your students in the room and then like in a live event and then have them walk out into a hallway of resources that will help them be really successful at it. So if it's, you know, marketing, they'd walk out and there's all different kinds of marketing companies and email companies and CRMs and, you know, copywriters or whatever it is that they need. Um, so it's just kind of— it's like a triangle and everyone has to, um, everyone has to be able to feed on it and everyone has to be, um, everyone has to be successful for it to work. Otherwise it's just not going to work.

So also, I want to dispel the myth that I had. You pick up the phone, you call somebody like you, and you say, I need a sponsor, go find me one. And you pick up the phone. I'm gathering it doesn't— the older I get, the wiser I get. You'd think I'd be very wise by now. No, but there is work on our behalf, there's homework that we have to do. Can you run down what it is that we need to give you to allow you to do your work successfully?

Yeah, so it's, um, the main thing I'm looking at initially is, you know, who is going to be at this event, because that's, that is basically what you're selling to a sponsor is the attendees at the event. Um, so you want to make sure that you, you understand why, who's going to be there and what it is that they need. You know, what is it that you're going to be teaching them? What's their purpose of being at the conference or the event? Because that's, everything is kind of based on that then. That's why you're going to curate the sponsors coming in that are going to be able to help these people, you know, achieve what they're trying to achieve. So it all has to kind of match in quite well. So, you know, sometimes I think event owners think, you know, I just, I just want to check, and, and we have this great event and it's going to be a bunch of people, um, which is— which I get, you know, but if it's a bunch of the wrong people, you know, it's, it's— there's no point.

So you have to really kind of make sure how that check could mean wrong people. Yeah, yeah. So, and so what else do you need? So you need to know who's going to be there. What else do you need?

Um, I, I need to know what the conference is going to be about, uh, what they're going to be learning. Um, you know, the, the people that are going to be there, are they, um, are they new? Is this something that they're learning for the first time? Um, are they somebody, you know, are they, um, like, is it kind of like at a mastermind level where they're just really advanced in what they're doing? Um, because those are 2 different conferences and 2 different demographics as well. Um, and, uh, you know, that's, that's pretty much it. And then in terms of what we can offer the sponsors, like what's on the table, what can, what can we make this a no-brainer for a sponsor that they're like, they're getting there in front of their ideal demographic, but we're also letting them do this, you know. So we talked a little bit earlier before we came on air and you were talking about, you know, um, the event that you're doing and you have an amazing package put together for it, which is, you know, amazing. Um, but a lot of exposure. And, you know, I think I made that comment. You said, yeah, absolutely, they're getting a ton of exposure. So they're going to be speaking, they're going to be introducing speakers, um, everyone's going to know who they are, right? Which is great. So that's— and that's what you're looking for. You're looking for that kind of symbiotic relationship where you're just like, you're building them up, they're building you up, and it's just— it's a strategic partnership. It's a long-term thing. It's not like, uh, hey, thanks for for the check. Now go stand over by your table in the hallway in the next hotel and good luck.

You know, you know, you actually are talking my language because our last year that we did the association conference was live.

Yeah.

And it was in San Diego and we had a sponsor there that had a new assessment out. And he came over to me and he said, CB, this is the best conference I've ever attended. And I'm thinking, a sponsor? He said, we feel so welcome, we feel so involved, we are having a blast, we're learning so much, and we can't wait to do this again. And I thought, isn't that the experience that every sponsor has?

No.

Okay.

Yeah, it isn't, and it's sad to say that it isn't, and it's, it's, it's so wrong. There's some events out there that do an amazing job, like what you just explained and what you talked about, and then there's some events where it's just like, it's almost like the sponsor is almost like a leper at the event. It's like, oh my God, now what do they want? Seriously, they want this? You know, it's just, you, it just can't be like that, you know. It's like, this is, it's like You know, it's, it's like a marriage. I mean, you need to, you need to both work at it. You may need to make sure that you're both happy. And it's just, you know, and when you do that, they'll come back year after year. There's conferences that, um, I know of that, you know, it's not even a question. They're just like, when do you need the check for next year? And they're, they're in.

It's true. I mean, we, we actually had it written in the agreement with the sponsor that they must participate. They must go to the dinners, they must, um, go to the groups, they must attend the other speakers. And they're like, really? We can't just write you a check? I said, no, we, you know, don't accept sponsors based on that.

Yeah.

We want our sponsors to be an integral part of the conversation.

Yep, yep, because they are— they're your partner.

Absolutely. Yeah, well, it's good to know I was doing something right.

Yeah, and then, you know, the onus is on the sponsors as well, because I, I've seen, you know, um, people working at a booth and they're just kind of like this— I think of my phone, the camera— they're just like on their phone and people are walking by them, or they're eating, or, you know, it's like it goes both ways. It's It's— if you're sponsoring, if you're at an event, just, just be there. Be where the attendees are all the time. Be in the bars at night. Go out for dinner. Just— it's, you know, this is your time to make hay while the sun is shining. It's like, make the most of it, you know? So it's, it's on both sides. It needs to be there.

Oh, that's so true. I have seen that happen where the sponsors come with their family and then they disappear for the entire event, you know?

Yep.

I think they kind of feel like their job is done. They've given—

Yeah, and it's not. And even a stack of business cards or flyers with your banner is not, you know. And, and attendees see that as well. They know that's the impression they get of the company now, and they're like, well, I don't know if I want to do business with that company because they're not present, you know.

True. So true. Okay, so now what happens next? Because I know, little birdie told me, That you have a program where you teach people how to be sponsors or how to obtain sponsors.

So how to obtain sponsors right now, I'm actually— it's funny that you say be sponsors because my— one of the things I'm playing around with is to do a program to actually train, um, people how to, you know, work booths and be a good sponsor, be a good exhibitor, close sales, all the rest of it. But, um, yeah, so I have a program on how to, um, how to find sponsors, how to manage them, how to like from A to Z, from when you sign them up to the end of the event, uh, and everything in between. And part of the reasoning for doing that is, um, I'm constantly being asked, you know, can you find me sponsors? And I'm like, I can't, I'm sorry. So I've coined the term event heroes, and I want to just develop a group of event heroes that when somebody comes to me and says, I need a sponsor for this event, I'll ask them a little bit about the event and I'll be like, oh, that's perfect for Sally, or that's perfect for so-and-so, and just like pass it on. And, you know, but people who are going to do it the right way as well and make sure that the sponsors are like a VIP at the event, you know, because they should be, they're paying for it.

You're teaching people how to do what you Exactly, exactly. Yep. And so how do we know we're getting the best quality?

Of what I do?

Yeah.

Why would I not?

Well, you know that old saying, you always want to go to the top.

So yeah, I mean, I, I've always been— I've always had a lot of integrity, but I like— I, you know, it's in my best interest that you do well. There's no point otherwise. I'm not going to tell you half the stuff and then be like, Yeah, good luck.

Okay, so where do we go to find these heroes and you?

So you can go to connectedsponsors.com and that brings you, leads you into a funnel and you can grapple your way around there. Um, you can also contact me at info@connectedsponsors.com. I'm always happy to answer questions and chat or network.

Okay, and so the team that you're developing, divided by industry, how does it work?

Um, so it's— I, I've been in the kind of the digital marketing, um, conference-type industry, so that's probably where it's going to start. Honestly, it's, it's, you know, the, the, the, the processes are the same regardless of industry. I mean, it's the same, you know, so it's not like, you know, for digital marketing we're going to do something different than we would for accounting. accountants or doctors or chiropractors or whatever conference you're talking about, um, coaches, um, but, uh, you know, the, so the, the, the, the, the things are the same, you know, how you do things are pretty much going to be the same. It's just, you know, you're going to be looking at different audiences basically.

Um, Sheila, what is digital marketing?

Digital marketing is all of the online stuff like internet marketing, selling online, Uh, you know, SEO, uh, social media, just anything that you're marketing that's online versus like direct-to-consumer. And even some of that is, is covered in those conferences, but a lot of marketing.

But, but how would you use— how would it— so digital marketing, we all want to play in that field. Yeah. Um, And I'm laughing because we want to, but we can't because we don't have the information. But so give, give me an example for, uh, like for example, my coaching business.

Yep.

My coaching association. How would we use a digital marketer and how would— what would the sponsorship look like? Are the digital marketers getting sponsors?

So, so the sponsors for like a digital marketing conference Where you go to learn more about digital marketing.

Ah, okay.

So again, if you go back to the, the thought of, you know, you're in a ballroom learning how to do something for your business, and then you walk out and all the resources that you just— all the things you learned how to do inside the room, the resources you need to do that are in the hallway waiting for you, if that makes sense.

I got you. Now, now my question is, how do we find out about These digital marketing events?

Oh, I'll send you a whole bunch of them. Um, that's where I got my start, was that event called Traffic and Conversion. It's probably one of the biggest digital marketing events. Um, it's in San Diego, just like yours is. And, um, they have, um, when they come back online, they've done— they did their event this year virtually. Um, but they were, um, before COVID hit, they were planning on about 10,000, um, attendees at this event. They were going to be in the conference center. Yeah. Yeah.

I want to know about the ones that are online because I'm still not up for traveling.

Yeah, I hear you. There's an abundance of stuff online.

And let me just tell you, if I can do it digitally, I'm doing it digitally.

And it's funny you say that because I think honestly the world is going to change based on everything that's just happened. Like, I mean, it used to be like if you went to an event, there wasn't really an option to go digitally or online. They may have kind of streaming or something, but it really wasn't that good. It was just kind of a camera like randomly placed somewhere and you could see through the camera what was happening. So I really see that events are going to change a lot. I don't think they're going to go back to what they were, which is kind of a good thing. You know, COVID wasn't a good thing, but I think there's a lot of good things coming out of it. You know, sometimes the world just needs to get shook up a little bit and changed. And that's kind of what happened.

And I hear what you're saying because I had COVID. I'm a long hauler. But you know what? Why do I need to spend the money to get on a plane, the money and the aggravation and the time, when I could be working with a client during that time? Well, that's time that I'm losing to make money. In order to learn to make more money.

Yeah, it's not just— I mean, for me, it's, it's not so much what's going on in the room, it's going— what's going on in the hallways. So there's the networking and the people that you meet, and there's something about meeting somebody face to face. Like, I've met a lot of people online in the last year that I probably wouldn't have met. Um, maybe I would have, but, you know, and those are great friends. Actually, that's how we got introduced. Um, you know, so some great friendships. Um, but there's a lot to be said for, you know, breaking bread with somebody meeting them in the hallway, going for a coffee, especially when, like, as an entrepreneur, it's when you meet people like you that have the same, like, goals, the same needs and wants, and they just, they get you. It's like, being an entrepreneur can be kind of a lonely place. Like, your family doesn't know what the heck you do. My kids tell people I sell insurance. It's just like an easy thing for them to tell people, you know? So it's hard to, You know, when you meet your people, you're just like, it's, you know, so for that, to me, it's worth it. I still have some amazing friendships from people I met at conferences, you know, years and years and years ago. And you're still, you know, you can not talk to them for a while and call up, but you're still like, you speak the same language and you, you're doing the same things. And it's okay that they're on their, you know, 72nd career at this point. And so what are you doing now? You know, and it's not judgment. It's like, that's awesome. Maybe I'll do that too.

That's a special breed.

It really is. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So that's the benefit of going live and being there. Um, but yeah, I, I get it. There's, you know, you can also be doing a lot of other things, um, than the, you know, if you're going coast to coast, the 5 or 6 hours on a plane, plus, you know, getting to the hotel and checking in and, you know, eating on your own the first night because you don't know anyone yet. And, you know, there's a lot that's— there's downsides to it as well.

The thing is also, I'm clearly more introverted than you because I go to these events and, you know, I'm like, okay, I'll go to the conference part. And my husband is introverted in terms of privacy but extroverted, and he gets people talking, and he's like the Pied Piper, right?

Yeah, yeah.

He's Italian and he has this way of people just want to hang out around him. And I'm the kind of person, okay, dear, yeah, you can, you can invite people over for dinner. And he's a former chef. But as long as you know that after dinner I'm going upstairs to— You can stay up all night talking, but I'm gonna disappear. So now our friends that we have together, they know CB disappears Yeah, she's fine, she just needs her space.

Exactly. Yeah, yeah. So actually, one of the things I learned in BNI, and this might help you, is, um, you know, the whole thing about being shy when you go to a networking event if you don't know anyone. They said treat the event like it's your event, you're the host. I would just go be a host.

I would do the same thing. Yeah, upstairs. Yeah, it's not that shy. It's just that my energy level, because I have to go inside to process, gets exhausted. Right. And so, you know, do you know this, that 90% of the CEOs in the United States are introverts?

It doesn't surprise me.

Yeah. So we allow you expert, expert extroverts out there to take the room over. And we're sitting there processing and thinking and working our mind 10 steps ahead and absorbing. So we— our minds get exhausted. That's what it is. So, um, yeah, so I'm perfectly okay with not going to conferences. And I'm going to say, I'm sorry, but I have a headache.

Exactly.

I think that the goal now is to figure out how we could have that intimacy by Zoom.

Yeah, yeah.

Or some other medium where we can have that cup of coffee. I know my husband has done wine tasting online.

Oh wow.

Yeah, it's kind of fun.

That is fun.

And, you know, because he's a wine expert. Um, okay, so I want to go back To the power of your influence as a sponsor.

Yep.

Um, how did you get to build up so many connections that when you speak, people listen?

Um, I don't know if I have that many, but, um, I, I don't know. I think just, uh, just again networking, getting to know people, probably a lot of lucky breaks, um, and just really paying attention to what it is that they want. Like, You know, you talk about being introverted. I'm introverted as well, so I sit in conversations a lot and listen rather than talk. So there'll be people talking away and I'm just kind of taking it all in. Um, but then, you know, just, just try and give back. It's kind of like servant leadership. Just, um, oh, like, I just think of things. You might say something in a conversation, I'll be like, oh, you know, someone was just asking me about that the other day, and I'll just— I'll go and I'll make that connection, um, to, to get back to the to bring that back home again. Um, but yeah, it's just— and I've been lucky, like, I mean, I've been around for a while, so these are people that weren't really famous people initially, and now they are, but now I know them, so, you know, I have their cell phone number.

So I pick up the phone, they answer.

They answer. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Okay, so here's another question that I have for you. So I'm I'm hearing like on Clubhouse, um, they've just, uh, started to monetize it, um, and so people are becoming sponsors on Clubhouse. How is that different from what you do? Do you see that as part of your business in the future?

Um, I think it will, will need to be my part of my business in the future. I mean, we had this whole conversation about Clubhouse and my lack of— I Apple iPhone everything.

Tell the secret.

That's okay. I'll wrap myself up. That's fine. But yeah, it definitely is. I mean, so again, it's it's if you bring it back to the basic CV, it's an old.

Your voice just cut out. Say that again. Hold it. Hold it. Your voice is cutting out. So that might be. Yeah, I can't hear you. It might be your connection. Now you're gone. I can hear noise, but I can't hear your voice. So everybody just hold on, we're gonna figure this out. You know technology. Probably the satellite moved. You know how that works. Satellite moves and everything breaks down. So try speaking again, Sheila. Nope, can't hear you. I, I think what Sheila's gonna do is she's gonna go out and come back in. So, um, so the interesting part is that we're seeing on Clubhouse now where monitors— those are people that help the host control the room— are starting to talk about various products in a very subtle, non-pushy way. And so it might sound like, gee, you know, my sister and I were up forever last night playing the new version of Monopoly. You've got to try it, it's really fun. And then they'll go on to talk about something else. So, um, let me see if I can let Sheila back in.

Sheila, can you hear me?

I can hear you. Yay! I was talking about while you were gone how it's working on Clubhouse, how, um, the monitors, uh, are who are the people that help the person who's hosting the room speak and how they're bringing up different brand names. So for example, I'll just use one like Monopoly, and they'll say, gee, my sister and I, or my friend and I, my husband and I were up all night playing the new version of Monopoly. You guys have got to try it. And, and then they'll say something else fun and go back to the conversation as though it's part of the conversation. And that is actually, whether you realize it or not, That's sponsorship going on.

Yeah, yeah. And that's, that's definitely back to the more of the influencer, um, that we started the conversation with, you know. So it's, it's somebody that you admire, um, that you're following, and they're doing something. So it's kind of 2 things. First of all, you hear of it. Like, we probably all know what Monopoly is, but maybe haven't thought about it in a minute because it's an old game, um, and now suddenly we hear of it again and brings it up to mind. But when it's somebody who you admire and somebody who you trust and they start talking about it, you know, it gives you the incentive then to kind of maybe go and buy it or get it or whatever, you know.

At least take a look and see.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's kind of like, you know, Clubhouse is like a new form of radio, right? Talking radio where you can call in and chat. But now, um, you have lots of people dialing in, and, you know, I have to tell you, I am addicted to it. As I mentioned in my last call, I am learning so much. I feel like, have you been living under a shell that you don't know all these things, especially from The young generation, right? My gosh, they are scary. So scary. They just know how to develop business. It's like we have this whole new generation of business developers.

I know, they're very impressive.

What?

I said they're very impressive.

Very. How old are your children?

They're 20, 25, and about to be 23.

So they're right in that.

Well, yep, yep, yep. And they're just— I mean, they, they're teaching us stuff all the time now. And now I feel like the old lady, you know, like the grandmother. I feel like my mother. So every time I go visit my mother, I have to do this whole tech upgrade for her and everything. And then my kids come home and I'm like, can you make this work? And like, I'm hounding them about Clubhouse. I'm like, can Someone get me a phone and get me on Clubhouse.

Well, I promised you when you get on, and I'll keep my promise, I'll send you an invite.

Excellent.

Because it's so hard. It's so hard. Okay, so how do you get in front of people like you that are influencers? How do we wave the white flag and say, help?

Um, I would just talk. I mean, if somebody says, help me, I'm going to be like, what's up? Yeah, like, if, if it's not something I can do, I can probably at least guide you to someone that will help you, you know what I mean? Um, yeah, I love helping people. It's just like I'm always jumping in and, you know, sometimes when I'm not even asked to help, which is a problem.

That's okay, we call that coaching.

Yeah.

We put our 2 cents in. Um, so this This has been terrific. It gives us an idea, especially those that want to have an event, where to go. Oh, you know what we didn't talk about is how do the fees work with sponsorship? And also, can you have a sponsor for a not-for-profit event?

Absolutely. Yeah, not-for-profits do a ton with sponsorship, which is great. And the fees, like, there's no set rule for fees. For sponsors. It depends really again on what you're offering them, the size of the event. You know, you have all the way from in-kind to paid sponsorships. So in-kind might be, you know, you're running an event and the audiovisual guys are gonna be your sponsor. They're also gonna do the audiovisual for you, but in return for that, you're gonna have them have a booth, you're gonna do some emails out to your list because they all run events as well. Supporting them and endorsing them and things like that. So it really is a fluid kind of thing. You know, a lot of people put together a deck with your ABC or your gold, silver, platinum, silver, platinum, gold, which is fine as a startup point. But honestly, when you really want to talk to sponsors and figure out what is it that's going to work for them and see if you can make that happen, because sometimes you're surprised at what they're looking for compared to what you're always So always ask, you know, that can be your baseline, that can be your baseline, but then it's a lot of talking and negotiating and making sure that they're going to be successful.

And how do we get in front of people like yourself? I know that you pick up the phone, and I was very, very lucky in that we had a common colleague, right? Hey, reach out to Sheila. I'm sure she can help you. And it was real— it's kind of— and I must admit, it's, it's kind of awkward calling somebody that you don't know. This is my introversion. And say, hey, um, you know what, I was told to reach out to you. And, um, so can you get sponsors for me? And that doesn't really work in terms of building relationships. So I guess I'm asking you, what's the secret sauce to starting a relationship?

Um, I don't think there is. I mean, just be genuine and be yourself. I mean, if somebody calls me up looking for help, I'll just be honest with them and, and, you know, figure out what their situation is. And if I can help, I will. If I can't, I'll be honest with them and say I can't, and that's is why. Um, but, you know, in terms of getting sponsors, like, be clear on what it is that you have that you have to offer sponsors. A lot of people come to me and they're like, I need money for my event, and that's why they're getting sponsors. So it's, it's, you know, you want to come at it from the other, from the other end. It's like, this is what I can offer. I'm going to have, you know, 200 of this profession that, um, are going to be with me for 2 days, whatever it is, and that, that's what I have to offer. What could I do with that?

That's brilliant. I like that. Yeah, I don't think that many people would think about approaching it that way, quite honestly. I mean, you said it like it's second nature, but I, I've been around the block a few times and I've never thought of presenting it like that.

Yeah, yeah. And it's, it, it, like, presented in not even an ask, but like, I'm just wondering, like, would you be interested in that? Is that something that you'd want to that your company would want to get in front of? And if it isn't, what is it your company wants to get in front of, you know?

Wow. I think you need to develop a program on how do you approach somebody to be a sponsor.

Okay, I can do that.

You want to teach small businesses, medium businesses How do you approach the big guys for sponsorship? Because you just gave some incredible tips, and I don't even know if you know how rich they are. I mean, amazing, short, to the point, and not something that's thought about.

Right.

Most people do approach it that, hey, I need money. Who do you know who can help me out? Yeah, borrowing $5 to run and get a lottery ticket or something.

We could do a collaboration. We could teach it together. I think that'd be amazing.

Both of my hands are raised. Yay! Let's talk. Oh my gosh, we're almost out of time. I am so serious. I'm as serious as a nail or whatever the expression is. Because, you know, I love, uh, helping others. I'm a coach, of course. Um, but the whole idea of asking for money, especially in the helping professions, you know, like coaching, in the servant professions—

Yeah.

We are so bad at it. Oh my God.

It's hard. It's a hard thing to ask for, you know.

We're not used to asking for anything. We're the helpers.

Yeah. Yeah.

And the way that you just presented it makes it so natural. It's like, honey, could you get me a glass of water? And I just love it. I love it. Um, anything else you want to share with us? Before we, uh, before we go, are you doing a— no, you're not. I was gonna ask you if you're doing a Clubhouse because that would be—

Oh, I will, I promise. I want to.

They're gonna go Android. The bad news is they don't know when.

Yeah, well, you told me last week that it was in 4 weeks, so I'm— I have a countdown timer. It's now in 3 weeks.

There are a lot of people. Well, they said this week that they each—the powers that be—each have bought an Android. Oh wow! Learn how to use it. I think it's so funny. The division, you know. Yeah. Android, the Apple. Dum dum dum dum. You know. And um um and the other news is there's lots of discussion about if they're going to. be bought out because they came— they came to play, right? Yeah. I'll have LinkedIn trying to do that. You have Twitter trying to do that. And I actually— one of the things I love about being on it is that I found out about all the new features that LinkedIn has through Clubhouse.

That's amazing. That's amazing. Yeah.

So, okay, well, I am so I'm so glad we've had a chance to talk. I have learned a lot about sponsors and influencers and how to approach them, and it's always from the perspective of abundance. I can help you. Here's what we can do together.

Right. Yep.

That's the summary. Great, great. And I can't thank our friend Ben enough. For Ben, right?

Yeah, Ben Corey. Yep.

For putting us together. You know what, why don't we give him a plug?

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, he's amazing. He's amazing.

You want to go first?

Yeah, so Ben Corey is, um, first of all, he's the kindest, most giving human being I've ever met. Like, I mean, I, I just feel bad every time we have a conversation because I'm like, oh my God, can I say crap on here? Probably not.

I'm just like, oh, Hey, this is CB Bowman Live, we talk.

Yeah, I'm like, I, I need to do something for him. But he is just like, he is so giving, um, without any expectation of anything in return. He is kind, um, but he's a magician, so he's like, he's, he is just funny. He, he will work with you, especially on— we were talking about this earlier— how to bridge the gap between live and this digital. I'm, you know, we're sitting in rooms far apart, and you know, how do you make it like more of a live experience. And he does that, but he is so intelligent that he'll do it in a way that he draws other people in. So if you have sponsors, he'll draw them in, and next thing, people are like running out to their booth just based on what he said. Like, he's just a very, very intelligent man. Um, yeah, he's amazing. So Ben, if you're listening to this at whatever time, you're great.

He's so savvy.

And did you know that he's also a I did not, so I just knew the magician part.

He has a magnificent voice.

Wow.

Sang something that was operatic for me, and I went, what? So he's savvy in business, he's a brilliant magician, and he is a phenomenal singer.

Wow, the whole package, huh?

Oh dear, he is as As we say, the real deal.

Yeah.

And, um, I introduced him to a friend of mine who is a singer-songwriter coach.

Oh.

Um, he— so he uses singing and writing of songs to coach people at the high level. And what he's found— he did it with my group ACEC. He came in as a guest for our fireside chat. And he helped each of us create a song. And so the idea is that, especially men, you gotta love them, but it's so hard for them to talk about their emotions in a true way, right? And in a way that's not defensive. That's the hard part for men, right?

Yep.

And he showed the men on the call how to create a song that represented their emotions, and it was— I was tearing up, it was so beautiful.

Wow.

He actually took, uh, we— when I got married last year, yeah, last year, um, it seems like this year, but it was last year, July 4th, and we asked him— I asked him to create a wedding song out of a Tina Turner song. And I thought he was just gonna sing it. And the song is Simply the Best.

Yep.

And he took it and he reformed it. I don't know what the words are in the music world. And he sang it. And I listened to that song. And so We played it as I came out to greet my future husband.

Wow.

And every time I hear it, I just get, as J.Lo says, the goosies. My husband was standing there smiling at me, and I'm just like, oh my God, the goosies, right? Yeah. Um, but the fact that he could produce that kind of emotion and help men, it's express their emotions all through creating a song. It's just amazing. So I introduced the two of them together, and I hope they do something together.

That'd be awesome. Yeah.

So reach— if you're having an event, reach out to Ben. He is phenomenal. And if you want to reach him, you don't know how, reach out to myself or to Sheila, and we'll hook you up with Ben, our dear friend who put us together.

There you go. I'm gonna come full circle.

Absolutely. We love it. Um, so everyone, I know we've run a little bit— oh no, we haven't. We're good. We're good to go. We have 2 more minutes. Um, because I'm— I get so excited about my conversations. patience with my guests, but I'm like, oh my God, we have to end this. Um, and you're one of them because you have helped us understand the role of the sponsor, how to approach a sponsor, and it's so vitally important, important as we shift from having sponsors at live events to having sponsors by live streaming by. And that's one of the things we didn't talk about is that you could get a sponsor just for a Zoom livestream. Of course. Yep. You know, yeah, I just found out about that. Yeah, we're gonna talk on the side.

We will.

But also, you know, switching over, as I was saying, from live events to a Zoom event, Don't think that you can't get a sponsor. It's doable and you just need to talk to Sheila about it. While she's working with developing more colleagues, there'll be more space, more professionals for us to tap into Sheila's network.

There you go.

It's a good network. That's an influencer for you. So everyone, I'm gonna see you all on Tuesday. Don't forget, on Tuesdays we do CB Bowman Live Challenges of the C-Suite. And I was almost gonna tell you our guest, but I'm not because you're just gonna have to tune in. And you know the guest is going to be phenomenal. I'm just saying. So I'll see you on Tuesday afternoon. Sheila, it's been real.

Thank you so much. This was a lot of fun. It really was. The hour just flew by. I can't believe it.

I know. And we're both introverts. Can you believe that we actually had a conversation for an hour and we had fun?

I rarely have a conversation with anyone for an hour.

I love it. Okay, so stay on for a second. I'm going to close out the meeting because we're 1 minute over. Everybody have a great week. Listen to me on LinkedIn Live. Join me on Clubhouse. We, you know, we talked about unconscious bias. We talked about business partnerships. We have that coming up. We have a lot to say, and you meet some great folks. Until then, we'll see you around the water cooler. Okay, bye now.