MBA2616 How To Meet People & Grow Your Network: An Introvert's Ultimate Guide

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Do you hate networking? Do you feel drained just thinking about meeting new people? If so, you're not alone. I get it. When I first started my entrepreneurial journey, networking felt like a chore. Walking into a room full of strangers? Not so exciting. Forcing small talk to build connections. It was kind of like no thanks, selling myself, having to talk myself up. Just didn't feel natural. But here's the truth. Your network is is your net worth. That saying is correct. Because you can lose your money, you can lose your business, but you always have the people you know. The right connections can open some really powerful doors that can fast track your success. These are doors you didn't even know existed. They can help you land partnerships, collaborations and new opportunities. And they can even fast track your growth by giving you access to knowledge and experience you wouldn't have on your own. And guess what? You don't have to be some sort of like Robin Williams character extrovert to build a powerful network. In today's episode, I'm going to share why networking is critical for your success. Even if you're an introvert. I'm going to share with you my five step system I use to grow my network without feeling drained and how to build authentic, long lasting relationships without forcing awkward conversations. Let's get into It. Welcome Back to the $100 MBA Show. I'm your host Omar Zenholm where I deliver practical business lessons three times a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday to help you start grow and scale your business. Let's start with the obvious. Why does networking even matter? Well, simply, opportunities come through people. That's just the reality of the world. Most business deals, collaborations, partnerships, they come through relationships. We like to work with people we know and we trust, so it's more likely that you will get business you will grow your business and get more customers when you know more people. Also, when you grow deep relationships, you learn from other people's mistakes. Your network gives you access to people who have been there, done that, and have already gone through the journey you're going through. And they can help you avoid costly mistakes when they give you an honest piece of advice from their own experience. Also, it's not a network. It's a group of friends, really friends that support you during tough times. Building a business is really hard. Okay, a strong network gives you a support system to lean on when things get rough, when things get challenging. But here's the real kicker. You don't have to network like everybody else. You don't have to be like the life of the party, like some Jim Carrey impersonator. You don't have to attend every conference or event. You don't have to be fake to be extroverted or to be sociable. You just need what works for you. So I want to share my five step system specifically for introverts to build a strong network. Number one, play to your strengths. If you like the online world and don't like in person confrontation, start there. Start online first. Introverts in general are better with one on one conversation. So you can skip the crowded networking events and you can start where you're most comfortable online. Here's how you want to join niche online communities. Find Facebook groups, Slack channels, Reddit threads where your industry, your people hang out. You want to engage with these people as consistently as possible. Comment on posts, ask thoughtful questions, provide value. And when I say consistent, I'm talking about at least three or four times a week. You may want to think about DMing strategically. When someone resonates with you, send a personal thoughtful message to connect deeper. So say for example, they responded to something that you said in the group and you really appreciated that comment. DM them and say hey, thanks for that comment. I really appreciated it. Made me see things differently. Hope you're having a great day. A pro tip that worked for me is to start with platforms that are DM friendly like LinkedIn or X or Twitter or whatever you want to call it. Those platforms are really good with DMing. Most of the times on those types of platforms it's just easier to DM people. You can get into their DMs easier than something like Instagram. Share insights and stories that invite a conversation. So when you're posting in these threads, in these groups, in these platforms like say for example, you're posting something on X share a story that invites conversation, that gets people thinking, that gets them relating to you. The goal here is to build connections before you ever meet in person. Hey Fidelity, Can I get a second opinion on stocks in the Fidelity app?

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Let's move on to step two and you want to master the art of asynchronous communication. Asynchronous communication is the secret weapon for introverts. Examples of asynchronous communication are emails, DMs, voice messages, anything that doesn't require live back and forth conversation. This allows you to think through your responses, allows you to avoid the pressure of real time conversations, and allows you to communicate at your own pace so you don't need to reply immediately. I recommend sending voice notes on things like LinkedIn or WhatsApp because people remember voices. It deepens the relationship and the connection faster. When you start the relationship asynchronously, then transition to real time conversation, it feels a little bit easier. So maybe you're going back and forth talking to somebody via DMs, but then eventually you say, hey, let's jump on a call for 20 minutes to discuss an opportunity or a collaboration or just to get to know each other. It's not going in cold. You've already spoken to this person before. You've already, you've gotten to know them a little bit. You have a little bit more confidence. Step 3 Focus on giving, not taking. This is actually the golden rule of networking. Give before you ask. The biggest mistake people make is they try to get something from a connection too soon. We all know that person, we all have that person that we can go into our phone Right now and we can find them on our phone. And we're like, hey, this is the person that is always asking me for something, is always asking me for advice. They're always asking me for help with this or like upvoting my thing on product or whatever it is. And they never actually give. Don't be that person. Instead, flip the script. Offer value first. Share insights, Offer introductions. Introduce them to other people. Help them with something small that maybe they need help with. And the key here is help them without asking them, can I help? Just help them. So if you see that they're launching a new product or they got something new going on, share on social media without telling them. And they'll see, oh, wow, this person's helpful without me even noticing them asking for a favor. Be genuinely interested in their success, like actually want them to win. And this will come naturally. Understand that in business, this is not a zero sum game. Other people can win while you win. Okay, the pie is huge. And ask yourself, how can I help this person? Before asking for anything. Or you could do what I do. I just always assume I will never ask them for anything. I will just never ask anybody for anything unless they ask me, hey, can I help you in any way? At that point, then maybe I will offer them, hey, do you mind sharing this? Or helping out with this launch or whatever it might be. But I always go into a relationship trying to help first and never think about, hey, how can this person help me? When you lead with value, people naturally want you to stay connected, right? They naturally will trust you more because they feel like, okay, this person is, is not a taker. This person is a net positive in my life. Step four, go deep, not wide. Here's where most people go wrong. They try to build some huge network with thousands of people and they collect business cards like their trophies. But they never build meaningful, deep relationships. They don't actually have real friends. Don't do that. Go deep, not wide. Focus on fewer, higher quality connections. So if I'm going to a conference, for example, my goal is not to try to collect a hundred business cards or meet a hundred people. It's gonna be hard for you to memorize a hundred names, let alone get to know them. If I happen to meet a hundred, great. But my goal really is, hey, I wanna really connect deeply with four or five people. If you're new to this, two, three people's fine. Nurture those relationships over time. Check in regularly. Be consistent and not transactional. I also wanna say it's okay to for you to think about who can have a massive impact on your journey as an entrepreneur. Who at this conference can really help me or give me advice or can just share their journey and I can learn through their stories. It's okay to identify those people and go out there and be like, hey, I want to help you in any way get to know them. And you don't need to be like this kind of needy person who's like, hey, can I help you? What are you working on? I'm happy to help you. No, you can just be helpful by being a friend, by being a listener, by sharing a meal, by just being normal, right? And being a person that's just curious about what they're doing. Invest deeply in those relationships because those relationships are going to be natural, they're going to be comfortable and they're going to be mutual. The feeling will be mutual between each other. A strong tight knit network beats a shallow one. In every five years I seek to this person network and step five attend selective, purposeful, in person events. Yes, even introverts need to show up in person sometimes and it doesn't have to be a pain. Go to conferences that pique your interest. Maybe the topics of the talks are interesting or maybe the vibe or the people that are going to show up seem to be fun. Don't waste time on random events that are like meh. Go to the ones that are like hell yeah, I want to go to this event. And you don't need to go to an event a week. You can go to some meaningful events. Two to three or four events a year. One of the things I like to do is pre connect with attendees online before the event. So usually these events have a Facebook group or some sort of forum where you can chat and get to know each other. A slack group. And it's good to kind of get to know people and learn about them and connect with them so that when you meet in person it's like, oh yeah, I remember you. You're the person that has this type of business. Great to meet you, I'm Omar. This is a great way for you to just have something to talk about when you first meet somebody in person. Now you have warm connections rather than cold ones. Right? One quality conversation at an event like this is more valuable than 10 shallow introductions. So you really want to see yourself as a person that's trying to make friends in the industry. So be friendly and try your best to just be yourself. That's all you can do. Building a strong network isn't about collecting contacts. It's about building real, long lasting relationships and here's how to nurture those relationships over time. And these are key because this is what transforms an acquaintance, somebody that you met at a conference, to an actual friend. Number one, Follow up regularly. Send quick check ins hellos, what's going on. You know, congratulate them if you see they did something interesting on social media or they're celebrating an anniversary or they went to a ball game, whatever it might be. Just be a friend and check in regularly and say hello. That could be a WhatsApp message, that could be a DM, that could be a comment on Facebook, whatever it might be. Number two, celebrate their wins. Acknowledge any kind of milestone or achievement that they make in their life or in their business. Don't just like it. Comment on that post, right? Or send them a message and say, really proud of you. Really. That was amazing what you did. 3. Be a connector. Introduce them to other people you think that could help them grow. And most importantly, be consistent. Try to message people that you met at least once a month. And if you need to use a spreadsheet, go ahead and use a spreadsheet. There's nothing wrong with that. It allows you to know that you have connected with that person at least once a month. It's not about making a big impression when you first meet them, it's about staying in touch over time. That shows that you value the relationship and value them. Before I go, I want to leave you with this. You don't have to change who you are in order for you to build a powerful network. You don't have to do that. You you just need a system that works for you. You need to play to your strengths. You need to focus on building real relationships, not just contacts. Your network is your net worth, but you got to put in the effort and the right connections can really change everything for you. Start today, one connection at a time and before you know it, you'll be well connected. And that network is going to be something that you will value more than anything else. If you're serious about growing your network and want to build an authentic relationship, join my Three Things newsletter. Every week I send you three things. 1. Something to think about, something to change your mindset, 2. Something to do so you are moving forward and 3 something to learn. It's my way to coach you from afar and give you the tools to succeed. Go to 1000mba.net and sign up for any of our free guides and you'll be added to our newsletter automatically. Absolutely free. I'm Omar Zenholm, and I'll check you in the next episode. Hey, Fidelity. How can I remember to invest every month?

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