S1: Welcome back to Building Billions. Buckle up, because this is
S1: content I've never talked about before. But with this new
S1: and revised and updated podcast, I've just really been thinking like,
S1: how do I take people into the things that I
S1: do really successfully that I've never shared before and that
S1: are more personal and aren't necessarily teaching a class about?
S1: This is step one, two, three, four, five of how
S1: to onboard a team member. And as I've been doing
S1: this and as I'm in Paris, I was really thinking
S1: about like, man, what am I doing right now that
S1: is going to make this experience successful? And I know
S1: this is a follow up from my previous episode on
S1: being in Paris, preparing for this networking and how to
S1: prepare for a big experience, something new. So if you
S1: haven't checked out that episode, go check out the previous
S1: episode because there's lots of great nuggets about, you know,
S1: what do you do in order to get in the
S1: right rooms and how do you behave once you're there?
S1: But now I want to take you after the fact,
S1: now that this whole Paris experience has wrapped and it
S1: was a total just it was awesome. It was total success.
S1: Totally awesome. I want to share with you what I
S1: do in new experiences, how I network, how I get
S1: to know people instead of just living in the moment. Now,
S1: there's a caveat here. So this is going to be
S1: all about networking. However, when you I think it's important
S1: to talk about like the framework of experiences and doing
S1: something new. So I'm all about having moments of gratitude,
S1: having moments of appreciation. Here I am eating this beautiful
S1: breakfast by myself, really enjoying a morning of just like.
S1: Gratitude and appreciation and getting shit done and just like
S1: having a nice, like, little pause. Maybe I'll talk about
S1: that in the next episode is how do you take
S1: a pause? But make no mistake, when you fly across
S1: the world in order to go to an event, when
S1: you drive across your town to go to an event,
S1: the event is not the time to feel the gratitude
S1: and appreciation. When you show up to an event, you
S1: have to know what your intention is, and if you're
S1: at an event, your intention is to meet new people.
S1: Your intention is not to be inspired, and your intention
S1: shouldn't be to just take it all in. No, if
S1: you're going to an event where there are other people
S1: and you do not know those people, get clear. Your
S1: intention should be to meet those people. People have everything
S1: you want in this life and so you have to
S1: figure out this networking game. And I'm just going to
S1: tell you, I'm a professional at this. It's been a
S1: minute since I've had to network by myself. Normally, Brain
S1: and I were a dynamic duo in a crowd of
S1: people that we have no idea who they are and
S1: we just have this great energy back and forth. And
S1: he does. He's like Mr. Vibrato and Life of the
S1: Party and I'm the people that people end up liking.
S1: But he's the one that they think is funny. They
S1: like him too, But like, you just have this really
S1: good thing because I go deep and he goes entertaining anyway.
S1: Not the point. Networking and why the tips I'm going
S1: to give you today, networking and why you're there has
S1: to get clear on the front end. So if you're
S1: going to an event, remember experiencing it and join it.
S1: Those are all great things, but those are secondary intentions.
S1: Your main intention is to meet new people and to
S1: figure out what can you do with those new people,
S1: what relationship can be formed, what connection can take place
S1: in order to push you forward? So set your intention
S1: before you go. I'm going to meet new people and
S1: it is going to be amazing. Now let's just go
S1: into my network Secrets. There are seven. However, as I
S1: go through this, I might add a bonus 1 or 2.
S1: So you're going to want to stick around First one,
S1: when you get in the room, locate the people that
S1: you came to meet. Now you might be thinking, wait
S1: a second, Natalie. I don't know who's going to be there.
S1: How am I supposed to know who to meet? You
S1: will know when you walk into the room. You will
S1: know who you came to meet. There will be an energy,
S1: There will be excitement. There will be people that you
S1: can tell like, Man, this person is more reserved versus
S1: this person is more outgoing versus this person has a
S1: lot of people with them. So I should probably figure
S1: out how to join the group of people with a
S1: lot of people and figure out who I'm there to meet.
S1: And it's really clear if you are looking who you
S1: came there to meet and why I say this is
S1: the first step is what oftentimes happens in networking events
S1: is you just go there and you start talking to
S1: the one person that you first encounter and then you
S1: don't ever move past that person because both of you
S1: guys might be uncomfortable. And then you sit together, you
S1: have your meal together, you just become buddies. Well, remember,
S1: what's our intention? Our intention is to meet people. So
S1: when you get there, find the person that you are
S1: there to meet. You are on a mission. You need
S1: to and should be meeting the majority of the room
S1: that you walk in. So for this Paris event, there
S1: were well, there was it was a small enough group
S1: where I knew I was going to end up meeting
S1: everybody no matter what. But but I had created the
S1: intention that I needed to find the person or the
S1: people that I came to meet. So when you get
S1: into the room, yes, it's fine to talk to the
S1: first person that's there because you don't know who that
S1: person is. You don't know what connection you guys could have.
S1: But don't forget that you're on this mission to find
S1: the person or the group of people that you came
S1: to meet. Find them, don't lose sight of finding them.
S1: And that is going to force you to network with
S1: different people instead of just getting stuck and glomming on
S1: to the one person. And quite honestly, whenever I've done this,
S1: to me it's the biggest cop out. If I don't
S1: do step one correctly, then the rest of it, it
S1: just kind of becomes useless. And I feel silly leaving.
S1: I feel like, Oh man, this wasn't really the right
S1: room for me when it could have been. But the
S1: only reason it wasn't was because I didn't fulfill on
S1: my mission, which was to find the people that I
S1: came to meet. Okay, you get the point. Number two,
S1: when you are in a room of people that you
S1: do not know, the easiest way to keep the conversation
S1: going while not feeling awkward about ending it is to
S1: ask for their contact information. So let's say just yesterday
S1: I sat down with somebody. There was a group of people.
S1: I was eating with them and I knew it was
S1: my moment to go meet the other people inside this room.
S1: So instead of just awkwardly saying, Oh, I'm going to
S1: go talk to other people, which then makes the person
S1: feel like. You don't want to talk to them. You
S1: asked for the contact info. You say it was so
S1: great talking with you. Can I get your contact information?
S1: You take their contact information. I always take a screenshot.
S1: This is my pro tip. I take a screenshot whenever
S1: I get their contact information so that I can remember
S1: all of the people that I just connected with. You
S1: take a screenshot, you have the photos and then you've
S1: asked for their contact information. You move on to the
S1: next person. But it's a great like, man, this was
S1: a great conversation. It's showing intention that you want to
S1: move the relationship forward, which you should. You should be
S1: moving the relationship forward. You asked for contact information. Phenomenal.
S1: So great to meet you. And then you move on
S1: to the next person. Now you have their contact information.
S1: The third thing to do is you follow up immediately. Now,
S1: immediately might be a little bit too soon. You should
S1: wait until you've left the event for follow up. That's
S1: at least what I do. But I'm following up within
S1: that day, maybe that evening, maybe on my walk home
S1: from the event that I just went or the car
S1: ride home. But I am following up immediately with those people. Hey,
S1: it was great to meet you. I'm Natalie Dawson. Here's
S1: how you can contact me or here's where I'm at
S1: on socials. Let's get connected and then make your ask.
S1: Do you want them on your podcast? Do you want
S1: to set up a lunch? Do you want to do
S1: a coffee? Whatever the ask is follow up immediately bonus
S1: round on this. If they are a very important person
S1: to you, like you know that they're very important person.
S1: I did this with Elena Cardone, I did this with
S1: the editor of Men's Vogue that I sat with, which
S1: is nuts. We had like a full two hour conversation.
S1: He was super awesome. You add a special touch. So
S1: with Elena, I got her address, mailing address. I sent
S1: her gold and black flowers. Still to this day, she
S1: has them there from that flower company that that preserves
S1: the roses so you can have them forever. So there's
S1: a special touch. It makes you memorable. It has you.
S1: It makes you stand out from everybody else. When you
S1: add that special touch with the Vogue editor, I've already
S1: reached out. I haven't figured out what my special touches,
S1: but I'll probably send him something when he's back in
S1: New York. I know he's still in Paris right now,
S1: but I'll send him something saying, Wow, it was so
S1: great to meet with you. Thank you for the conversation.
S1: I'll put a little note in about something that I
S1: learned or something that I took away. This is the
S1: second pro tip on this for those very important people
S1: that you want to have a connection with, do something
S1: that shows them that you're interested. I was about to
S1: have a meeting with Victoria Beckham a couple of weeks
S1: ago and I bought her clothes in order to wear
S1: her clothes to the meeting. That is a sign of
S1: respect and you can think that that's tacky. You can
S1: think that that's weird. I come at it from a
S1: genuine place, so it's not something that I'm not trying to. Well,
S1: I guess I am trying to impress them. I'm trying to,
S1: but not for for ill intention. I'm trying to to
S1: pay my dues, to give respect where respect is is required.
S1: And I'm a big fan of Victoria Beckham's clothes. I'm
S1: a big fan of Elena Cardon. I've become a big
S1: fan of this, this editor of Men's Vogue. Michael And
S1: so for the special people that you get contact information
S1: like he and I exchanged phone numbers, emails follow each
S1: other on Instagram. Now I'm going to do the next thing,
S1: which is the special touch so that you're not forgotten.
S1: There is nothing wrong with wanting to be remembered. Women
S1: are told all the time that you should just kind
S1: of blend in. Let me just set this straight. There
S1: is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to be remembered and
S1: taking the right action to be remembered. The action, though,
S1: is in the follow up. So if you don't do
S1: the previous step, step two, which is asking for the
S1: contact information, you're going to really struggle to do the
S1: the follow up. You're really going to struggle to be
S1: remembered unless you just like slide into their DMS, which
S1: that's weird to if you have to, you have to
S1: write if you forgot to get contact information. But ideal
S1: seeing as you get the contact information and then you
S1: do something that makes you memorable, be memorable at a
S1: networking event. You do not want to blend in. Do
S1: not blend in, do not come as like I'm a
S1: wild or a wildflower, not a wildflower, a wallflower. I'm
S1: just a wallflower. And I'm just here to enjoy myself.
S1: Fuck that. No, you're there to be remembered. You're there
S1: to get known. You're there to move your life forward.
S1: And the people in that room can help you. You
S1: have to believe all of that. Okay, Moving on. This
S1: one is going to be a little bit controversial. I
S1: already know this, but I'm going to say what I'm
S1: about to say. Don't drink.
S2: Don't drink.
S1: What are you here for? Just remember, go back to this.
S1: What are you there for? You are there to find
S1: people that you you went there to meet. You were
S1: there to find the people that you came to meet.
S1: I can't tell you how many times I've watched people
S1: just make the worst first impression. At first it goes great.
S1: You're like, Oh, this person so wonderful. And then an
S1: hour or two later they're just completely sloshed. And granted,
S1: I've still become friends with people. Like no one thing blows.
S1: The deal is Grant Cardone says one thing does not
S1: blow a deal. You getting drunk one time does not
S1: blow a deal. However, it doesn't look professional. And if
S1: you're there with an intention to move your business forward,
S1: to move your product forward, to move your reputation forward,
S1: to start, you know, being in bigger places and doing
S1: more exciting things, the reputation should not be that you're
S1: the person that got drunk. Now, is it okay to
S1: have a drink? Sure. And especially in social environments. I
S1: get why having champagne in your hand and all of that.
S1: I'll drink maybe a half a glass of champagne or
S1: half a glass of whatever people are having just for
S1: the social aspect. But the intention is not to get
S1: drunk or the bigger crutch is using alcohol to make
S1: you a more heightened version of yourself or a more
S1: funny version of yourself, or a looser version of yourself.
S1: Like be a grown ass adult. Yes, you might be
S1: nervous networking. I get it. But you don't have to
S1: get drunk to cope with those feelings. Just fucking cope
S1: with the feelings. Sit there like a grown ass person
S1: and meet new people. It's okay that you don't have
S1: alcohol In order to do that, you don't need it.
S1: It's not a requirement. You shouldn't make it necessary. Cope
S1: with your own emotions, cope with your feelings, and you
S1: are going to feel more confident because that is the
S1: name of this game. You're going to feel more confident
S1: afterwards if you do it the right way. If you
S1: get drunk, you don't even remember what you said. Like
S1: I can't even imagine if I would have gotten drunk
S1: with the editor of Vogue. And then the next morning
S1: I'm like, oh my God, what did I say to him?
S1: Did I say that was I like, you just get
S1: loose and you're not trying to get loose. You're not
S1: trying to get loose. You're trying to make a good impression.
S1: You're trying to be memorable. Nobody wants to be memorable
S1: or you shouldn't want to be memorable in that way.
S1: So I'm a stickler about the drinking thing. I'm a
S1: huge stickler. Once you get to know people. Sure. If
S1: you need to let your hair down and they become
S1: friends or whatever, that's fine. Okay, next up, we're off
S1: of that one. I've heard the saying so many times.
S1: Be interested. Not interesting. This is my take on that.
S1: Be interested then. Interesting. So all your attention and energy
S1: should be focused on being interested in the other person.
S1: What do they do? What is exciting to them in
S1: their lives? Do they have children? Do they have a business?
S1: Are they excited about launching a new venture or a
S1: philanthropic endeavor that they have? Just be interested. Ask genuine
S1: questions as if because you are you are so interested
S1: in the other person. Now, the reason I say as
S1: if it's because I realized that people really struggle with
S1: being interested in other people, because in most people's world,
S1: their world is the world. There's no. Point of view
S1: from somebody. Somebody else's perspective. So it's easy for people to.
S1: Ask one question and then start talking about themselves or
S1: how they relate to it. Whatever the person just said,
S1: that's not the idea. You should be asking 5 to
S1: 10 questions or it shouldn't feel overwhelming, but you should
S1: be asking them questions about what they do, what they
S1: like to do, how they ended up at that event,
S1: what the context is for how they were invited to
S1: the event. Be interested in the other person without making
S1: it remotely about you, and then you be interesting. So
S1: after you are interested, you're still interested. But then. Then
S1: you can start to be interesting. Then you can start
S1: talking about what you do, why you do what you do,
S1: why you're excited about some project that you're working on,
S1: the context in which you're at this event. But you
S1: don't start off by being interesting. It's the wrong way
S1: to do it. I have one over so many people
S1: that initially wouldn't like me. And here's the real rule
S1: on this. Most of the times it has been very
S1: difficult for me in rooms of other women, especially when
S1: I'm with my husband, to get them to like me,
S1: because most of the time they are not my age.
S1: If I'm networking in a group of people, they are
S1: rarely people that are my age. So here I'm in
S1: my 20s. Most of the women are older, they have husbands.
S1: They're not thinking. When I walk into the room, that
S1: is going to be my future friend. That's just I
S1: know I get the appearance. I'm not dumb to what
S1: people think when they first see me and they see
S1: my husband. I'm not oblivious to it, so I have
S1: to work extra hard. And that's like my little chip
S1: on my shoulder. It's the greatest chip I carry. I
S1: have to work extra hard in order to get people
S1: to take me seriously, in order to get people to
S1: like me. Because first impression normally is not great and
S1: that is what it is. So I kill people with
S1: kindness around being genuinely interested in who they are because
S1: most people are so shitty at this. They are so
S1: terrible at asking great questions and really locking in and
S1: being interested in other people. So you start by being
S1: interested and then you move into being interesting. You don't
S1: have to dim your sparkle. You don't have to make
S1: yourself smaller. You can be interesting. It's not just you.
S1: And I say this because I would air on this
S1: side where all I would be is interested, and then
S1: I wouldn't want to talk about myself, especially because the
S1: person was older. They were likely more accomplished and more experienced.
S1: So I didn't want to I didn't want to talk
S1: about myself. I felt uncomfortable talking about myself. I've gotten
S1: over that because you have to get known and you
S1: have to talk about the things that you do really
S1: well or else no one is going to know you
S1: for those things. And then they just had a good
S1: fleeting conversation with somebody who was interested in them. But
S1: it doesn't go anywhere. So if you're young and you're
S1: listening to this, or maybe you lack self confidence and
S1: you're listening to this, it's okay to talk about yourself,
S1: but don't well, this wouldn't be your problem. It's okay
S1: to talk about yourself and talk about the great things
S1: that you're doing, not in a braggy way, but just saying, Yeah,
S1: this is who I am, this is what I do,
S1: this is what I'm passionate about, etcetera. And that's going
S1: to be really easy for you to do because most
S1: of the time you probably spend too much time asking
S1: the other person all about their life and then you
S1: leave the conversation and they don't even know who your
S1: name is, which if you're in. Wait, wait. That's for
S1: another point. Hold on. I'll make that point in a second. Okay.
S1: Next up. It's attached to this Be interesting angle because
S1: the next item is know your angle. So if you're
S1: in a room like I'm in this Vogue room, what's
S1: my angle? My angle is is going to change because
S1: all of us do different things. All of us have
S1: different roles in our lives. We love fashion, war, a
S1: mom war, a daughter war, a niece, war, a team member.
S1: We're a business owner. We work on this project. There's
S1: also this other project. We have this philanthropy. Like no
S1: one needs to know your whole freaking life story because
S1: you have to know what your angle is inside that room.
S1: Are you there to connect with other moms? If you're
S1: there to connect with other moms, that's your freaking angle.
S1: Your angle isn't. Oh yeah. I'm starting this like, project
S1: on the side here that has nothing to do with
S1: this group of people. And it would just be something
S1: I would be randomly talking about. For me, knowing my
S1: angle in this group, most of them are interested in fashion,
S1: beauty and wellness. My angle, the thing that I have
S1: going for me there is that I am president of
S1: a health business that does really cool things with people,
S1: with a group of people that they are also either
S1: know or connected with. So that's my angle. I'm not
S1: going to talk about helping business owners achieve their goals
S1: in the HVAC and plumbing space in a group of
S1: people that came because of Vogue. They're not going to
S1: that's not reality. Like, we're not in the same reality
S1: point when I use that angle. However, in four days
S1: from now, when I'm in a group of business owners
S1: who are looking to scale their business, I'm not talking
S1: about Vogue 100 and I'm not talking about fashion. I'm
S1: talking about, Oh yeah, there's this plumber that we've helped
S1: go from 2 million to 9.2 million over the last
S1: 18 months, and all of a sudden that person's really
S1: going to be interested in what I have to say.
S1: So when you're in the room, know your angle and
S1: it's just like, how do I explain this? It's it's
S1: not that your angle has to be the end point.
S1: Your angle is like the come on, your angle is
S1: your hook. It's it's the initial connection to, to, to
S1: be on the same page and to create understanding with
S1: the people that you're networking with. So I'm not going
S1: to talk about equity investments in a group with my
S1: Vogue 100 people. It's just not going to be the
S1: right conversation. I'm going to talk about skin care and
S1: exosomes and red light therapy, and I'm going to go
S1: down this full other path because that's what they're interested
S1: in now. I'm still going to end up at the
S1: same place, which is how do I move these connections
S1: into a relationship with our business? And that's going to
S1: be regardless of the room, regardless of the initial angle that,
S1: come on, I'm still going and I'm still headed to
S1: the right place. But this is just something to be
S1: mindful of when you're first making introductions, when you're first
S1: being interesting, be interesting in something that they understand, be interesting,
S1: and something that's relevant to the context of the group.
S1: Be interesting in in like what the right entry point is.
S1: And then when people understand what you do and people
S1: get that you're part of this group for a reason,
S1: that's when you go into whatever the end point is
S1: for you. Okay, My last item. In a group. You
S1: are playing the long game. Do not get confused that
S1: a networking event, even though it's going to end at
S1: some point there's going to be a stop point. You
S1: maybe have an hour or two hours, maybe four hours
S1: or however long the time is. It is a long game.
S1: You are likely going to run into these people again.
S1: You are likely going to do another event or have
S1: somebody that you know that they know if you do
S1: the follow up properly. So think of it as a
S1: long game. Think of it as the starting point for
S1: what will be a very fruitful relationship. Because if you
S1: go into it thinking it's just going to be the
S1: short networking event and you're just there to meet people
S1: in and out, you're going to be transactional in your interactions.
S1: If I believe that, I am going to see these
S1: people multiple times over, I'm going to conduct myself in
S1: a different manner. I'm going to conduct myself like me
S1: because they're going to see me multiple times over. And
S1: I give this advice because I've watched people who think
S1: that they have to make this big splashy impression and
S1: they have to just like go over the top and
S1: be this like, ridiculously extroverted version of themselves. And then
S1: you meet them the next time and it's not the
S1: same person. Like they're a little bit more mellow, they're
S1: a little bit low key. So I'm a fan of
S1: giving a little extra in a networking event, like going
S1: a little over what you would normally give from an
S1: energy standpoint, from a how you show up. But it
S1: shouldn't be like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It shouldn't be.
S1: You know, this is just like this overly inflated version
S1: of you because remember that you're going to meet these
S1: people in the future. So just be you, but play
S1: the long game. Networking is a long game. You're going
S1: to meet these people over and over and over and
S1: over again. So be consistent with who you are because
S1: you're showing up as who you are. That's not to
S1: say you shouldn't do certain things. One thing that I
S1: watched a woman do that I thought was just like,
S1: really cool and really like something that I would do
S1: in the future is like, take care of the whole
S1: dinner and, you know, a bottle of champagne for everybody
S1: and like, nice champagne, not just like entry level champagne,
S1: but like set and set the tone and set the
S1: impression like you, you are generous and you are giving. Again,
S1: I know that this is for some people that this
S1: is too much of a problem where you just like
S1: pop bottles and it's like a club scene and you're
S1: overextending again, not what I'm talking about, but in these
S1: like social situations, like being the person that takes control
S1: of the situation and that gets the dinner reservation or
S1: that gets the the spot at the bar and allows
S1: for the evening the encounter to elongate. Like if you're
S1: in control, super cool order all the appetizers, like do
S1: your thing to the wine and dine piece. But playing
S1: the long game is like, Oh man, if I could
S1: teach more people and more people would just actually do
S1: this in networking situations, it wouldn't feel so fake and
S1: weird and you'd actually build better relationships. And I say
S1: this from a place of man. I've been in so
S1: many rooms that I didn't know anybody in that I
S1: wasn't confident in, But because I played the long game
S1: and I had a five year vision in mind and
S1: a ten year vision in mind.
S3: I.
S1: It gave the relationship momentum and it gave the relationship consistency.
S1: And it it allowed people who shouldn't have liked me
S1: and maybe initially didn't like me at all. It allowed
S1: them to see who I am and create long term
S1: lasting relationships. And so this long game, like this is
S1: my lifelong motto, actually play the long game. You're in
S1: this for the long haul. It's not a moment, it's
S1: not transactional. If it's the long game, that means you're
S1: showing up as who you are. You're authentic to who
S1: you are. You're there to build relationships. There's a genuine
S1: attention that you're putting into the moment that you are in,
S1: and people take that seriously. So. Those are my tips.
S1: If you are interested in knowing more of my networking secrets,
S1: I will share them with you. But this was like
S1: the list that came up that I actually. As I
S1: was going through these moments with my new group of
S1: Vogue 100 people like these were things that as as
S1: situations were arising, I was like, Oh, this is how
S1: I handle this. And I've always handled it this way.
S1: So I wanted to share this with you. I am
S1: going to be taking feedback and questions on Building Billions podcast.
S1: So if you go there Building Buildings podcast, you can
S1: enter in your question comment. Would love to interact with
S1: you there. I'm going to be taking lots of questions
S1: in future podcast because I want to get to know
S1: what it is that you want to know through these podcasts.
S1: So if you have something specific to networking or a
S1: situation that you struggled with in networking, please reach out.
S1: Go to Building Billions Podcast. Don't forget to review This
S1: podcast would so appreciate if you gave me a review
S1: wherever you listen to your podcast that will allow this
S1: podcast to grow and if you found value, share it
S1: with a friend. Let your friends know that this is
S1: something that you you're listening to, This is something that
S1: is helping you out and it would mean the world
S1: to me. So with that, see you next time.